Did I miss the X2 price boat?

[jelifah]

So I've got my Socket 939 AMD 3200+, single core, and I haven't upgraded yet. Should I bother now, or should I just prepare to do a complete refresh? Prices on X2 are rising, the 3800+ is now $180 and it's not even available at NewEgg. I thought for sure they'd hit $125 in 6 months or so and I wasn't in a rush.

But if I'm going to spend almost $200 on a dual core processor I feel like I should just go AM2 or C2D. Sadly, from a refresh perspective, my 2 year old system has NOTHING to transfer to the new architecture. AGP card is out, PCI is in. DDR is out, DDR2 is in.

Thoughts?

 

[The-Noid]

AM2 Upgrade does not make much sense as you can get the same speed in an opteron for your system. A C2D upgrade does if you have that much money. The best solution is probably to pay 250$ for an opteron and overclock that. You are going to need a lot of new stuff though as your motherboard, video card, powersupply are outdated and more "pop" is needed for a build that you are going to notice a huge difference.

In the end, it may be worthwhile to save up for a 65nm AM2 refresh or purchase a Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Duo Quad system in the near future.

Cheers.

 

[customcoms]

The ram prices don't justify the move atm. I've been debating an Opteron 165 since they are the cheapest AMD dual core option atm, but the prices keep rising!

 

[Ronnie]

Have you considered a used x2, I have seen 3800+ x2 go for $130.

 

[RussianSensation]

AGP is not out. X1950Pro should be available shortly.

1 more great AGP card

So for now i'd just overclock 3200+ and get 1 more gig of ram. This system with X1950 pro should last you until the end of 2007.

Otherwise you are looking at spending this much more:

mobo $150
core 2 duo 6400 $220
2 gigs of ddr2 ram $100 more than 1 extra gig of ddr1 for total of 2

Total: $470

Dual core helps in gaming only if you multitask or perform other tasks in the background. For gaming, videocard continues to be the most vital component.

 

[jelifah]

Thanks for the update, Russian Sensation. Good news to hear that ATI didn't forget about us little AGP users.

As you mentioned, without including the Video Card, my upgrade price would be close to $600. Which, honestly, isn't THAT bad. Considering I'm not even taking into account the fact that I could sell the pieces of my other system. Seems to me like $200 for a new processor, or $600 to refresh to a new platform ($400 maybe after selling parts) isn't horrible

I'm so indecisive when it comes to upgrading my system :/

 

[Zebo]

I'd wait until ram prices come down. Actually spring will be perfect time to make a Core 2 Duo system.

Video battle will be hashed out between G80 and R600.

Ram prices historically hit rock bottom in spring.

E4200, a 9x mulitplier (same as E6600), chip will be out for $150

RD600 board will be out, allowing full mem dividers with no penalty... meanig you can buy budget ram and clock sky high on CPU like with AMD.

I estimate about $450 for compete system
E4200 $150
Board $150
2GB mem $150

 

[Aznguy1872]

Yea, go with Core 2 Duo. Don't stick with the older technology.

 

[avi85]

Originally posted by: Yoxxy
AM2 Upgrade does not make much sense as you can get the same speed in an opteron for your system. A C2D upgrade does if you have that much money. The best solution is probably to pay 250$ for an opteron and overclock that. You are going to need a lot of new stuff though as your motherboard, video card, powersupply are outdated and more "pop" is needed for a build that you are going to notice a huge difference.

In the end, it may be worthwhile to save up for a 65nm AM2 refresh or purchase a Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Duo Quad system in the near future.

Cheers.

you can get an OEM opty 175 from Monarch for only $232, this proc was about $500 only a few months ago

 

[The-Noid]

232 + shipping usually equals 250$. but whatever. NewEgg was more when i looked blah.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Yoxxy
232 + shipping usually equals 250$. but whatever. NewEgg was more when i looked blah.

In this case it's actually $234.

 

[Jester666]

Originally posted by: Zebo
I'd wait until ram prices come down. Actually spring will be perfect time to make a Core 2 Duo system.

