CPU, No Overclocking, Buying in Next 4 Months

[Eluros]

Hey, all!

So, my current PC is extremely outdated (ie, Athlon 3800x2), and I'm getting ready to purchase a new CPU/motherboard/RAM (still on ddr1), etcetera. I will not be doing any overclocking with it when I get it; I'm busy with work and classes, and want to use my computer for gaming, not electrical engineering experiments.

At any rate, I can buy any time between now and the end of May. If the core i7 920's aren't likely to go down significantly in price by May, I'd just as soon buy one now. However, if the theory is that the price will drop ~$75 or more, I'd gladly wait. Is i7 going to be pretty top of the line then? Would a Q9650 be better, given that I won't be overclocking?

Thanks!

 

[DarkManX4lf]

Looks like you are gearing up to buy Intel. You should also consider the new AMD Phenom II's. Yeah they aren't the crowned king of performance but they are pretty good at power and upgrade fees. Since you are not overclocking and if good computing for budget price is what you are looking for AMD could be your best choice.

Just giving you another option.

 

[heyheybooboo]

I'd wait until May if you can - crystal ball sees big changes in the next 90 days.

Wouldn't expect much for i7, though ...

 

[essai2008]

wait till usb 3.0 comes out, by then youlll have 32nm processors

 

[JMapleton]

It should be a criminal offense not to overclock a Core Duo or i7. You could at least just jump up the fsb get a few hundred extra mhz without endangering anything.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: JMapleton
It should be a criminal offense not to overclock a Core Duo or i7. You could at least just jump up the fsb get a few hundred extra mhz without endangering anything.

Don't you mess with the warranty?

 

[JMapleton]

Originally posted by: Infohawk

Originally posted by: JMapleton
It should be a criminal offense not to overclock a Core Duo or i7. You could at least just jump up the fsb get a few hundred extra mhz without endangering anything.

Don't you mess with the warranty?

Yeah but a modest overclock will most likely not break your proc.

 

[Lonyo]

The longer you wait, the more affordable DDR3 and i7 mobos have the chance to become, even if the processors themselves don't drop much.
If you buy Phenom II, then also wait because AM3 chips should come out soon-ish and would then allow you to use a current chip in an AM3 mobo in the future (if you decided to upgrade the mobo/RAM in the future without changing CPU).

If yo uwant to buy now, then make Core 2 Quad would be OK since you could get a dirt cheap motherboard (P43 or something), load it up with some cheap DDR2 RAM (since you don't need high spec if you're not overclocking) and be good to go for a fast setup for a nice price, but then Core 2 Quads have the most chance of price drops in the future so it's all hit and miss whatever you do!

 

[polarbear6]

Originally posted by: JMapleton
It should be a criminal offense not to overclock a Core Duo or i7. You could at least just jump up the fsb get a few hundred extra mhz without endangering anything.

arrest this guy officer and i will fight the case against him ;p
but i do agree with this guy

u need not even give a small voltage bump of any sort
just a little push to fsb and u might see a little change in the performance

and coming back to the topic
iam recommending all my friends to wait
if not chip but i strongly feel ram/mobo rates to fall
(the stores which never knew whats the difference between a ddr2 and a ddr3 module are also storing ddr3 modules in India)
just the thought of price cuts sets my mood up yippee;p

 

[Denithor]

Since you're not in a rush, wait a bit. In the next (I think) two months the new PhII AM3 processors & motherboards should be launched. Lower power consumption (95W down from the current 125W chips), perhaps better performance, most likely better prices.

If nothing else, waiting will allow prices on i7 gear (X58 motherboards & DDR3) to drop further from their prices today. Three months ago the cheapest 6GB DDR3 kit you could buy was $180, today you can get a faster kit for $110. And the memory guys are still ramping up production on DDR3 so prices should continue to fall.

 

[RaptureMe]

Next 4 months shit, everything will be totally different by then.
By that time AM3 and I5 should be out and the C2Q's and AM2 PII's will be a thing of the past.
Which means you could pick up a killer FAH Rig for mondo cheap cheap!!
By teh end of the year I am willing to bet you cold put together a Qx9650 or Qx9770 setup together for 3 or 400 bucks maybe even less if your lucky..

 

[LoneNinja]

I5 was delayed until August or something like that. By April AMD will have a whole list of new AM3 processors. I think April is also the month the Phenom II 945 is expected to launch. They'll have the Phenom II X4 900, 800, Phenom II X3 700, Athlon X4 600, Athlon X3 400 all available by than. Personally I'd wait the 3 months to see how much things will change since your not in dire need of an upgrade.

 

[OCGuy]

If you upgrade every 2 years, go with C2Q. If you upgrade every 3+ years, go with i7 or i5.