I have put together 2 builds (1 AMD & 1 Intel option) with about a $400 budget, but I'm not sure which one would be better for gaming. I open to any changes in parts, but $420 is the maximum budget.
AMD: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JXTn
Intel: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JXpP
I was told by a friend of mine that the AM3+ socket is backwards compatible with the AM3 socket, though I'm not entirely sure. If anyone has more info on that matter, I'd appreciate the input.