Torn Apart..On What Path To Upgrade Within A Month

[Pixle]

Ok, so I'm finally going to upgrade to a gaming machine. I'll be able to play some of the games I've missed out on like doom 3 and far cry.

This is what I currently Have:

LCD: Nec 1765 17" 16ms
HDD: 200gb Western Digital 8mb cache (EIDE)
Ram: 2x512mb Kingston Value Ram PC2700
Video Card: I currently have $500 set aside for any. Leaning toward ATI X800xt PE. (HL2 )


What I've Decided to buy:

Case: Thermaltake Xaser Lanfire *120*
Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech Mx Duo Elite *$70*
Floppy: Sony Floppy Disk *10*
Lights/HS: ThermalRight xp 120 HS *50*+*50*
Artic Silver 5: *10*


What I currently need is CPU (A64) , PS, MOBO, DVD-RW, Fan For HS

(Budget for the parts above should be around $400, $500 if need be.


Problem and Question:

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I'm having trouble with the path I should take in building a A64 system. I know that Nforce 4 is comming out - but when and should I wait for that to have sli and pci Express?

Another question I have is: When will Pci Express video cards start to come out, does sli technology utilize 2 pci express slots?

If this technology is right around the corner (about a month) then I will wait.
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My second big question is between socket 754 and 939. I know that the performance difference is minimal but will nforce 4 mobo's be able to run socket 754's? (for sure answer)

I'm looking to overclock to at most 4ghz range. Should I get the newer 90nm processors (3000 - 3200) or should I just go for the 3400 cpu to make sure I can get to those speeds with my ram?

When is the 90nm 3400 due anyways...

Should I get the Nv Cooler things everyones been raving about for the Video Card?

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As you can see, I have tons of thoughts about what to do. Their are just so many damn paths need others take on it.

I look forward to posting on my new machine someday

Pixle.

 

[Gioron]

First off, SLI is only for nVidea cards (although ATI is working on their version of it), so it won't work with the X800 you're leaning twards. Also, my understanding is that nForce 4 boards capable of SLI will come out after the first wave of nForce 4 cards, so it'll probably be longer than you want to wait before you can get SLI. And yes, SLI requires 2 PCI-E 16x slots, but it'll start out by running both those slots at PCI-E 8x.

PCI-E video cards are already out, since Intel has already moved to PCI-E on their latest platform (well before there was any performance gain, but I digress...). I think that there is an added socket for SLI, however, so current cards may not be able to handle it.

If you're thinking of overclocking, I'd definately go for a 90nm part. They're signifigantly better at overclocking on air than the 130nm parts. Its only available in 939 so far, however.

Oh, and for DVD+-RW drives, there was a recent roundup on them, and the NEC seems to be in the lead.
http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2260

After looking at the current state of computing, I personally just went out and bought a new computer (90nm 3500+, nforce3, 16xDVD burner, x800xt). The "current best thing" is actually in stores now (yes, I'm looking at you ATI and nVidea), and the "next best thing" is far enough away and non-revolutionary so I don't think my comp will be obsolete in a month. PCI-E is nice, but its not a huge improvement. The same goes for nForce 4. The 90nm chips aren't scaled up into the high end yet, but if they were I probably wouldn't pay for them anyways and 3500+ is a great price point.