OT: New Processor

[AgentZero]

Hey folks, long time no see. So, I've got me a not insubstantial amount of money coming my way in the near future, and I'm thinking of sinking some of it into a new computer. I've decided on most of the core components, but I'm still trying to decide what processor to stick in the thing. I know it'll be an Intel, because a friend of mine works for Intel & can get me a wee discount. But I'm not sure what to go with from a gaming standpoint.
I'm looking at one of three options:
A 3.2GHz P4 with Hyper Threading
A 3.2GHz Pentium 840 Dual Core
or A 3.20GHz Pentium 840 'Extreme Edition' which is basically dual core AND Hyper Threading.

Does anyone know which would be better for games? I've heard most games wouldn't benefit much from the HT, but I'm not sure how Dual Core technology would affect games. Thing is, I could get a 3.6GHz P4 with HT for about the same price as a 3.2GHz dual core processor, but I'm wondering whether or not the dual core would outperform the 3.6GHz version.

Little help?