Is it worth building new on outdated 775 or am2+

[rosenberg1979]

Hi all I'm somewhat conflicted. I see that the new socket types from amd and intel have forced down the prices on the older am2 and 775 systems. It is well past time for me to build a new for myself system as my current rig doesn't handle much of what i throw at it anymore (athlon single core 2.2ghz on a 754 1 gig ddr-400 (running at 333 damn socket 754) ati 1650). My question is is worth building new on the outdated platforms to take advantage of the cost savings or buck up for the am3 or 1366 platforms to ensure upgradablity and future proof my system. I do not think that my computer use is heavy enough to warrant a quad, as I've gotten by with a single for so long, but on the other hand I only build for myself when my rig can no longer handle my needs.

What the "normal" uses of my computer entail
light gaming, file and ftp server, occasional encoding, gimp (linux photoshop knock off), web browsing, word processing yada yada yada. normally run linux and have gotten somewhat adept at run level 3 to save system resources but would prefer to go back to using the gui even for the heavy lifting tasks.

part of me feels that a q6600 and a 9800gtx would take me a decade to outgrow but I'd hate to be locked into getting a whole new rig in 2 years or paying an arm and a leg for upgrades if i find it inadequate.

anyway let the comments fly, cause whatever i get will be worlds above what i have.

 

[roofus]

considering most hardware is deemed obsolete in 2 years time, an AM2 or a 775 either one would get you by that long if not longer. doesnt sound like your trying to build a Crysis killer to me, more of a casual user. good luck with your choice.

 

[BadTrip]

does anyone know if there is going to be any price cuts after the 20th?

 

[rosenberg1979]

Just to play devils advocate. I wonder how long backwards compability will be guaranteed though we all remember the am2 am2+ thing. I say this leaning tward a good 790gx based am2+ motherboard and a kuma, with the idea of popping in an am3 cpu in the future if I find i need the extra hp.

 

[geofelt]

With your applications, I don't see you being able to make use of anything more than a nice core 2 duo like the E8400.

The GTX250 is probably a better card today than the GTX9800. Add 4gb and a basic P45 mobo and you should be good for a while.

Spend any extra on a second or nicer monitor. That is probably the only future proof thing you can buy today.

 

[Kraynor]

@ soldier37
Everything about that pic looked good... nice sound system, nice setup, razer mouse (props btw... I prefer the blue over the white myself), alien figurine, then I noticed 3 things...

1) Only one monitor... not a big deal but I couldn't be without 2 now that I've gotten used to it ^^
2) iPhone... or maybe it's an iPod Touch? Just a little pet hatred I have for both of them anyway.
3) Hand lotion? REALLY!?

 

[rosenberg1979]

well hell if i'm gonna step up to a 720 or 810 i might as well spend the extra $50-$75 to get an am3 motherboard and ddr3 ram, then i might as well spend the extra $200 to step into a i7. *Sigh* so torn. The problem is that for the first time in my life money is not a major issue, it's getting the most for it that is. I do want to thank all of you though, you've all been helpful.

As for the hand lotion though kraynor, i think that was hand sanitizer but thats just my guess.

I was under the impression that the 9800gtx and the gts250 were one and the same, just different stickers, though not to hijack my own thread it seems that for an extra 30 bucks (after a rebate you may or may not get) you can now get a gtx260

i remember when this was easy, you had low end, mid range, and cutting edge and not a hell of a lot of choice in those catagories (486 dx2-66 or 486 dx50 hmmmmmm).

Now to boil down all thats been said, the answer is........... for my needs yes is still makes sence to build a system on the dying platforms of 775 and am2 and that a properly build system on said platforms will take me years into the future before it's limitations become crippling to my rather modest day to day use. Unless that is i fall inlove with fps again (though this is unlikely, but a trip through hl2 and doom 3 for old times sake is always fun)
Once again thanks for the input, and feel free to keep tossing out the comments, it's nice to see such a flame free thread while discussing both amd and intel.

 

[The Third Level]

I'd go Phenom II. I noticed when you were talking about bumping up small amounts of money....50 up for an AM3 platform, and 200 more for i7? That's a pretty big jump.

Considering the Phenom II X4 955 (AM3) is coming out in 8 days, i'd wait to see how that does and then decide your next course of action.

 

[rosenberg1979]

a big jump yes but considering all the fellation the i7 has been getting.... worth a thought, i mean whats two bills spread over 4 years. Anyway, I think that is the best advice, and just what i am going to do. Wait till the 20th launch and see the price fluctuations in the following week or two after and hopefully capitilize on them. I've gone this long another month or less won't kill me.

 

[The Third Level]

You're looking at 200 bucks more for a 22% performance increase.
Yeah just wait for the 955, its not too far away and i'm hearing impressive rumors of 4.0ghz on air.

 

[mamw93]

Go socket 775 and get a quad core... even though you don't need it now it will future proof the rig for many more years than a dual core would.

 

[The Third Level]

Go socket 775 and get a quad core... even though you don't need it now it will future proof the rig for many more years than a dual core would.

Future proof the rig? 775 is dead.

 

[baddad]

The 775 still has plenty of life in it, it is only dead to enthusiast and those that have to have the latest hardware.

