Should I wait?

[Mangudai]

I know bulldozer is on the horizon but I was thinking to build a $900 rig right now. I figured that even when bulldozer comes out I may not be about to afford it so it wouldn't make sense to wait? Im thinking about getting a used 720 with an unlockable 4th core..here's a rough draft of the build. Comes out to $875

Monitor: Asus VH242H $160
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium $100
CPU: Used AMD Phenom II X3 720 OEM ??
HSF: Cooler Master N520(?) $40
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H $120 or ASUS M4A77TD @ $85?
RAM: 2gb x 2 DDR3 $100
HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS $75
VC: ATI 6850 $175

I could actually spring for a $1000 setup but I wanted to keep the price down a bit. I already have a Corsair 750w PSU, case etc etc


Edit: I plan to build a rig within the month

 

[limitedaccess]

What specific ram are you getting? What you chose seems very overpriced, 2x4gb DDR3 1600 is common for under $100 now.

You might want to check out the Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus for your heatsink as well. Cheaper, smaller, lighter and cools better.

Regarding Bulldozer, I don't think it is likely to be out of your price range. You can build a 2500k SB setup for under $1000. Unless BD completely kills it performance wise, I don't see how AMD would price it higher.

 

[Mangudai]

You are correct about this ram. I compiled that list a while ago when ram prices were higher. In fact 2gb x 2 ddr3 kits are going for half that now. I'll consider the 212.

Thanks

 

[Dangman]

I know bulldozer is on the horizon but I was thinking to build a $900 rig right now. I figured that even when bulldozer comes out I may not be about to afford it so it wouldn't make sense to wait?

As limitedaccess pointed out, more than likely BD won't be so out of your price range judging from the prices of their past CPUs and their market segments/aims. In order for AMD to remain competitive, their CPUs have to have a better price to performance ratio than Intel. Considering that the Sandy Bridge CPU Core i5 2500K and Core i7 2600K CPUs had such an awesome price to performance ratio at $230 and $330 respectively, that sets the bar pretty high for AMD's Bulldozer CPUs. So no matter, AMD's Bulldozer CPUs will be within your $1000 price range.

Whether or not to wait really depends on your desire/need for a new PC. If the performance of your PC is no longer acceptable, then yes go for a new build. But if your current PC is good enough to last you the next few months until BD, then yes wait. So in other words: Wait until you can no longer wait, then build.

Im thinking about getting a used 720 with an unlockable 4th core

As someone who did the same exact thing (Check sig and my build log): Don't do it. Even if the seller says it's unlocked, doesn't mean that it's a stable unlock. So your best bet would be actually get a for sure quad-core CPU.

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS $75

Yeah pretty poor choice for the money considering that these drives are faster and cheaper:
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Edit: I plan to build a rig within the month

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