should I wait to buy a new motherboard?

[nageov3t]

so, I've decided that I want to rebuild my desktop at some point this summer or fall... I want to switch from amd to intel, get a solid state hdd for my operating systems (thinking of dual-botting Win7 x64 and XP x32), upgrade my ram (from 4 gigs to 8 gigs), and get a new case.

now my question is, because I don't usually keep up on this, are there any up-coming technologies or price drops on the near horizon that I should perhaps keep an eye out for and delay my upgrades while waiting? I'm probably going to go all top of the line with what I buy, I want something that's going to last me another 4ish years like my current system has.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

i5?

 

[mozartrules]

You choice comes down to socket 1366 or socket 1156. The former is available now (i7 920 + X58) motherboard, the latter is not out yet.

You probably don't need the features of 1366 (but you haven't told us what you use the PC for), but they are available now for decent prices. It may take a little longer for the socket 1156 systems to stabilize even though they most likely will give you slightly better performance for your money. Be careful with the i7/i5/i3 names which get thrown around, nobody knows for sure and indications are that there will be i7 processors for both 1366 and 1156. The socket is the one you need to decide upon.

Some people are concerned about the upgrade path if you go for 1366 since Intel may discontinue the reasonably priced processors. This is probably not important for you if you want to keep the machine unchanged for four years, but you could always get an upgrade from the Xeon line of server processors (I believe that the W3520 is similar to the i7 920).

 

[nenforcer]

Yes, I would wait until sometime after October when Windows 7 and Core i5 are out and you can read about all of the installation / driver issues people are having upgrading to 7 before making your decision.

 

[PM650]

If you wait a while between upgrade cycles, it may be advantageous to wait for sata3 to be implimented on core i5 boards - the first gen likely won't have it due to some unresolved issues.

 

[nageov3t]

anyone know what the i5 prices are going to be like?

as it is, it seems like the AM3's spank the i7's in terms of pricing at least.

my desktop is primarily just used for gaming and generic computer stuff... nothing super demanding like video editing or running a server.

 

[A5]

Originally posted by: loki8481
anyone know what the i5 prices are going to be like?

as it is, it seems like the AM3's spank the i7's in terms of pricing at least.

my desktop is primarily just used for gaming and generic computer stuff... nothing super demanding like video editing or running a server.

The AM3 CPUs are a lot cheaper because they aren't as fast. i5 prices are going to top out somewhere around where the i7 range begins now, probably ranging down into the prices of current Core 2 Quads and the mid-range P45 mobos.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

dude, an i7 system would only cost about $150 more than a Phenom II X4 AM3 system. I am waiting until late October to buy the CPU, DDR3, gfx card, and possibly PSU. I may buy the other stuff soon and hang on to it - so they don't stop making them. It's a gamble, but a lot of new announcements and new products are being released relatively soon, so I think waiting would save some bank. I also have other things to take care of before then which aids in my decision.

 

[GEOrifle]

i7 will be discontinued (too expensive for INTEL) and remain just extreme.
When i7 will be out of stock INTEL will raise price of i5-i3( 50% cheaper than i7) to the level of i7 and here you go PROFIT for INTEL and LOOSERS we are: consumers because then you need to buy cheaper CPU for double price.
AMD is almost dead so why INTEL need to release a faster CPU? Just reprice it for better
margin...