Q6600 or wait for Nehalem to get cheaper?

[LW07]

I mainly use my PC for gaming, so should I go ahead and upgrade to a Q6600 or wait for Nehalem chips and stuff to get cheaper and hop on one of those?

My rig:
X2 4800+ @ stock speeds
2 gigs PC2700 ram
X1900XT 512mb

 

[MyLeftNut]

If it was me and I really needed to upgrade, I'd do a cheap upgrade for now. Something like an e5200 or e7200 with a cheap motherboard and DDR2. Maybe even buy used if that'll save you some. Then you could probably keep it for a year and a half and then upgrade to intel's next refresh.

 

[LW07]

is core 2 gonna get cheaper in the next few days?

 

[customcoms]

Likely not as i7 isn't buyable yet. I would seriously consider if you need a new computer right now. Does your current machine fail to perform? I know my Opteron @ 2.6ghz still pulls very playable frame rates in that awful benchmark known as crysis. Its still a faster rig than 90% of the people out there with C2D's (due mostly to GPU).

My point is, maybe wait for the next Nehahem release (cheaper processors), or wait until C2Q prices come down. I'm personally waiting for the 32nm Nehalem's, as they will consume less power, be more overclockable (unless Intel messes up big time) and feature improvements that likely benefit the desktop over the the server.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

GAMING!

nehalem doesn't offer gaming performance increase over current CPUs. don't get gouged by the high prices later on. the gaming performance will be the same. get what u can afford now. NOW!

 

[LW07]

So i guess i should just keep my current dual-core and just upgrade the videocard? And then in march maybe snag a cheap E7400?

 

[jeffw2767602]

a q6600 is a fantastic value, the best value for price/performance in my opinion. in fact, probably one of the best ive seen if you plan to overclock. with any luck you can overclock that bad boy to 3.4-3.6 and you should be good to go for awhile. its really up to you however. pair it with a ep45-ud3p mobo and you have a fantastic combo for just over $300. if you arent an overclocker and do plan to upgrade, get a dual core clock at 3ghz and be happy!

 

[LW07]

I don't plan to OC. So should i upgrade my GPU first in december and then in march upgrade to a E7400?