 

[Sharft6]

I think the two obsolete options would be fine. It doesn't sound like you would upgrade before the next several platforms are released.

nah seriously i wouldn't recommend i7 or am3 to anyone who doesn't plan on upgrading before the next platform is released unless they want cutting edge performance.

 

[rosenberg1979]

do you know the anticipated release date for the socket 1156? I think that a 32nm dual core would be just about perfect for my 24/7 system and it's effect on my power bill, but after googling all i get is "later this year". Not to throw gas on what may be a fire but didn't intel just release the 1366 socket, what is it doing releasing another so soon?

 

[The Third Level]

1366 is for the enthusiasts. It was for i7.

 

[rosenberg1979]

so then the plan is for the 1156 to be the true replacement for the 775 containing the bulk of intel processors. Or is this gonna be intels socket 754 (1156) and 939 (1366)? Or is it just to dang soon to tell?

 

[BadTrip]

I guess their roadmap counts as nothing

http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/02/intel-talks-2009-its-32nm-full-speed-ahead.ars

 

[winh8r]

All this "futureproof" ideas are in practice only "squeeze out maximum $$$". You will never be futureproof and this is why you shouldn;t bother getting the "cutting edge performance" i7 or similar as long as you don't need it (and only some of us would REALLY need it, moreoften they only think/perceive so)

rosenberg aren't you too long in this to allow them to rip you off ?...especially in case of processor/graphics as these do not require much effort to replace them. Get a good mobo with say cheap and good E2160, after a year change it to Q6600 or rather better on ebay...... time is money Same in case of am2+

In cases such as yours your next need to change will probably take place when one platform ahead of 1366 will be like s775 today..cheap! And as you mentioned you don't know if s1156 will be like s754 or not...

hand lotion ... LOL

 

[cjl]

According to page 10 of Maximum PC's "Intel details 32nm cpu's", Westmere is a budget 32nm dual core that will debut in s1156 this year with dual channel memory and includes a graphics chip.
It also says the 32nm hexacore is named Gulftown and SHOULD debut in s1366 with triple channel memory early next year. Between Gulftown and Westmere will debut Lynnfield a 45nm quad in s1156 with dual channel memory support and no grahics chip.

So now I'm really confused.

So either Maximum PC is wrong or your link is wrong.

No, Maximum PC agrees with the Intel roadmap. They both say 32nm on the Intel 5 series (not x58 though) chipset with mobile dual cores first, followed later by 6 core 32nm parts for x58. The point of the Intel roadmap link is to show that it's a bit more than rumor that states that there will be 32nm parts compatible with the current x58/LGA1366 setups.

 

[rosenberg1979]

Need is such a strong word, i know all i need for now is a mid range dual core, because i use my wifes mac book (2.4ghz core2duo 800mhz fsb) for all of my heavy lifting computing needs. I also do not fall fully into the enthusiast crowd either. But i see nothing wrong with buying a system that makes you happy, one mans rip-off is another's joy. If people only every bought what they needed mac would only sell about 1/4 of their pros and forget about the i7's that have been flying off the shelves.

The question originally posed was "was it still worth it to build on the dying platforms" the answer seems to be a resounding yes. Now I have to evaulate my own lazyness about system building and balance it against my budget and needs. Last time I built i went the el-chepo route with a socket 754 based rig with a semperon and an ati 9250 with a whopping 512 megs of ram. It suited my needs when build but soon i and software outgrew it. I e-bayed up to a athalon when the sempie could no longer do what i needed, increased the ram to 1 gig, bought an ati 1650 when the 9250 was no longer supported in driver releases, and all that tinkering, and shopping, and getting linux to jive took time. Now the rig can no longer do what I require of it and the upgrade path is dead so it's time for a new build. However, my situation is somewhat different, I make alot more money (really a hell of a lot more than last build), i have alot less time (really a hell of a lot less than last build), and i no longer use e-bay after they started asking for my phone number.

As you said time is money, and time spent tinkering with my rig is some of my valuable free time that i don't get back (not that i really mind, but my wife will probally start to choke me at some point). I just want something solid that i don't have to futz with for another two years, and if in two years there is still an upgrage path that dosen't require paying prices that make no sence at all (case in point a socket 478 pentium 4 3.0 ghz was selling for $80 on the egg??!? when a kuma goes for $65), I will be more than pleased, and if not, i'll dust off my old toms account and start another thread much like this.

And just to recap, no one so far really thinks is a bad idea to build new on am2+ or 775 for someone that has modest computer needs 90% of the time.

 

[pete3867]

yeah , go am2+

 

[Guest]

would it be a good idea to go am3 though? assuming there won't me an am4 anytime soon or w/e... then when you upgrade, you'll only have to upgrade your processor (say, phenom II 720 to something better) and ram?

not to hijack the thread, but i'm considering the same thing as well... i just want to pick a motherboard that will last me a long time

 

[Sharft6]

If a newer platform would make you happier I would defiantly go for the newer one. If you don't care enough to ask for people to push you to one side fence then I would probably go for the obsolete options although I can't visualize myself in this situation.

 

[Helloworld_98]

well the debate is more am2+ or i7, there is so little price difference between am3 and i7 now it's a no brainer.