With all of the hype going on with Intel's Ivy Bridge CPUs and AMD's Trinity APUs, it's not difficult for somebody to get caught up in trying to decide what kind of processor is the best to buy. Unfortunately, I am one of those people.

I'm looking into a new computer, and I'm questioning my original intent to get an Ivy Bridge CPU. I'm not sure how beneficial PCIe 3.0 would be for me, Micro Center has an i7 2600K available for $200, and AMD is preparing new APUs. The 2600K has outstanding performance, but would keep me from using PCIe 3.0 (the 2700K is also available, but with significantly less savings and little true benefit). For $200, I think it's a great deal, but I would like input from others with more experience here. I doubt I'd want to opt for AMD, personally. I'll be getting a dedicated GPU, regardless, and the leaked specifications for Trinity still show as lower than those of Sandy Bridge offerings. Of course, there's plenty of time for AMD to improve their technologies, but I'm likely to go for Intel. Again, I'd still like input from somebody with experience.

I'm planning to use the computer largely for gaming and some software development. If we were to consider the unlocked i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs: While the i5 proves to be great for gaming, the i7 would certainly provide advantages for the development area.

I'm aiming for a budget of around $600-700 initially. That way, I'll still have some money remaining for other desires. The money would be covering the motherboard, CPU, RAM, input devices, and cooling. I have a 350W PSU, a decent case, a decent monitor, speakers, etc. I am going to get a new graphics card, but I'm going to procrastinate on that, due to the cost of them. I'm going to be working to earn more money, and I should be getting a decent graphics card around the time that summer begins. Right now, I need an upgrade to my old hardware, and the sooner I can get it, the better. If I can get the essentials, decent graphics can follow shortly after.

Decide what your budget is, and get the best parts that remain within your budget.
Beyond that, the most important piece of information for any parts selection is what you plan to do with the machine. If you can tell us that, more useful advice can be forthcoming.

I updated the OP with more details, and added an option for Trinity APUs in the poll.

Ivy Bridge is bringing an updated GPU, it isn't doing much of anything for the CPU. Since you mention gaming, you'll be using a discreet card and thus there's nothing to wait for.

Same with AMD's APU - you won't be using the on die GPU, so why would you wait for it?

Also the 2600K is a Sandy Bridge part. The 3770K would be Ivy Bridge as well.

Ditto. Get the best you can with the money you have. Check out some benchmark websites if you want. Also, try shaving off some cash from other components like hard drives and optical drives. You can get really killer deals on them if you shop around. Since you haven't bought a mobo yet (I would assume this because you haven't yet decided AMD or Intel), try getting one with a blown capacitor. You can usually fix this for a few dollars and save a TON on a good motherboard. Other than that, just go for what Tari said and you'll be golden!

Thanks for the advice, everybody.
adept, that's some good advice; thanks for sharing that.

The 3770K being called a Sandy Bridge CPU was a typo. I'll fix that.

EDIT: Hmm. I can't edit the poll. Is that due to already having responses?

I suggest any of the fine CPUs available on the market today, provided it includes Turing compatibility. Nearly all do.