CPU-GPU trade off

[Belegost]

This though is why I upgrade on a alternating cycle, usually with a budget of around 400-500 a year

Every 2-3 years do a mb/CPU/ram update, so in the last upgrades moved from an X2 3800+ on nforce2 2GB -> q6600 P35 4GB -> 2500k Z68 8GB

In between I upgrade video card, PSU, and maybe HDD monitor... So my video card progression has been 9800pro (which started on my old duron system) -> 8800GT -> GTX460

This in some sense moves away from the tradeoff problem, I pickup the best bang for the buck parts from the current generation, and have the other parts being the best bang from the previous gen. And I can get something new every year, so I feel like I've gotten to have fun.

 

[mfenn]

If you can't wait, get a 2500k with intention of reselling it for IB upgrade in 3 months.

Selling an i5 2500K would not be worth it because there is no way that you will make 80% of your money back, which is what you need to meet in order to make the Ivy Bridge upgrade make sense from a price/performance point of view. Who in their right mind would pay $200 for your i5 2500K when they could just buy a brand new IB for the same price and get better performance?

 

[ther00kie16]

Selling an i5 2500K would not be worth it because there is no way that you will make 80% of your money back, which is what you need to meet in order to make the Ivy Bridge upgrade make sense from a price/performance point of view. Who in their right mind would pay $200 for your i5 2500K when they could just buy a brand new IB for the same price and get better performance?

Probably no one on this forum but used i5 2500k auction is up to $188 on ebay. And I'll bet that won't change much in 3 months.

 

[mfenn]

Probably no one on this forum but used i5 2500k auction is up to $188 on ebay. And I'll bet that won't change much in 3 months.

That's because Ivy Bridge isn't out yet...