Good time to buy?

T

tcamp

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Aug 6, 2004
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So, I've got some tax refund money burning a hole in my pocket. I've recently started getting back into PC gaming and I'm thinking its about time to update my main PC.

I've currently got a Q6600 @ 3.0 Ghz, 8 GB ram, and a ATI 4870 video card. Its certainly adequate for most things but the problem is I'm running dual 30" Dell monitors and max res with eye candy can be a challenge on some games.

It certainly seems that the AMD 965 is by far the best bang for the buck right now. Very good chip and you can use the money you save to crossfire 2 5850's and still come out ahead over the i7 solution.

My question, is whether or not now is a good time to buy? There appears to be a new 6 core chip around the corner, there are new AMD chipsets with USB 3.0 and SATA 3 that don't have a lot of reviews...

This wouldn't be a completely new build, more of a mb/cpu/ram/video card upgrade.

Any thoughts?
 
There's always something better and a pricedrop waiting around the corner. If you've got money, spend it wisely and don't look back.
 
I'm with you and usually I wouldn't hesitate. It just seems like there may be some pretty big changes taking place right now which is why I ask. new CPU, new I/O standards...
 
If you are doing one or two components, you have a little more freedom. The more you need to upgrade the more time you need to do your research. I'm doing a build right now, but the only component that I did due diligence on was the videocard. Of course, I did a little bit of research on the other components, but I know without a doubt what kind of videocard I want. I went with an i7 920 because I got a deal. I went with a 60GB SSD because I got a deal. I'm still looking for deals on MB and RAM (and seeking recommendations). But when it all comes down to it, I'm building a system around the Eyefinity6 card. All of this to say that if you want to know if now is the right time to buy, you've got to follow the tech news on each component for at least a few weeks. But you came here, where there are a bunch of people already doing that... So let me add my two cents and say, I'd wait for the Fermi dust to settle for at least a month. Hopefully, prices will move down a bit, then jump on an appropriate ATI 58xx setup.
 
Thanks for the reply Billy. You're absolutely right. I haven't really been keeping close tabs on desktop hardware news recently so while I have a fair understanding of what's out there now I really don't know what is coming around the corner. That's why I come here to ask the experts :)
 
If you have a MicroCenter near you the i7 920 has been running around $180-200 which is a steal. Add a MB and RAM and that alone would be a solid base to use with some old parts if you wanted to.

An SSD like the Intell G2's is also a sweet kick in performance for any machine. It turned my slowpoke laptop into a very useable, responsive machine.
 
If you can wait, then do so. ;) Keep in mind, Ph2 performs similarly to Core2, so I wouldn't consider your current planned setup (ph2 x4) much of an upgrade (from a Q66 @ 3Ghz). :p
 
really? I do have one reasonably close. For that price I'd have to agree with you. Too good to pass up on. Thanks!
 
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