Buy now or wait?!?!?!?!?! FRUSTRATED!!!!

[Wurrmm]

I have been planning on upgrading my comp for several months now but come come to a decision.

Basically I have 3 choices:
1. Purchase right now an AMD XP2800+ Barton, Corsair TwinX1024 PC3200, ATI 9800/9700 pro
2. Wait for 400mhz FSB Bartons and get get one of those with either NV35 or a DDR2 version of the 9800 pro (think that is the 9900 pro, but not sure) and same mem.
3. Wait for Canterwood and get a 800mhz FSB Northwood B w/HT (so I can later upgrade to Prescott) and same mem and vid card options.

Will waiting benefit me any??? Should I get stuff now. I am totally frazzled as to what I should do and would like some suggestions.

 

[EXman]

buy now then sell on FS/FT forums and build you another. I don't think applications are really gonna keep up with the sheer speed of the new processors anyhow but who knows it's fun building computers so just do it twice.

what you running now?

 

[SexyK]

I'm personally salivating over the i865/P4x800 combo. Its not far off now, it's got an upgrade path to Prescott, and the price of admition shouldn't be too outlandish (since the 800MHz P4's will stretch down to 2.4GHz i believe). Plus you'll get ICH5 on any of those new boards, which means SATA RAID integrated into the northbridge. Can't wait!

 

[Gunbuster]

will it run your games/apps? if yes get it, you play the "what about tomorow" game and you end up not buying anything ever.

Buy the stuff, play the games, tomorow you might be dead

 

[Wurrmm]

Yeah...I am leaning towards the intel path, but all this waiting is annoying. My current system can be seem in my sig. It is reletively sufficient, but new games are starting to stretch push the limits. Especially Neverwinter Nights, Mech Warrior, and Army Ops. They run fine at lower levels, but I want to run them at 1280x1024 with max everything. They run ok right now at 1024x768, but with several things turned off. AA and AS really make things look nicer and I am a graphics nut. The semester doesn't end until May, and I don't game much during the semester so I should be able to wait alittle longer, I hope.....:frown:

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: Wurrmm
Yeah...I am leaning towards the intel path, but all this waiting is annoying. My current system can be seem in my sig. It is reletively sufficient, but new games are starting to stretch push the limits. Especially Neverwinter Nights, Mech Warrior, and Army Ops. They run fine at lower levels, but I want to run them at 1280x1024 with max everything. They run ok right now at 1024x768, but with several things turned off. AA and AS really make things look nicer and I am a graphics nut. The semester doesn't end until May, and I don't game much during the semester so I should be able to wait alittle longer, I hope.....:frown:

Springdale/Canterwood and the 800MHz FSB P4's should be out in May. If you're not going to use it much until then, I'd wait.

 

[Wurrmm]

Well, they had better be out in May. The only thing that kinda agitates me with intel is the deep pipeline compared to AMD. It the 400mhz FSB bartons are not signifcantly slower or slower at all then then I will get that.

 

[GnomeCop]

if you have enough money to buy the new stuff right when it comes out, then wait. IF not then there is no point and get the best you can now. Both should last you a good while.

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: Wurrmm
Well, they had better be out in May. The only thing that kinda agitates me with intel is the deep pipeline compared to AMD. It the 400mhz FSB bartons are not signifcantly slower or slower at all then then I will get that.

Who cares how deep the pipeline is if the chip performs better?

 

[Wurrmm]

Well generally, a 2ghz CPU by AMD will be much faster than an Intel 2ghz CPU.

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: Wurrmm
Well generally, a 2ghz CPU by AMD will be much faster than an Intel 2ghz CPU.

Right, but a 2GHz Athlon XP (2800+) costs around $350 and a 2.0GHz P4 costs around $145. For the same price as the 2Ghz Athlon you can get a 2.8GHz P4 which equals or beats the Athlon in almost every application, so it seems to me that (as AMD likes to say) the actual clock speed of the chip doesn't really mean anything anymore.

 

[Satanist]

There are always lower prices around the corner =) do your decisions now and don't look back...I bought my xp1800+ for almost 200? last summer and if I had waited 3 weeks the price would have been under 150? =( bad luck but things happen...you just have to take a ride and see what happens

 

[Saxoholic]

There's always going to be something better coming out. No matter what you do something better will come along in a few months and replace it. But you're still going to run awesome. And it will last you a long time. Don't worry about it. Just go for it now.

 

[Wurrmm]

I think I am going to wait for benchmark comparisons between Canterwood and nForce2.

 

[paralazarguer]

Yeah...I am leaning towards the intel path, but all this waiting is annoying. My current system can be seem in my sig. It is reletively sufficient, but new games are starting to stretch push the limits. Especially Neverwinter Nights, Mech Warrior, and Army Ops. They run fine at lower levels, but I want to run them at 1280x1024 with max everything. They run ok right now at 1024x768, but with several things turned off. AA and AS really make things look nicer and I am a graphics nut. The semester doesn't end until May, and I don't game much during the semester so I should be able to wait alittle longer, I hope.....

I just looked at your system and your processor/ram is not the bottleneck. YOu're using a geforce 3. Upgrade your videocard.

 

[gooseman]

Here is how I always try to look at it. Situation, I want x now but x+1 is coming out in a month or two.

