When Should I Buy A New PC?

[Platyply]

Okay, I've finally gotten everything set for a new PC from VoodooPC, but not so sure if I should get a new PC. The industry is about to move to DDR based boards (or has started), AMD is ready to ramp out 266Mhz Bus Athlons, NV20 is right around the corner and who knows when IBM will 'pop-out' with their 60GXP series. Look at my profile, I NEED* a new computer, but I'm not sure when to jump in with so many changes. I don't want to have to completely upgrade my machine in a month, because I got a new PC a tad bit too early.

Advice?
Platyply

* Why I NEED a new PC: When I try watching Quicktime with my PC, I have to first run the file down with the FF button in a tiny window to see the picture, then I play it back regularly to hear the sound. My system also clips in Flash movies or Shockwave splash screens. I no longer play games on my PC outside of AOE, even then, it slows down horribly when too many characters are on the screen (i.e. forty or so). When I ran the bot over at madonion.com to see what I can do to upgrade my PC, he said it was too old to even bother with. So before anyone thinks their rig is aging, think of me.

 

[Mixxen]

With the comp you have now, any upgrade will be a leap out of the stone age ...

Anyway, it doesn't seem like you are the person who needs the very best, so it's probably a good time to buy now. RAM is extremely cheap, and CPU prices have been dropping also. Plus there are many high performance graphic cards for around a 100 bucks.

Don't go overboard and buy things you don't need. Buying the best is never good if you want the best price for performance. Save that money to buy a better monitor or something that won't depreciate in value too much.

Hope that helps.

 

[HomerSapien]

Id wait till the new stuff comes out. See how many problems people are having with it and then decide. Not to mention, the pc you picked out will be a lot cheaper.

 

[JimMc]

There is always something better on the horizon. Upgrade when you have the money and your current machine will not run the software you wish to run.

Seriously, you're running a P200 and a 2MB S3 and you're worried you won't have DDR and a NV20????

 

[Mixxen]

Well, some parts will always go down in price if you wait. But how long are you gonna wait? It's a never ending cycle...new stuff will always be right around the corner.

 

[SkipE]

I agree with JimMe. There's always something new coming. Go for it when you gotta go for it, and it looks like you need to go for it now with that system (not that mine's all that much better - I'm also biting the bullet and building a new system soon).

SkipE

 

[lundog22]

Platyply learn and build youself a new PC!!!!
It will save you lots of money. You might need some help with VIA/AMD setup, Intel set up is a bit easier.

An AMD 1G@133fsb/128MB DDR2100/30G 7200RPM ATA100 HDD/Geforce2 GTS/300W PS. That should cost you no more then $800 to buld by yourself.

 

[spamboy]

While I too love to have the latest and greatest, there is no need to build a new PC until the one you have is incapable of running the applications you want to run. Now is one of those times. Run, don't walk to your nearest parts shop and build a computer soon!

 

[Shooters]

Hey Platyply, what happened to this from a couple of months ago? I thought that system was plenty fast, and now you want something even faster?

 

[limsandy]

Buy a new PC when you feel the need to.
If you wait for NV20, DDR and IBM 60GXP series to come out, then it would take you literally forever to finally buy a new PC. Spamboy is right, "there is no need to build a new PC until the one you have is incapable of running the applications you want to run."

In my case, my P166 computer can't run cs so I had to upgrade to a Duron 650 (@975 MHz) system.

 

[RanDum72]

The only bright spot in your setup is the 96mb of EDO ram, which could probably pay for the price of a new motherboard

 

[Pakman]

Yes, it's definetly time to upgrade. My print server is faster than that thing. hehehe... 200mhz WITH MMX...

 

[XRdirtHead]

Don't worry about NV20 and DDR they are a long way away from any software taking full advantage of them. You can build a good box for short money these days. Look at Anandtechs price guides and go for it. They highlight what they feel is the hot buys.

 

[TheNemesis]

What better place than here, What better time than now?

 

[Platyply]

I never built that system, and upon further consideration, I saw that SCSI was over-rated (for my needs at least) as the price didn't match the performance gains. So I played with the specs of the system for some days, never did get around to build it -- financial reasons and eventually stumbled upon VoodooPC, which provides a leasing deal and a PC with parts better than I had choosen on my revised system specs.

An $800 Ghz machine? It sounds like I would have to cut corners somewhere.

I have no idea the performance difference between budget PCs and high-end PCs; for example, the difference between 70fps and 95fps, reviews make such a big deal about it that when reviewing cards, I am led to believe that I should just get the best parts, and maybe skimp on the processor speed (as it ramps up so quickly). After I get my new PC, I would suspect I would start doing some graphic-intensive things like video editing, photoshop, etc. So I want to make sure my new PC can accommodate that, right now, all I know is that it will be used for gaming, internet, and word processing.

 

[Pyro]

I'm in the same situation as you and I say BUY BUY BUY.

I was originally gonna get a PC last october....but then I started like you. I'll wait till DDR, I'll wait for palomino, NV20......IT NEVER ENDS........and I STILL havent biult that PC (and my comps not much better than yours)

Finally I said fvck it and decided to get the best that I could. The only thing I am waiting for now is march break (I wont have enough time to properly build it otherwise)

in conclusion:

BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY........

oh yea...i forgot........BUY!

 

[digim0rtal]

I built this (moved out and the comp I was on was the whole family's):

1ghz AMD
MSI-KT7
256MB CAS2
40GB 7200
Voodoo 3500 (I know, I know, this was corner cutting but it served it's purpose for the past few months, the ATI 64MB is waiting to go in)
TDK 12x10x32
Samsung DVD/CD
300w PS+ Case
Bush Jagger Desk
Samsung 19" monitor
Chair
Logitech optical
USB Gamepad
WEb cam (-5 dollars heheh)
ETC.

MY total for all this (through being a complete cheap deal hunting b@stard) was $1792 (with rebates subtracted), and I got pretty much exactly what I wanted. This of course required time/research/reading, but I think it was worth it. I couldn't find a pre-made system that was just how I wanted it (if it was it was about $1800 w/o the desk, chair, monitor, etc). So building your own stuff does save money, but it will take some effort!

I suggest going down to the hot deals forum and start buying parts one at a time as the deals come around, I spent 3 or 4 weeks getting mine all together.