Denithor
Diamond Member
- Apr 11, 2004
- 6,298
- 23
- 81
I don't recommend even trying to 'future proof' a system. Just buy what you need today and let tomorrow worry about itself. Literally. Because by the time you need new stuff, the midranged parts will be equivalent or better than today's ultra-high-end gear but priced to sell.
For example, a year ago the 8800GT was 'the shit' and could easily set you back $300 or more. Today it's considered the low side of mid-range and sells for $100. And the true midrange today, the 4850, is significantly better and sells for $150. So would you really have wanted to future-proof your system a year ago with the 8800GT? Hmmm...
So I'm actually going to modify my recommendation a little. Go with an e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB) for $100 instead of the e7200 (2.5GHz, 3MB, $140) or the e8400 (3GHz, 6MB, $200). Pick up one XFX 9800GT for $109AR (coincidentally, the card they asked you about up front). This should handle most gaming just fine for the next year. At that point, upgrade the video card to the current mid-range (probably GTX 280 range priced around $150) and you could consider upgrading to a speedy quad-core processor (should be a decent one for $100 or so) which by that time may actually be used by some games.
Basically the idea is to spend less money now because in the future better parts will be cheaper.
For example, a year ago the 8800GT was 'the shit' and could easily set you back $300 or more. Today it's considered the low side of mid-range and sells for $100. And the true midrange today, the 4850, is significantly better and sells for $150. So would you really have wanted to future-proof your system a year ago with the 8800GT? Hmmm...
So I'm actually going to modify my recommendation a little. Go with an e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB) for $100 instead of the e7200 (2.5GHz, 3MB, $140) or the e8400 (3GHz, 6MB, $200). Pick up one XFX 9800GT for $109AR (coincidentally, the card they asked you about up front). This should handle most gaming just fine for the next year. At that point, upgrade the video card to the current mid-range (probably GTX 280 range priced around $150) and you could consider upgrading to a speedy quad-core processor (should be a decent one for $100 or so) which by that time may actually be used by some games.
Basically the idea is to spend less money now because in the future better parts will be cheaper.
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