1. x cost $$

2. x+1 cost $$$$

3. if I wait for x+1, then by the time it comes out the maker will have announced x+2!!! (Something else for me to decide on, the rat bastards)


Basically, if you're waiting for something better, there is ALWAYS going to be something better just down the line. Just go buy what you want. If you don't like it, get the other when it comes out.

 

[Ruckas]

Wurrm, Do what I'm doing. Just get a gf4 ti4200 (one of the newer ones with 3.3ns memory.) Then you'll be able to play the newer games with better quality. And you can wait for all these elite new chips to be released. I'm looking at the amd 64bit chip. So I won't do anything to my computer until that is released.

Ruckas-

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: paralazarguer

Yeah...I am leaning towards the intel path, but all this waiting is annoying. My current system can be seem in my sig. It is reletively sufficient, but new games are starting to stretch push the limits. Especially Neverwinter Nights, Mech Warrior, and Army Ops. They run fine at lower levels, but I want to run them at 1280x1024 with max everything. They run ok right now at 1024x768, but with several things turned off. AA and AS really make things look nicer and I am a graphics nut. The semester doesn't end until May, and I don't game much during the semester so I should be able to wait alittle longer, I hope.....

I just looked at your system and your processor/ram is not the bottleneck. YOu're using a geforce 3. Upgrade your videocard.

Yup, upgrade the video card now, decide cpu/mobo later.

 

[Wurrmm]

Well, I think I will get the ram now cause that is the same stuff for all three of my choices. As far as VGA card, I do kinda want to see what the new NV35 will be like and the DDR2 version of the Radeon 9800 pro. But vid card is definately on my to get list soon. As far as CPU upgrade, that can wait until May.

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: gooseman
Here is how I always try to look at it. Situation, I want x now but x+1 is coming out in a month or two.

1. x cost $$

2. x+1 cost $$$$

3. if I wait for x+1, then by the time it comes out the maker will have announced x+2!!! (Something else for me to decide on, the rat bastards)


Basically, if you're waiting for something better, there is ALWAYS going to be something better just down the line. Just go buy what you want. If you don't like it, get the other when it comes out.

I agree with this in theory, but in this particular situation, it seems like he doesn't need an urgen upgrade anyway, and if he waits six weeks he can invest in a platform that has a much higher potential for longevity. If he waits for a Springdale board, then he will have the option of Prescott down the line, and he won't be locked into a second tier performance system. He'll also have the option of picking up a 2.4-2.8GHz chip that supports Hyperthreading without the price premium of the 3.06GHz part. All in all, i think in this situation it just makes sense to wait on the CPU/Mobo upgrade.

 

[RayEarth]

if you originally deciced you were going to wait, then wait it out. I decided since last year I was going to upgrade to the springdale and will not upgrade until then, another factor was will I be purchasing any software that my current system can't handle? I saw no games on the horizon that interested me, therefore I can wait even longer. If you still feel frustrated from time to time, then just run 4 miles, then you will just think about the bed instead.

 

[BuckNaked]

I would upgrade your video card, and if you have the cash maybe a faster CPU, but your current MB is going to be fine for quite awhile.... I grabbed a 2100+ 'B' Tbred for about a $100 and am running it at 2.25 Ghz... My Geforce 3 is my current bottleneck, just waiting to see what things look like when the 9800 Radeon is released before getting a faster video card......

Dave

 

[magomago]

Right, but a 2GHz Athlon XP (2800+) costs around $350 and a 2.0GHz P4 costs around $145. For the same price as the 2Ghz Athlon you can get a 2.8GHz P4 which equals or beats the Athlon in almost every application, so it seems to me that (as AMD likes to say) the actual clock speed of the chip doesn't really mean anything anymore.

I woiuldn't necessarily say that a 2800+ loses to the 2.8Ghz in every application - quite the contrary it is the other way around with these two CPUs. Naturally the P4 will dominate in Video editing, but in the rest it is pretty much Athlon all the way.

And remember the architectures are different so say that a 2Ghz p4 is a better deal doesn't make too much sense since if we go clock for clock the athlon will best the P4 (that is why the 2ghz Athlon is a 2800+)

Its like trying to argue that a 2Ghz Celeron will best a 1600+

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: magomago

Right, but a 2GHz Athlon XP (2800+) costs around $350 and a 2.0GHz P4 costs around $145. For the same price as the 2Ghz Athlon you can get a 2.8GHz P4 which equals or beats the Athlon in almost every application, so it seems to me that (as AMD likes to say) the actual clock speed of the chip doesn't really mean anything anymore.

I woiuldn't necessarily say that a 2800+ loses to the 2.8Ghz in every application - quite the contrary it is the other way around with these two CPUs. Naturally the P4 will dominate in Video editing, but in the rest it is pretty much Athlon all the way.

And remember the architectures are different so say that a 2Ghz p4 is a better deal doesn't make too much sense since if we go clock for clock the athlon will best the P4 (that is why the 2ghz Athlon is a 2800+)

Its like trying to argue that a 2Ghz Celeron will best a 1600+

Right, I understand that, but the original post insinuated that a longer pipeline was "bad" because it means a lower IPC, my entire point was that that is irrelevant if a much higher clocked chip can be had for the same price or less. I wasn't saying that the 2.0GHz P4 is a better deal than the XP2800+, I was saying that it's unfair to fault the P4 for having a lower IPC when you can get a chip that performs similarly for the same price.

 

[Wurrmm]

I think I will go mem now, vid card soon, CPU/mobo later.