Hey guys I'm in the process of building a new PC. Here's what I got so far:
Apevia X-Navigator Case
Apevia Iceberg Power 680W PSU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (1GBx4) 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800 RAM
EVGA 8800GT Superclocked (650/1900) Video Card
Creative X-Fi Platinum Fatality Champion Sound Card
Seagate Barracuda 3.0 SATA 7200 RPM HDD
Windows XP Professional SP2C OEM
Basically my dream gaming rig, except I've missed something haven't I? The motherboard. I'm so confused on what to do. Initially I wanted the 680i chipset for a possible SLi rig later when 8800 GT prices drop. But then the P35 will support the new 45nm CPU's and DDR3 whereas the 680i does not but its the Crossfire setup (NVIDIA fanboy here) and has less to offer in terms of technology (less PCIe lanes and slots, no PATA support, only single gigabit LAN) just the lure of upgradablility. Seeing how I'm still in the process of saving for it (maybe one more month and then the remainder goes to my credit card) maybe the 700 series will be out and comparable to X38. The X38 and 700 series will both be PCIe 2.0 compliant which is good and the 700 will have the more features again but only one board will have the DDR3 capabilities and the price for the 700's will be insane (like the X38's now). So what do I do? I love NVIDIA's feature sets but this just seems like a bad time to build a new PC as far as motherboards go. Do I go with the P35 for a feature and GFX ability cut for the possiblity of future upgrades? Or skip the PCIe 1.1 mobos completely and wait for the two PCIe 2.0 boards to emerge first and then pick? And if I do wait is it the X38 or the 700 series as no doubt both will be initially expensive? Right now my PC is priced at about $1000 so I don't mind shelling out up to $300 more for a mobo as long as I get some longevity (although I'd like to stray from that pricetag as much as possible.)
EDIT: And what of this fabled X48? Is what does that comprise of or is it too much further in the future to care about?
Apevia X-Navigator Case
Apevia Iceberg Power 680W PSU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (1GBx4) 4-4-4-12 DDR2 800 RAM
EVGA 8800GT Superclocked (650/1900) Video Card
Creative X-Fi Platinum Fatality Champion Sound Card
Seagate Barracuda 3.0 SATA 7200 RPM HDD
Windows XP Professional SP2C OEM
Basically my dream gaming rig, except I've missed something haven't I? The motherboard. I'm so confused on what to do. Initially I wanted the 680i chipset for a possible SLi rig later when 8800 GT prices drop. But then the P35 will support the new 45nm CPU's and DDR3 whereas the 680i does not but its the Crossfire setup (NVIDIA fanboy here) and has less to offer in terms of technology (less PCIe lanes and slots, no PATA support, only single gigabit LAN) just the lure of upgradablility. Seeing how I'm still in the process of saving for it (maybe one more month and then the remainder goes to my credit card) maybe the 700 series will be out and comparable to X38. The X38 and 700 series will both be PCIe 2.0 compliant which is good and the 700 will have the more features again but only one board will have the DDR3 capabilities and the price for the 700's will be insane (like the X38's now). So what do I do? I love NVIDIA's feature sets but this just seems like a bad time to build a new PC as far as motherboards go. Do I go with the P35 for a feature and GFX ability cut for the possiblity of future upgrades? Or skip the PCIe 1.1 mobos completely and wait for the two PCIe 2.0 boards to emerge first and then pick? And if I do wait is it the X38 or the 700 series as no doubt both will be initially expensive? Right now my PC is priced at about $1000 so I don't mind shelling out up to $300 more for a mobo as long as I get some longevity (although I'd like to stray from that pricetag as much as possible.)
EDIT: And what of this fabled X48? Is what does that comprise of or is it too much further in the future to care about?