I found a deal for a Q6600 system with 500 GB Hard Drive, 2 GB RAM, Geforce 8500, 300 Watt PSU, DVD-R/CD-R, etc. With a monitor and printer, I'm looking at about $1300 after taxes and shipping. Yeah, the card is by no means great, but I mainly do MMO's, so it's not a huge deal. It can always be upgraded.
But my friend is trying to talk me out of it, claiming I'll hate myself when 64 bit becomes necessary in the next...three-five years. He wants me to go with an Athalon 64 x2 (probably one of the lower to mid 5000 series), with similar specs. I'm having trouble finding an offer for such a system in the same price range, and I'm not even sure if it's worth the effort.
He says my system will be bottlenecked at 4 GB max RAM (which is true, the MoBo can't be upgraded past 4 GB even if it could support 64 - bit) and that I'll regret it in a few years.
I don't need the absolute best gaming performance, nor do I usually immediately buy the most graphic intensive games. So I guess, these are my questions.
1) Q6600 versus Athalon 64 x2 mid-5000 model. It seems like the Athalon is going to be more expensive? Is the Athalon really the better buy in the long run?
2) Are we really on the verge of a 64-bit revolution in the next 5 years? Will my 32 bit system locked in at 4 GB be unable to function in the new 64-bit world?
3) Is it stupid to buy a system that can't be upgraded past 4 GB, assuming I'm not buying a computer for another 4 years?
But my friend is trying to talk me out of it, claiming I'll hate myself when 64 bit becomes necessary in the next...three-five years. He wants me to go with an Athalon 64 x2 (probably one of the lower to mid 5000 series), with similar specs. I'm having trouble finding an offer for such a system in the same price range, and I'm not even sure if it's worth the effort.
He says my system will be bottlenecked at 4 GB max RAM (which is true, the MoBo can't be upgraded past 4 GB even if it could support 64 - bit) and that I'll regret it in a few years.
I don't need the absolute best gaming performance, nor do I usually immediately buy the most graphic intensive games. So I guess, these are my questions.
1) Q6600 versus Athalon 64 x2 mid-5000 model. It seems like the Athalon is going to be more expensive? Is the Athalon really the better buy in the long run?
2) Are we really on the verge of a 64-bit revolution in the next 5 years? Will my 32 bit system locked in at 4 GB be unable to function in the new 64-bit world?
3) Is it stupid to buy a system that can't be upgraded past 4 GB, assuming I'm not buying a computer for another 4 years?