Being as it is upgrade time an E6600 with 4 gigs of ram and maybe a 7950 should keep me happy for a while. All the rest of the hardware can come from my current system
For my part I sure ain't gonna forgive that easy about Intel's crapy products for the last couple of years. And now the bastards are slicing their own throats by lowering the prices, just to hurt AMD.
Maybe I'm a little sentimental here but this would't have happened if it wasn't for Intel's monopolistic behaviour.
Also for a verry long time now AMD has proven to be an inovative company who brings a lot of new ideas and technology to the market. I belive in them, and Intel will definatly have to keep the leadership for a while to redeem themsels.
The rummors I've just heard today speak about 80% perf gains for 4x4.
So the answer is NO. I won't jump boats. AMD has won a lot of comitement from my part because of theyr comittement.
I'm in no rush - we have a mix of excellent-performing AMD and Intel PCs at home as well as a couple of aging Macs. But one of our Intel boxes is nearing the end of its tenure and no doubt a Conroe machine is slotted to replace it - maybe late fall '06 or early winter '07. I'll watch from the sidelines and look for a good deal - and see what mobos arrive on the scene. I'm thinking DFI/XFire!
I'll do the same as I've always done which is to pick, when I actually have every penny in my hand to spend, the best machine available for my budget (currently looking to H1 07). IMO, any other long range choice for something you're not going to buy immediately, such as brand loyalty, is pointless. Either you buy what's right for you or you don't, and the latter is a waste. Of course, fanboys of either side will tell you to always go for one or the other, but I don't find that economically wise.
So, to answer the question? Looking at current offerings I would get an E6600, but I will re-evaluate the situation when I'm actually ready to buy.
Seeing new technology beat out old is to be expected. I just upgrade to a 3800+, 2GB, and x800gt for a very modest price. Does this computer run blazing fast? Yes. Good for gaming? Yes. Value? High.
If you have a similar setup right now then you should wait a year or two and see what happens then. I feel any dual core cpu is not worth it right now. Even if vista will utilize some of the dual core potential, single core will not be left behind. Nows the time to get a dirt cheap AMD64 or Intels 805 Dualie(price/performance).
But maybe for some people 2 more frames on oblivion is worth it .
Its far too early to go new technology, until AMD comes out to match Intel
I intend to upgrade in the near future, but am looking to do so on a budget. That being said, now is probably the best time to pick up ddr2 memory, as the prices are starting to go up, not down, and some reports I've seen here and there on the net (sorry, can't remember where, so take this with a grain of salt ) indicate it will get worse. Other than that, I'm gonna let others slave over the new systems, work out the bugs, and then get the best Core 2 Duo board I can for a decent price. I only need to upgrade the processor, MB, and Mem though, so it's not all that bad. The other goodies can be added on with time.
Edit: I'm running on a Athlon 64 2800+ skt 754 (at stock) w/ xpress 200 chipset MB and 1 gig (only 512 works well enough ) Mem, and Vista Beta 2 is killing this puppy. I figure that an upgrade is warrented, and I have some cash set aside for it.
I'll stick with AMD for now, due to the price cuts (Maybe it's finally my time to buy an A64 X2). Besides, I bought my current PC in March, and I don't have the cash needed to almost re-build it.
Well, I would like to upgrade today, but its just not realistic. Ima 939 user so AMD's price drop is all good to me. Having to shop for new Memory, MB & CPU is a long shot for me right now, unless I come across some quick cash, which I doubt. But defenetly with my next upgrade tho' I just dont see a reason not to. But right now, its just the CPU, and x3800 is still a very good cpu specially with a $150 price tag. Too bad Optys arent declining. .
I plan to upgrade my existing AMD machine after the prices drop with an X2. If I expanded my budget to spend on a Conroe, 2gb of fast DDR2 memory and found a good compatible motherboard I probably would go that route. Although AMD's solid platform still has very good value and selection. I don't think people will dismiss AMD now that Conroe is here. Most people will take into consideration things other than just Conroe reviews such as motherboard cost, first revision bugs and availability etc.
All in all I have to say I want to upgrade now from my Athlon XP2800+ running on socket A with a gig of ram and an Ati X700. So for me it seems well worth it at the prices, but there is one thing that I still have to wait for....the motherboard....I haven't seen a decent one that suits my needs right now, and as far as the motherboard lookout between intel and AMD, AMD seems to have more choices....then again when conroe comes out that may be different. Plus I was looking forward to possibly using a woodcrest core and something along severclass processors...just look at the opteron and its overclockability...all i can say is sever procs=built for 24/7 operation/desktop=mayb can run 24/7, just depends on environment i guess.
So all in all I won't get one right away, but keep an eye on it for the coming months(i'm sure the conroe's will still be in stock or i hope )
yup. agreed. as a person with a strict budget, a $150 dual-core 3800+ is an excellent deal. i wouldnt upgrade until vista comes out. i still remember when the P4 was being released and it had the winXP logo on it. the first P4 sucks... so maybe the same will go with the conroe. i'll wait and see if they can improve on the CPU before i get it.
The system I have I have is more than adequate for what I am doing. I will wait until Fall of '07. Just got my computer in Nov '05. The most intensive thing I am doing is video editing so I am not in any hurry.
Nobody supports AMD more than I (without them we'd have NOTHING) and AMD loyalty is not misplaced... but
Quote :
Would you buy Core 2 Duo today?
Yes, please! Yesterday would be better.
Hey, the consumer wins :^) it's capitalism at its finest.
AMD's not down & out, they are a strong force and have excellent products. They might just need to tweak their pricing a touch, is all...
Regards
1 - Anyone who must have the latest and greatest gaming rig, with really deep pockets, or a daddy with deeper pockets, is going to buy the Core 2 now (or at least, when it's available).
2 - Anyone with a current s939 board, or a s775 with a <965X chipset, you'd be stupid to throw out a perfectly good motherboard (possibly ram too) unless you belong to the group above. If you've got to have a bit more power on a budget, but not the best, it's a perfect time to upgrade cpu only (maybe another 2 sticks of ram, seeing as your new cpu will be so cheap). people with even less money can probably find second-hand cpus from the first group on ebay.
3 - Anyone with a crappy old computer (myself included, P3-600), who don't play games or encode video will find the speed of _anything_ new so fast that it won't matter what they buy (Core2 or AM2), so price is going to buy the killer. So is upgradeability. If i'm going to buy a motherboard now, i want to be able to buy a new cpu in a year and plug it straight in. With intel, that's always a gamble (admit it, fanboys). I'm still not perfectly clear if 975X can support conroe or not, too many conflicting reports. With AMD, for as long as processors fit the socket, they're upgradeable (yes, it's still a slight gamble as for how long they'll be making AM2 cpus, unless you buy an Asrock mobo with an upgrade slot). So my choice is going to come down to price, with a slight advantage to AMD because of upgradeability. That's too close to call, so i'm probably going to end up flipping a coin...
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) indicate it will get worse. Other than that, I'm gonna let others slave over the new systems, work out the bugs, and then get the best Core 2 Duo board I can for a decent price. I only need to upgrade the processor, MB, and Mem though, so it's not all that bad. The other goodies can be added on with time.
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