Anandtechers!! I need some serious help?

[GZFant]

So, I have been running a great OLD machine for nearly 4 1/2 years now and technology is beginning to fly. Games/movies/music are my favorite aspects of computers along with browsing.

I recently moved to LA to live the Hollywood dream yet i find myself very connected to my best friends back home. They all have upgraded to some of the latest and greatest hardware and I am lagging behind.

My system is a P3 933Mhz with 512mb RDRAM and a 40gig HD.

I know my new system will be outdated in 6 months but that is of little care to me seeing as though I made this system last with rarely any complaints until now.

I guess my question is. Should I look around for those really good cheap/hard to find deals with people selling P4 2.0Ghz systems with decent hardware for extremely cheap or should I save the little amount of money I have and upgrade to a Sempron when they come out on Socket 939 so I am a little more future proof?

My budget for right now is barely pushing 500$ but I was saving up for January/February when the Sempron hit 939

OR

Is there something out there coming out relatively soon that will offer me better performance for value?

I definitely plan on playing HL2/World of Warcraft/Doom3 and all those other beautiful games that have been or are being released fairly soon. I am not picky so a GeForce 6800 Ultra or Radeon XT PE is probably way outta my league. I am just looking for something that will run these types of games along with music software/photoshop and of programs with some ease.

I definitely trust in the knowledge and experience of everyone in these forums seeing as though I have been reading this site for 4+ years so ANY information or guidance will be extremely helpful.


Again, thank you guys for all the help

Oh one more thing. Is this SLi thing from Nvidia really going to work? I know they say 2x the performance but I was thinking if I bought something fairly nice right now then in a year or two I just have to buy the same card over again and get double the performance?

 

[DaveSimmons]

Keep waiting, the fx 6800GT and Radeon X800 Pro are still way overpriced anyway. By January/February prices on them should be way down and there should be at least one more AMD price cut as well -- a real A64 might be in oyur budget by then.

There are plenty of good older games you can buy for $10-20 that will run fine on your system.

 

[RCmayor]

A new system doesn't get outdated after 6 months. If cost is an issue be sure not to buy a Top of the line system. Last years best is 10 times better than what you have now. You will like it.

There is no way to keep up with technology if you aren't willing to spend 500 or more $$$ every three months or so.

Buy the best monitor you can find though. Great 19" LCDs are around $600 just be sure the pixel refresh time is 20ms or less.

 

[GZFant]

anyone have anymore advice?

 

[araczynski]

you could always keep your eyes open for the dell SC400 deals that pop up occasionally (slickdeals.net). i'm not a big advocate on waiting, but with your budget i would understand.

if you plan on waiting for the SLi line, then you'll obviously have to wait a while longer and i doubt your budget will take you very far at that point, unless you keep saving up.

hard to say with the limited info. sorry. personally i would hate to wait, but i love my gaming too much. depends on your priorities.

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: GZFant
anyone have anymore advice?

-athlon 64 best you can afford (within reason).
-dell 2001fp 20.1 inch lcd monitor (look for deal <$750)
-2x512mb whatever ddr400 or better ram
-6800gt oc'd to ultra if you want to spend and play now, or bargain radeon 9800 pro if you want to wait a few months for top of the line prices to fall
-consider a pci-express a64 mobo and video card, if you can wait until after xmas.

EDIT: sorry, didn't see the $500 budget DEFINITELY go for the Dell 400SC deal when it hits $300 or so... that still leaves $200 for a nice video card, and a very solid, warranty'd system. I've tried every time it comes out, and it's hard to match when buying your components from newegg or somewhere. Add in a dell guaranteed stable hardware config plus warranty, and you'll be set for 4.5 more years :laugh:

 

[crimson117]

Originally posted by: GZFant
Oh one more thing. Is this SLi thing from Nvidia really going to work? I know they say 2x the performance but I was thinking if I bought something fairly nice right now then in a year or two I just have to buy the same card over again and get double the performance?

Not worth it unless you're buying two of the best cards, right now. It's slightly less than double. You're gonna pay dearly for SLI right now, so don't get it unless you're gonna use it -- don't buy it now just for future upgradeability.