OK, Boring question, answered in many places already, by many people - but the more research I do, the more confused I get... so somebody PLEASE tell me what i really need...
 
I want to run X3, using Kontakt and UVI Soundbank - some orchestral stuff, some general rock songs..
 
Am thinking;
 
i5 4690, 16GB Ram, 240GB SSD for programs, 1GB Nvidia GTX650, Windows 8.
 
Am I under or overdoing it? So confused, and don't want to spend money i don't need to, but don't want to buy a system that doesn't cut it. 
 
Help!!!

Although the i5 should work well with X3, you might also want to consider looking at the i7 4790 (if your budget allows it) as it does take advantage of the hyperthreading with X3 and has overall better performance  specs than the i5. http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/440/Intel_Core_i5_i5-4690_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-4790.html
 
Which motherboard will you be using?
  

Thanks Mesh - was thinking about the ASUS Z97-A , or the Gigabyte Z97-HD3.

Both Asus and Gigbyte make really good boards, but between those two, the Asus seems to get slightly better reviews. 
 
 When I built my PC last June, I also went through a similar situation as you're going through.......after reading review after review on MB's, I finally settled for AsRock's Z77 OC Formula and I'm extremely happy with it. AsRock has come a long way in the MB market (quality-wise) and I found their boards offered much more features than their counter parts.....I don't know if that has changed since, but that was my deciding factor.  
 
You may need to just compare all the features vs. cost on all of them and see which one actually fits your needs.  

Thanks again Mesh - it's put my mind at rest just seeing that your setup isn't a million miles  away from what I have in mind!
 

Well, reconsidered the budget, and decided to go with an AMD FX8320... 
 
I hate making decisions. 
 
 

That looks like a good value chip. Report back when you can on how well if performs for you...
 
 
Thanks

I'm another AsRock Z77 user. Can't speak highly enough about their products. They aren't as pretty as Asus but a lot cheaper and work just as good. Gonna upgrade to a Z97 this winter. :)

Well, in the end I got so confused I bought an i5 4690k with 8GB ram and the Asus Z97 board. Running windows 8.1 64bit.
 
Result?  I'm pretty happy. I haven't even come close to pushing it to the limit, despite using numerous plug ins and effects. 
 
That has to be be one of the toughest buying decisions I ever made...

Eggster
Well, in the end I got so confused I bought an i5 4690k with 8GB ram and the Asus Z97 board. Running windows 8.1 64bit.
 
Result?  I'm pretty happy. I haven't even come close to pushing it to the limit, despite using numerous plug ins and effects. 
 
That has to be be one of the toughest buying decisions I ever made...

Glad to hear it worked out. Even though you got confused in the end and purchased the i5, the confusion side fell in the right direction (IMO) .
Congrats!! :)