What's the best way to spend 4K over the next 1-2 years?

Okay, open-ended question, I know. But I've been researching for weeks now and it's driving me crazy. I want a nice computer for now definitely, but don't want to spend so much it limits my future budget. Are there any big technologies out there to be aware of? And is it true that the less I spend now, the more value I'm getting over 2 years, no matter what?

If you can wait, by October and November I expect Conroe will be flooding the market place, benchmarks will be know for sure, and if priced low as predicted, then or shortly after will be the best buyers market for PC's in a long while. Especially come January.
You will have Conroe at 3GHz+, DX-10 video cards, full HDTV support, 30" LCD displays will be cheaper (hopefully closing in on the $1000 mark), Raptors will be SATAII, Vista will be out, and you can buy it all with 4k then that should keep you happy for next 3 to 4 years.

INeedCache,

Hahhaah that's a good one. Maybe you should put the 4K in a good mutual fund.

I'm with you.
Put it in a fund, or at least some CDs. That way you can afford the new processors cloned out of monkey brains, or maybe buy a jetpack.

Ah, perchance to dream (for a change)!


CONSTANT CHANGE IS HERE TO STAY!!


I would do a lot of planning (as usual), and
start with these assumptions (which can easily change
tomorrow):

(1) ASUS P5WDG2-WS motherboard:
i975X chipset/8-phase power subsystem

(2) buy a cheap socket 775 CPU
if you want to begin development now,
e.g. 64-bit Intel 640 w/ SpeedStep
to support Windows x64 (AND
wait for Conroe);

(3) Corsair XMS-UL DDR2-800 / PC2-6400
dual-channel memory 2 x 1 GB matched pair;

(4) early on, install an Areca PCI-E
RAID controller with RAID-6 in hardware:
that will give you the ultimate in flexible
storage subsystems;

(5) begin with 1 x 150 GB Raptor for
the C: system partition, and
1 x 400 GB Western Digital WD4000YR
for storage; then, do your homework
and go for a massive multi-disk RAID,
either using the Intel chipset or
the Areca;

(6) budget $500 or so for a dream
video card (the world at your doorstep


Not far down the road, Conroe will
be shipping, and vertical recording
will also be available on SATA HDDs.


THUS, IF YOU START BUYING NOW,
BE SURE YOU BUY HARDWARE THAT
WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH THIS
FUTURE THAT IS RIGHT AROUND THE
CORNER!!


Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library
http://www.supremelaw.org/

Assuming any gaming is in store, you could build a perfectly nice rig now for about $1200 (x2-4200, nf4, 7900GT), then simply replace the video card in one year with next generation for $400 more....; if Conroe is indeed much faster, you could opt for one of them, although it would mean jumping to DDR2, a new mb..

Phyics cards will be coming soon as well, around $200...

But whatever you choose,,,,,don;t spend all $4k now..!

So Intel will be the way of the future most likely? When's AMD supposed to launch their comeback cpu anyway?

I need a new computer right now (I'm running a P3 256RAM, cannot game), but I'm also looking to the future, hopefully so I won't be replacing everything by next year. I wanna know what new techs to look out for basically.

To all those who told me to save my 4k. Yes, I have most of my money invested. I'm not commited to spending x amount of $ over y years, I'm just curious what the best action would be. Maybe I'll spend 4k over the next 4 years or 6 months , it all depends on the future and what I need out of my computer.

If Raptors will be SATAII soon, How will that be better than the Raptors now? Just the interface?

Also, when is the next big Intel chipset change? I don't see anything on this .(I'm going off on a tangent)
Thanks!

My advise again: Strippers.

Best way to spend $4,000:
Tell everyone you're vacationing in Vegas.
Go to Carson City instead. Rent a car. Head east on Highway 50. About eight miles, you'll find Kitty's Ranch (near The New Sagebrush Ranch and Kit Kat Ranch).
If she's still there, ask for Beth.

8O

exactly

2k on strippers, 2k on a PC

RichPLS seems cool and it takes a lot to get him angry. I'll be surprised also.

Skip the mutual funds, you're young and can afford the risk. Look up your local county property tax auction. With only $4K, you'll want to go rural, probably undeveloped land. Depending on the state you are in, you can either pick up the land for pennies on the dollar and turn around and sell it, or you may have to hold it for a period of time like 6 months, before you get a clean title. If the original owner comes back before then, you get a nice penalty fee and you can take your earnings to the next auction.

In a couple of years you'll be like Dr. Wu, with infomercials and everything. Then you'll be able to get all the strippers you want.

ROFL. I don't like this kind of post where someone asks for other people's advice on how to spend their own money.