yes, i understand that, but in that time (12-18 months), we will have better cheaper chips. Now if someone buys a $1000 chip now, in 18 months it probably won't be as good as a mid-low range chip then. By buying a cheaper($200) chip now, then in a year -18 moths buy another $200 chip, you'll be ahead, and have been no worse for wear in between. Thats also my point about people always recommending conroe. It probably won't be a upgradeable as AM2, and thats why you'll need a $1000 chip to last far enough. With AM2 you'll be able to get a good cheap chip now, then drop in a K8L chip in a year 18 months, for half the price of an x6800 now
But how does that help the people who cant wait? Im not talking about those who lack patience, but those who have an actual need. It doesnt Some people have to upgrade now. I have this discussion all the time with people at work who ask me about upgrading/building/buying systems. I always tell them, wait as long as you can. Sooner or later though, they cant wait any more and have to buy. Prices are always going to fall, relativily speaking, but that true with many retail consumer items.
This year has been the first time there were no significant CPU price drops from Jan to June. The X2 3800 hovered at $289 to $292 for six months. I've never seen a CPU hold its retail price that long. Some Athlon XP CPU and mobo prices had actally gone up. The only reason AMD and retailers droped the A64 & X2 prices was in response to Conroe. . We're in a price war right now, so waiting, even a week may save cash, but sooner or later, you're going to have to buy.
As for AM2 being more upgradable than Conroe, I doubt it. AM2 is already 1/2 to 1/3 of the way through its life cycle. Its Uarch is near its peak in terms of how much more performance AMD can squeak out of it, while Conroe is still in its infancy. AMD needs to come up with something new pretty quick or find themselves relegated to the low performance bargain processor catagory. On the other hand, I would not be suprised to see Intel releaseing factory 4GHz Core 2's next year. Its just a matter of life cycle timing.
Right now, IMO, the best route to go is to buy the at the high end of the price/performance CPU curve (C2D 6600) and short change the videocard.
Peace
even if they can't wait it won't do them any good to buy a $1000 chip. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying the chip is bad. I'msaying it isn't worth the price for gaming when you can get cloe with an e6300 or 4200. As for upgradability, AM2 boards will be compatible with AM3(K8L) boards for a long time. Also maybe i read you wrong but did you say get a good cpu, and get a crappy gpu?
No, no $1000 chip is ever worth it. Go look at the THG interactive CPU charts. The price-performance ratio is way off. Ive always been willing to give to trade 100 FPS for 89FPS, or a minute of video processing/3D rendering time to save $600 bucks. I would imagine a lot of people are. Some people are not. Usually the people who are not willing to settle for a little less performance can afford not to, so this thread reaaly doenst apply, as they will simply upgrade the next time the next "latest-greatest" is available. The $1000 CPUs are targeted at them. For the (IMO) average consumer however, (those who fall into the 2-4 year upgrade catagory) its a different story. Again, if they
have to upgrade now, and want a system that will be viable 2-3 years down the road, buying a cheap CPU isnt going to cut it.
On the GPU question, Yes, thats exactly what I meant,
IF someone has to buy right now, and I mean
right now. DX 10 is right around the corner. Save the $$ get a:
http://www.compuvest.com/Search.jsp?Search=100586&advsite=grabber
or similar just to get the system functional, then wait the 2-3 months for the nex gen GPUs
Peace