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so... whats new? (get me caught up)

M

miketheidiot

Lifer
I'm looking to get a new discount workstation/gaming setup put together. The problem is that I haven't kept up at all since around 2007, and I want to know what the hell I am doing before I drop a grand+ on new parts.

Basically I want to known how things have ebbed and flowed in the cpu, gpu, ram, chipset/motherboard and storage realms in the last few years, and what the near future should look like.
 
Brief overview:

CPU: Intel is top dog in the performance realm. AMD is only really an option for budget boxes.

GPU: AMD and Nvidia have comparable performance, but AMD typically has a slight price edge in the $150-$400 space.

RAM: DDR3 is standard and Intel's memory controller is good enough such that you don't really need to get fancy RAM.

Chipset/mobo: All chipsets perform the same, there is only one manufacturer of chipset for a given socket, and the only differences are features.

Storage: An SSD is essentially required on anything but the tightest budgets. HDDs are relegated to bulk storage.
 
When you sum it up like that, it sure sounds boring.

Not like the old days. 2-3 companies making chipsets for a given socket, 3-4 companies making decent GPUs...

*whistful sigh*
 
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