When to buy

This is always a dilemma, I know that there are always new technologies on the horizon, but the existing ones always last for a bit. I'm looking at building a whole new rig but I always procrastinate, saying look PCI express is coming soon and the like. So does anyone see a point in the near future when upgrades should be prime?

Hard to say. I mean with prescotts, tejas, Socket T, pci express, Sata 2, DDR2, and other it is really hard to tell a when. When they come out they are going to be expensive. and since little people have tested it, noone knows what the result u are going to get are. So lets say you wait 3 months at least after they come out. Price get lower, you have more options, better reviews. Try to build a system that adecutes to what u are going to do. And if you want to build a system that is going to last some time, then just wait some months after the new tech comes out so youll be able to see how good or bad the are.

This is never going to change. You just have to jump in at some point. I suggest that you decied WHAT you are going to do and how MUCH you can spend. Get the best machine to fit your needs. I also feel that if you spend your $$$ on the bleeding edge, you will shortly feel a buyers remorse as new stuff comes out shortly after.

I agree with don256us.

If you need bleeding edge stuff then wait for 6months to a year. If your looking for a good computer at a descent price then now is as good a time as ever. The stuff you get now will have little to no upgradeability (is that a word?). If you get a new system now you won't be able to upgrade a lot yet if you get a new (expensive) system when all the new technology comes then you will have some more head room later on.

I debated this myself and eventually bought all my stuff a week ago and I don't think I'm going to regret it. This system was built to last for the next 2 years until I can afford a system with stuff like SATA 2, PCI-Xpress, 64-bit CPU, BTX formfactor, etc. And it'll turn into my "retro" comp in ~10 years ("Oooh look! Windows XP! A CD-RW! And it plays HL2 without emulation!"*).


*If you think this is funny, try playing classic DOS games like the original System Shock or Lemmings, or even Duke Nukem 3D (don't cheat by using a windows port) on any modern computer. You might get video working (maybe) but sound is nearly hopeless unless you have an original SB16 ISA card (like I do!).

yeah, i tried playing some old games, and these games are about 10 or 15 years old. even older than me. anyways, they are almost impossiblee to play becuase they dont have their own clocks and depend much on the pc's so the game actually flies. i rremeber a scene that gave me about 10 minutos to finish, it takes 10 seconds on this system.

anyways my best recommendation is wait for presscott and the price cut and then order. but should make much diff from buying right now. remember tech never stays put.

Its so tough, I know that if you continue waiting that you end up always waiting for the next gen of stuff. But this time it seems as if the new formats coming out will make things obselete quite quickly. But I know that I can't afford the new stuff while it is top of the line. But I'm hoping my comp can pull things off. So what do we think the timeline is for the next stuff. Since from what I hear its been on the horizon for a while?