Video battle will be hashed out between G80 and R600.

Ram prices historically hit rock bottom in spring.

E4200, a 9x mulitplier (same as E6600), chip will be out for $150

RD600 board will be out, allowing full mem dividers with no penalty... meanig you can buy budget ram and clock sky high on CPU like with AMD.

I estimate about $450 for compete system
E4200 $150
Board $150
2GB mem $150

Zebo - I hope you're right. I'm sitting tight right now waiting for next year...

 

[nyker96]

i think X2 low-end versions in short supply had to wait til next year probably, double they can sell as high as say 180 while E6300 C2D is going like 180, no one will buy them.

 

[iluv2fly]

If you do decide to go with your old computer, consider X2 4600+. Newegg sells it for $232 free shipping. It's a good overclocker. 12 x 200mhz = 2400mhz default. I upped the voltage on mine to 1.5v and it runs 100% stable at 2800mhz. That's FX62 speed. That will keep you going until next year. Then you could save your $$$ until next summer and upgrade to a mature second generation direct X10 video card. Get a conroe duo for a lot cheaper. Who knows maybe even a Motherboard with DDR3 instead of DDR2.

If you decide to buy a completely new computer now, then I would definitely recommend a conroe duo. I would not spend a lot of money on a direct x9 video card. Get something to hold you over until Direct x10 cards are available to you. Remember both Vista and games like BF2 loves to use ram. So get at least 2 GB.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: Jester666

Originally posted by: Zebo
I'd wait until ram prices come down. Actually spring will be perfect time to make a Core 2 Duo system.

Video battle will be hashed out between G80 and R600.

Ram prices historically hit rock bottom in spring.

E4200, a 9x mulitplier (same as E6600), chip will be out for $150

RD600 board will be out, allowing full mem dividers with no penalty... meanig you can buy budget ram and clock sky high on CPU like with AMD.

I estimate about $450 for compete system
E4200 $150
Board $150
2GB mem $150

Zebo - I hope you're right. I'm sitting tight right now waiting for next year...

If you are OK for sitting tight, then it might be a good idea...there are a few reasons.
1. C2D chips will be in higher supply/lower cost.
2. We should have samples of the new AMD Rev B (K8L) by spring, which means you will know if it's worth waiting for compared to C2D.
3. Motherboards will have better selection and lower price, as will memory...

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Jester666


Zebo - I hope you're right. I'm sitting tight right now waiting for next year...

What's the problem with your system right now? I bet it's video since AGP cards suck! I'd personally, depending on budget, jetsion the AGP board for a PCIe board and a real video card. Because seriously unless you encode video all day long any P4 over 3Ghz or A64 over 2Ghz is faster than 99% of the population needs even now. Dual core too is usually a waste for 95% of the population since nothing is written for it.

I rank upgrades since I have finite budget.

1. Monitor - should be best you can afford period because thats what you interact with
2. Videcard - Should be able to maintain high frames and high res on the beatiful monitor.
3. Case and desk - Lifes too short to be surrounded by ugly things so I invest here. it's a feng shui thing...
4. CPU only because it' fun to overclock but with games at high res video card is the determining factor. Otherwis it would be below my keyboard selection.

Anyway good luck and don't let me stop you from buying a great CPU like Conroe.. I just think there are better ways to spend your hard earned monies.

 

[RallyMaster]

yeah...you definitely missed the AMD price drop....the X2 4200+ is now 198 at newegg...was 183 a month ago when i bought it. i say you save up some money and buy a C2D later.

 

[jelifah]

Thanks for the info Zebo, I love your OC articles/posts btw,

I agree that ranking purchases is a good idea, and in the end I think I'll just sit tight. If prices for an X2 were $100 I'd consider an upgrade, but when I break the $200 barrier I mentally think to myself that I mine as well move to a new architecture. But then DX10 cards are right around the corner and it's not like my system is slow right now anyway. I'm talking myself in circles now. The truth is the upgrade bug bit me when X2 prices were low, but the recent price hikes are just making me wait now.

