Help plan my upgrade path

[archcommus]

Current system:

Athlon 64 3200+
1 gig DDR PC-3200
Epox 9NPA+ Ultra
X800 XL 256 MB
Seagate 7200.7 120 GB IDE
Antec SmartPower 2.0 400W

Use it for all office applications, regular daily use, and some games, mostly shooters. Like to stay up to date but don't need bleeding edge. Currently use a 1280x1024 19" LCD, but will probably want to a move to a 1680x1050 display next summer.

Things to decide:

When should I move to Vista?
When I do move to Vista, should I upgrade then or wait for a particular game(s) that will justify it?
When I upgrade, should I jump platforms to a C2D platform with 2 GB of DDR2? Or should I get a socket 939 AX2 for my current board and 2 GB of regular DDR? Or because of the future of multi-threading in games, should I hold off all upgrades until I can afford a C2Q/DDR3 system?

Just looking for some general input, no real parts recommendations yet.

Thanks.

 

[Atheus]

I have a similar system to yours except with an X1900XT I picked up recently. Some people told me I was dumb for not waiting for Vista and DX10, but I couldn't disagree more. There is no way that games will require either of those things in the foreseeable future IMO - It would be incredibly stupid of games companies to require a brand new OS which no one has when the thing will run fine on XP. You seen the Crysis in-game videos? X1900XT on XP.

 

[pkme2]

If and when RAM prices get to be affordable, then moving to C2D is adviseable. At this time, you get more bang for the buck.

Just finished building a new system for a client and the C2D is the only way to go. The E6600 is where its at, today.

Though I've used AMD for quite a few years, I have to recommend C2D because its unbelieveable the best for less at $313 on Newegg.

If you have to build now, then I recommend 1GB RAM to start with. Use Windows XP now and wait at least a year for VISTA.

Advice given works only if advice followed. Good building.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Atheus
I have a similar system to yours except with an X1900XT I picked up recently. Some people told me I was dumb for not waiting for Vista and DX10, but I couldn't disagree more. There is no way that games will require either of those things in the foreseeable future IMO - It would be incredibly stupid of games companies to require a brand new OS which no one has when the thing will run fine on XP. You seen the Crysis in-game videos? X1900XT on XP.

Yeah, those videos are all DX9, correct? And I really dislike the power requirements of the upcoming DX10 cards. However, I typically like to keep a video card for at least 18 months, so since I don't upgrade as frequently as you might perhaps I should make sure I get a DX10 card coupled with Vista.