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Not sure which platform i will want to go through...

D

dangerman1337

Senior member
I was thinking for my new build i'm probably going to do soon that i was thinking two paths i could go:


  • Sandy bridge route - If Bulldozer or sandy bridge-E doesn't do much improvement, this will be fine for me but if Bulldozer is hell improvement over sandy bridge may regret it.
  • AMD Phenom 2 route - A cheaper route but only to be kept for at least till Bulldozer or Sandy bridge-E come out (and 28nm GPUs probably in the summer 2011 and later in the year) and can be done this year.
I've got no problems waiting till January 2011 and Sandy Bridge K models can probably go to around 5.0ghz if true...

So any thoughts?
 
If you are looking to "hold out" making your platform decision until you have Zambezi (consumer version of bulldozer) data then you are looking at 9-12 months realistically.

For purchases a year from now you'd be better off finding a high interest-rate bank CD and just putting your money to work for you until you need it.

Computer parts rarely increase in price, and when they do it tends to be more of a temporarily thing that quickly subsides in a matter of months anyways.

I would not buy a hard-drive today if I wasn't going to use in until next month let alone if I actually wasn't likely to use it for a year.

Same with computer cases. Anything that is made overseas and shipped here is highly subject to currency fluctuations. (my current job is foreign currency trade) In the coming 12 months there are very few things that are going to depreciate in value faster than your cash itself, and one of those things is your computer gear.

That's not to say don't take this time to seek out those truly awesome clearance opportunities and open-box situations. You can come out ahead in those cases, but never ever with retail pricing.

edit: just noticed the OP is UK...the sterling is a different story than the USD for next 12 months. Your sterling is going to appreciate, not depreciate, in coming 12 months so even more reason to keep the cash as cash in a bank account until you actually go to spend it. The exchange rates will favor your purchases in the future with computer parts being even cheaper owing to a stronger pound in the future versus now. (and the NFA requires me to add the following to this post now that I've gone and said the above)

These opinions can be a valuable addition to the investment or hedging goals of our readers. Investors are reminded of the inherent risks associated with trading in the foreign currency exchange markets, much like any leveraged investment vehicle. This is not a solicitation or recommendation of any order to buy or sell, but merely a current market bulletin. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor do they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein.
 
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Does your desire to have it now exceed your desire to save a couple hundred bucks? Then buy yourself what you want right now. Can score an i7 950, a sabertooth x58, and a really nice case on newegg.com for $600. Throw in all the other stuff you need including a GTX 460 and an SSD and the total is about $1250. (was speccing out a machine for a friend).

Fully loaded, ready to rock, more than capable of rocking out on any current or future game for the next 3 years. (well, 3 years for the CPU, you would need a graphics card upgrade sooner than that)

Or if you wait, you'll be able to save a couple hundred bucks on the above machine, or buy a Sandy Bridge system that might be 20-50% faster once you factor in higher overclocks for the same money.
 
You could get the case, PSU, HDD/SSD, and whatever else you want for the final build, and just get a cheap Athlon II X4/AM3 motherboard combo. Than in the 6+ months until Bulldozer numbers are revealed once you upgrade it would just be a cpu/motherboard upgrade as you'll have everything else already.

Way I see it you have 3 options.

1. Build the system you need/want today and don't worry about the next gen right now.
2. Build as I mentioned above
3. Save money and wait to build after SB/BD are released.

You don't want to buy parts today and let them sit for months, they'll either be cheaper on the market by the time you use them or obsolete. And good luck checking to make sure your parts aren't DOA without a system to put them in.
 
I would wait until Sandy Bridge in early 2011.

Not only will it be be a fast and future proof solution (unlike current Core i3/i5 1156 chips) but it will also maintain fairly well resell value in late 2011 when Bulldozer is finally released.

Then you will have options to sell it for a decent price should Bulldozer somehow compete in the desktop space.

However, it appears Bulldozer will be a competent server CPU but I'm not sold on it giving Core anything a run for its money in the desktop / gaming space.
 
Bulldozer is so far off I'm not sure waiting for it is remotely viable if you're itching for a new system. Further, Sandy Bridge, at least so far, looks to be shaping up into a very strong platform. I'd go Sandy Bridge and buy parts as you go from now...cherry pick the best deals.
 
nenforcer said:
I would wait until Sandy Bridge in early 2011.

Not only will it be be a fast and future proof solution (unlike current Core i3/i5 1156 chips) but it will also maintain fairly well resell value in late 2011 when Bulldozer is finally released.

Then you will have options to sell it for a decent price should Bulldozer somehow compete in the desktop space.

However, it appears Bulldozer will be a competent server CPU but I'm not sold on it giving Core anything a run for its money in the desktop / gaming space.
Click to expand...

Buy the sandy bridge and sell it later if bulldozer or sandy bridge-E turn out good... current motherboards won't sell due to compatbility (AM3 won't support bulldozer or even fusion), actually that is a very good option i haven't thought about :hmm:.
 
honestly, what exactly are you going to be doing on this system that your laptop can't? playing games? using powerful apps that you currently aren't? justify a usage case first. then, if your heart is set on next gen tech, decide if you want to spend cheaply now with the intent to upgrade again.
 
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