Thanks for the info everyone, it's the ability to bounce thoughts off so many knowledgeable people that make Anandtech such a great site

 

[jelifah]

Just saw where another Price Drop was announced, now it's a question if the prices will be reflected at the online stores.

Pricing shows the 4200+ Socket 939 for $187. The 3800+ is $152 but doesn't mention the 939 specifically, like the 4200+ did.

I'd be more comfortable waiting if I didn't keep hearing the dreaded 'To Be Discontinued' statements that are floating out there.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

I wouldn't worry about s939 X2s being discontinued. There will always be some for sale on the FSFT forum. Again, what to do regarding upgrading comes down to your personal budget and what you want your system to accomplish. If you need faster video encoding (or the ability to encode AND play a game or something else at the same time) then the X2 upgrade is worth it for you. If you are finding your gaming performance is getting worse with the new games out there, then upgrading that x800 will be the best move (especially once those x1950 pros show up). But if you're upgrading just because there's a chip out there with newer technology that everyone seems to want, then it's not worth it if you're not going to put it to good use.

Keep going with your current system until an application you want to run, or game you want to play, doesn't work the way you need/want it to. THEN upgrade the part(s) that would fix the problem. Keep in mind that this advice is coming from someone who is very tight on budget (3 kids, single-income, house, etc) but still loves to play around with computers and game a lot. Zebo hit the nail on the head in his post right above.

 

[nycdude]

Originally posted by: Zebo
I'd wait until ram prices come down. Actually spring will be perfect time to make a Core 2 Duo system.

Video battle will be hashed out between G80 and R600.

Ram prices historically hit rock bottom in spring.

E4200, a 9x mulitplier (same as E6600), chip will be out for $150

RD600 board will be out, allowing full mem dividers with no penalty... meanig you can buy budget ram and clock sky high on CPU like with AMD.

I estimate about $450 for compete system
E4200 $150
Board $150
2GB mem $150

Thanks for the food for thought. NICE.

 

[pkme2]

If you shop around, you might find a deal, mostly used though. At the moment RAM prices are ridiculous, so buying a C2D isn't advisable. You may. if you got deep pockets, but not many of us have that luxury.

I just upgraded my system with a 4800+, a few hdds and a new 22" LCD. Much less than getting a C2D.

It's always exciting to get something new since the hype is everywhere. I can just say, be cool.

Chill! You'll survive and you might save a whole lot.

 

[MemoryInAGarden]

I was facing this same dilemma a few weeks ago. I had $1100 and was unsure what to do with it. I would have needed a new PSU, new memory, a new motherboard, a new CPU, and and a new video card to move to C2D. My 3000+ just wasn't cutting it, but a decent C2D system would have been $1000 bare minimum.

I ended up getting an X2 4800+, an Enermax Liberty PSU, an HDTV wonder, a Zalman 7700CU for the chip, and an NV5 Silencer for my aging 6800GT (which I'm still satisfied with) for a little over $500 from ZZF. I'm satisfied with the upgrade, and upgrading my current system allowed me to purchase some amenities like the cooling upgrades that I wouldn't have been able to afford if I went C2D.

 

[amheck]

Bummer, OP, I was doing the same thing as you. Well...kinda waiting for the X2's to drop more. Not realy considering a whole system overhaul yet. Maybe another gig of ram, but yeah, I was hoping the X2's would keep falling so I could buy myself another year or two with one of those........

 

[m1ldslide1]

I just bought an Opty 175 today for the same reasoning. I thought maybe prices were going to keep dropping, but nope, they actually came back up a bit. $250 for the 175 or $600-700 for a new C2D build that I'd be happy with. I have two gigs of ram already, a pci-E slot, and the ability to get a dual-core that will last me through 2007.

So anyhow, that's what I did. Future upgrades will be limited to video card (and therefore PSU I suppose) and monitor until 2008 or so.