Im So Lost...

[ikickpigeons]

Ok im really going crazy on deciding what card to buy. Theres too many things to consider and i really dont want to get screwed. First theres Ati and Nvidia to choose from. Secondly theres PCI-Express to factor. Thirdly theres prices to consider. Lastly Intel is releasing a bunch of new products and now i dont know whether to go AMD or Intel. I really am driving myself crazy trying to choose. I want the best for my new pc. What im asking here is:
1) When will PCI-Express come out?
2) Are prices going to drop when PCI-Express and other cards come out?
3) I heard the 6800 Ultra will come with a version with 512 mb of ram.
4) Im starting to get very impatient in waiting for my computer so should i just buy like a 9800 pro and upgrade later?
5) Whats the deal with all of the new Intel chips, are they worth it?
6) Is there anything else that will come out?
7) ANY suggestions in what i should do since im in the market for a custom high end machine.

 

[nitromullet]

1) Later this year
2) Not at first, PCI-E will be pricey. AGP cards may drop a bit, not immediately for the top of the line.
3) I am not sure if you will ever really need a 512MB 6800 Ultra card. You might want or need this amount of memory on the next generation cards however. There are really only a few games that can really push the new cards: FarCry, HL2, Doom3, and STALKER, and only one of these titles is actually available now.
4) It depends on how often you upgrade and how you usually upgrade. If you usually build a base rig and upgrade parts, you should wait for PCI-E and the other new stuff to help increase your upgradeability. If you usaully replace the whole rig at once, go ahead a get what you want/need now and expect to replace it in the future.
5) Read Anandtech's article on the new Intel chips/chipsets. If I was to build an entire rig from the ground up right now, I would probably go with AMD 64.
6) I don't foresee a lot of new things coming out over the next 2 years, except Intel's 64 bit chip. I imagine that the next year or so will be more of a "refinement" and "weed out" period for most of the new tech that comes out this year. I would image that during this time you will actually see performance gains from the new technologies that are not readily apparent at this point. Of course, there may always be that surprise new technology that comes out, and you will see further improvements on SATA.
7) It is reallty tough to say. The thing that I think is important to remember is that just because something new comes out, it doesn't necessarily make whatever you get old or obsolete by definition - Anandtech's article on 915/925 makes this point crystal clear. Also, no matter what you buy it will eventually need to be replaced by new stuff. It also really depends on your current rig. If your current box simply isn't cutting it, you might want to get a new one now. If you still have a bit of life left in the old girl, you can wait until things shake out a bit.

 

[ikickpigeons]

the thing is, is i am currently running a P4 2.53 ghz, 512 of cheep ram, 5200 256 mb graphics card. This system was made by dell and it really isnt performing that well.

 

[GeneralGrievous]

Replace the video card and that system should be mostly fine. If you are willing to spend that much for the rig in your sig, I'd get a better monitor as well.

 

[ikickpigeons]

Ok i have a new question and this time im asking would a x800 card or a 6800 card serve me well for a year or two? Also are the new Intel processor gonna be a threat to my AMD 3500 if i strictly just play games.

 

[BFG10K]

What is your budget? Buy one of the NV4x or R4xx cards and don't bother going with the previous generation.

Ok i have a new question and this time im asking would a x800 card or a 6800 card serve me well for a year or two?

It depends on the games you play and the standards which you play them at.

Also are the new Intel processor gonna be a threat to my AMD 3500 if i strictly just play games.

Nobody can predict what will happen in 1-2 years' time.

 

[Bucksnort]

The power supply Dell uses WILL NOT run a 6800 and may not be sufficient for a x800 or even a fx5900.

 

[LTC8K6]

Well, he is running an FX5200, one of the slowest of the slow. Something like a 5900XT or even a 9600pro will probably amaze him with the jump in performance over the 5200.

 

[ikickpigeons]

so u see im very desperate right now

 

[Chunkee]

Originally posted by: ikickpigeons
the thing is, is i am currently running a P4 2.53 ghz, 512 of cheep ram, 5200 256 mb graphics card. This system was made by dell and it really isnt performing that well.

cuz Dells suk

sorry

 

[darkswordsman17]

Ok, first off, right now, PCI-e isn't worth it. It only offers gains in areas like extensive video streaming.

For gaming go with AMD. Forget the new Intel chips, they don't offer a noticeable performance gain yet and still run hot.

If you can, wait for a socket 939 board that offers PCI-e. It'll offer you future-proofing, as well as the better gaming performance.

For me, an nVidia nForce 3 250 GB board that has socket 939 and PCI-express would be about the best of the boards. The only thing Intel really offers over it would be the High-def audio, but you can make up for that with a nice sound card. Get a 6800 Ultra with a nice power supply and you'll be set. Although it hasn't been really tested, nVidia's chipset is supposed to run really well with their own cards, even somehow optimizing it beyond what other chipsets would do.

Thats just my opinion though.

 

[ikickpigeons]

I now know what im gonna do and that is im going to screw PCI-Express and get the best AGP card i can with my new system and by the time PCI-Express shows some major performance increase over AGP i will upgrade. Also by that time my card wil be nto so good. (x800 pro)