Why should I wait?

L

Lyrids

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
320
I am this (|----|) close to pulling the trigger and driving to Microcenter today to buy all the parts I need to build a new PC. The only thing that's hanging me up is the impending release of Bulldozer and Sandy Bridge-E. I have my sights set on the i5-2500K which I can get from MC for $180. I know it is impossible to estimate how BD will perform without any legitimate benchmarks but I'm in the camp that says the low prices say enough. Of course, we won't know until they're released. Sandy Bridge-E looks a little beyond my budget. Performance aside, I'm also worried that once both chipsets are released, I'll have overpaid for whatever hardware I buy today. Are current prices reflecting the upcoming CPU lineups or will the market only adjust after release?

Past the CPU here's what I have on my list:

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
-$50.00 Instant
$99.99
$49.99 (This case isn't offered at MC, I might have to wait/get another case)

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
-$5.00 Instant
$64.99
$59.99

Logitech G500 10 Buttons Dual-mode Scroll Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
Item #: N82E16826104318
-$26.00 Instant
$69.99
$43.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
$46.99

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
$219.99

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel

Trying to decide between GTX 560 Ti and GTX 570 (Zotac GTX 570 at MC for $280 after rebate)

Inventory/prices are pulled from Newegg so they aren't exactly what I would be paying. Motherboard is still missing from lineup, I'm willing to take advice. PC will be for gaming. I'm also interested in mechanical keyboards but don't have a lot of information on those either.
 
Honestly the only thing I would really "wait" for is the video card at this point. Sure, bulldozer may bring down prices on the 2500k and 2600k a little, but that's to be expected anyway. I would NOT personally put more than $200 into a video card at this point knowing that the new cards coming early next year will be on the 28nm process, meaning a significant jump in performance/efficiency, leaving this generation's cards way behind. Just my $.02

Edit: Also, since this is a fresh build I'd *highly* recommend looking into a solid state drive. If you've never seen one in action before you will be blown away. It's by far the single greatest item that will make your computer feel like a high-end monster. So I'd say get the least powerful video card you're comfortable with, replace that when the new gen comes out, and spend the difference on a SSD. Trust me, it will be worth it.
 
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In that case I'll probably just get the 560 Ti. Any particular SSD I should be looking at?
 
The two SSDs worth buying at this time are the Crucial m4 and Intel 510.

What features do you need on the motherboard? What resolution are you using for gaming?
 
I'll be playing from a 20" 1680x1050 monitor. Not looking for anything special from the motherboard other than the ability to overclock, reliability is a plus too.
 
Really no need to wait. Something "better" is always around the corner.
 
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