C2D prices

[WaxHaX0rS]

I bought my A64 3200+ Winnie in Feb. 2005 and I haven't really paid much attention to CPU's since then. My birthday has come up and I was thinking of asking for an Opty 165. I'm just been getting back into the computer parts scene and have since learned about the new C2D's and I've been vigorously wiping up the drool from my desk ever since. I think a 165 would be a waste of money, but the overhaul cost (prolly $550 - $600) for it is looking a bit steep now. I think I may be able to sell my A8N SLI Deluxe + RAM + CPU for about $200, but I dunno who I would sell it to (the 'Bay is a bit of a pain...) and it still wouldn't make up enough of the difference. Now that you know my life story, here's my question :

Do you think the MOBO/DDR2/E6400 prices will drop much in the next several months? They are all relatively new technologies (well, not DDR2) and I'm wondering if it would intelligent to wait til maybe they are a bit older before I buy? I hate the thought of buying new technology (like my once high-end 3200) for 200 bucks only to have to sell it for 40 or 50. I think I am willing to wait for an overclocked E6400 to not be the cream of the crop before I buy, but I'm wondering how long that will be.

As of now, I am mostly GPU limited in my games as I only have a 6800GS, so I think a GPU upgrade should be fine for now, but I'm wondering when I should get the C2D (they look so damn tasty).

 

[myocardia]

I'd say get whoever's gonna be paying for the Opty 165 to put the money towards a either an X1950XT or a 7950GT, if you're an nVidia guy. They're both more than twice as fast as your 6800GS. Then, use this guide: link, so you can run your 3200 @ 2.3-2.5 Ghz.

 

[Zap]

myocardia is right - put money towards new GPU.

Originally posted by: WaxHaX0rS
I'm wondering when I should get the C2D (they look so damn tasty).

For best bang/buck wait until end of January for the E4300 model to be released (er, make that wait until all the hubbub dies down so prices aren't inflated).

 

[deadseasquirrel]

I'm waiting until there is a platform that will allow some good overclocking with dividers, so I'll be able to grab the cheapest C2D, cheap 2GB ram, and overclock it to a nice level. Well, honestly, I'm waiting to be able to fit the build into my budget, but, seeing as how I doubt a bag of money is gonna fall outta the sky and into my lap, I *have* to wait until the platform will allow me to do it cheaply.

 

[nyker96]

well why not wait until K8L is introduced in second half of 2007 and ALL the prices will just drop like flies then. ... just kidding on second thought, I have to concur with myocardia that sell off your current vid card, OC that CPU of your and get yourself a 7900GT/GS which seem to be the sweetspot on GPU right now. that money will net you a ton of fun in games, unless you sitting there running office stuff all day in which case get that 165.