To Wait or not to Wait

[DiscoLando]

Okay, I've got some money set aside to buy a fairly nice PC at the moment, a P4 1.5ghz, 256M of Rambus, good monitor, GeForce 2, all pretty good hardware. My only question is, if I choose to wait until the end of the summer to purchase, how much better hardware could I get? Will the prices of the P4's and Rambus really drop as dramatically as speculated? What about the GeForce 3? Blah, blah, blah...

[Vagabond]

Ah the eternal question.
When to buy.
Well lots of people ask this question and the best advice that I can giveya is that you can never keep up, unless you have unlimited funds. So buy what you want and or need at the time that you want and or need it. If you really need or want the upgrade go for it, use it and enjoy it. If your present system is running well now and it does what you want it to do then stay with it. Not great advice I know but hey it works for me (sort of)…lol
one more thing someone told me one time: when you want something buy the top of the line then you should have nothing to complain about later…..good luck man. Even with my own advice I still struggle with your question…..

[DiscoLando]

It seems different than it was a few years ago. My current machine (which is over a year old), PIII 700, 512M RAM, TNT2 Ultra, is really fine for now, but I know there are some glaring holes that will need updated in the near future.

But rather than upgrade here and there, I figured I'd be happier if I started from scratch with a P4 system.

Actually, that begs another question, what clock speed is the P4 scheduled to be released at by the end of the summer? I'm sure the 1.7 will have dropped by 20-30% by then, but if they break the 2.0 barrier, that would keep me happy for quite a long time.

[doctj]

I wouldn't purchase the present pentium 4 platform as it's due to be replaced pretty soon. Wait for the socket 478 which will ramp to much higher speeds. BTW why do you want a P4 system anyway when the Athlon is a much better overall performer? Plus the Athlon 4 is going to challenge the P4's only stronghold in high bandwidth apps thanks to better branch prediction.

[DiscoLando]

>>> BTW why do you want a P4 system anyway when the Athlon is a much better overall performer? Plus the Athlon 4 is going to challenge the P4's only stronghold in high bandwidth apps thanks to better branch prediction. <<<

To be honest, there's only one reason I'm interested in the P4 + Rambus system and that's BANDWIDTH.

I'm certainly not opposed to an Athlon system. I need to do more reasearch on RDRAM vs. DDR-RAM and find out the best performance for the best price.

[paul233]

If you wait you will get a much better system. P4 is a stopgap advertising ploy which will soon be obsolete. In a few months you can either buy an Intel that really works or an equivelent AMD at 1/2 to 3/4 that price.

[DVNT1]

I just order more memory for a P4 1400 system and it costs a lot. I first went to Crucial Tech., but they don't sell it. I went to Compaq next (it's a Compaq system) 256megs = ~$1000. Went to DELL... 256megs = ~$380. bought 2 of those. There are a few different types of the Rambus and I think this system needed the most expensive.

Rambus technology will not make it. DDRAM is where it's going. Basically just as fast but much cheaper.

I would strongly suggest a fast Athon that perfoms just as well or better. I also have an Athlon 1333 that seems faster for what I do.

You may also benefit from reading http://www.crucial.com/library/ddr_vs_rdram.asp

[DiscoLando]

Hey, thanks for the link. It was good reading. I think I'm closer to making a decision, so my time here hasn't been wasted... http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[daverme]

My advice, simply put: buy now and to hell with the future. Cuz ... when will the future get here? No matter where you are, there will always be a future, with still more dazzeling promise. In other words, the future is NOW, so act NOW!

[Donkey]

WHat is it that can't run on your current PIII 700 system that warrents the upgrade. A system like that will cope well with most apps at the moment, maybe need a new graphics card and i don't know what type of HD you have etc. I'd hang off for a while until either the athlon 4 or socket 478P4 and buy then!
Rod

[Brangwen]

Disco:

I read your post with interest. I agree partially with several of the responses: You'll never catch up or be ahead in this hobby, which for many of us (I suspect) is only a hobby or building/buying a computer for work and a hobby. Do the research, put in the time, agonize for a couple of days then go for it. Take the plunge. And go AMD.

This opinion was expressed by a very happy 1.33GHz @ 1.46GHz FSB266 "in the office" Thunderbird user! Oh, yes, and SDRAM.

Brangwen http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Warthog]

Buy now.

Ditto everyone else by not being able to keep up with technology. I mean, a new Geforce card comes out every year or less. Guaranteed, we will see the Geforce4 in less than 1 year.

Why are getting rid of your current system?

What do you do on your PC (graphics, games, whatever)?

Warthog

[Barney]

Why not upgrade the current computer? If you overclock the processor and buy a Geforce2 GTS/Pro/Ultra or maybe even a GF3 you'll have almost the same performance as with buying a whole new P4, but it would cost a whole lot less...

[DiscoLando]

Well, for those of you keeping up with this high drama, I did make some decisions, and decided to do mostly upgrading. I've got some good underground connections and was able to upgrade the motherboard and processor, so now I'm running a PIII-1Ghz with 512meg of PC133 CAS2, a GeForce2-GTS, 60gig HD, and what-not. My main reason for needing a beefier system is that I'm a professional Photoshop user and I regularly deal with very large files, 600-1200 dpi, on a regular basis. Those buggers will bring most systems to their knees!

My lesson learned? If you've got the patience, upgrade a peice at a time. Start with the components you know are stable price-wise, (ie. Video Card, memory, etc...)
and then when it's time upgrade your other components. I got all of my upgrades for less than $500.

[BBA]

If you buy parts like me...a few at a time...buy the memory right now...it will soon start to go up in price and not come down until after christmas.