What type of change in price can I expect?

[BoBz89]

Hey all,
I want to build a new system sometime this year and I can't decide if I should buy parts during the christmas sales or wait for potentially lower prices in 6 or 7 months.

I'm looking at something roughly like this: http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k248/bobisadinosaur/cart.jpg


Thanks!

 

[ibleet]

Prices will always be lower if you wait, but do you really want to play that game?

That is the nature of the industry... no matter when you buy, you will always find something cheaper within a few months.

The trade-off is whether you want to enjoy your rig while the components are shiny new, when they become obsolete, or somewhere in between.

When do you want to enjoy your new system? That is your real question.

 

[BoBz89]

I understand this. I guess I didn't phrase the question specific enough.

What I was trying to say was, considering that
a) there are christmas sales going on right now and
b) the parts I am looking at (with 2 or 3 exceptions) are a few generations behind so would one expect their prices to dramatically drop within 6 months?

I am definitely building this thing either around christmas or around june. But I won't have a whole lot of use for it in between those months.

 

[ibleet]

If you don't plan to use the system until June, then I would wait. The parts that are a few generations behind have already taken a price hit and chances are they won't drop a lot more. You can notice on Newegg that obsolete parts tend to hold a certain price once they become unavailable.

The newer parts, however, will probably decrease in price by June...at least until supply and demand have a chance to even out some, or until something new comes along to replace them.

Overall, in my opinion, your rig will be cheaper in June than right now. Having said that, you may be tempted to upgrade to some of the newer parts come June.

I don't have a crystal ball, but judging by the past, it should definitely be cheaper to buy the same parts in June.

 

[bluzbrother]

It's always a matter of buying what's the best value now. The things that drop the most are going to be video cards and cpu's. I would never buy a video card that's over $300, and heck considering the performance/prices, I wouldn't spend more than $250 on a video card. Buy the best quality power supply, case, motherboard you can afford... those components will have the most longevity. A good case will last you 3-5 years, a PSU 2-3 years, and a motherboard 1-2 years...without being too antiquated.

It really doesn't matter if it's Christmas or not... doing your homework pays bigger dividends. I try to be as informed as possible, so when it's time to pull the trigger, I don't hesitate and miss out on a good deal.... and to me a good deal is getting something I know I wanted, for a price that's just right. You get what you pay for, so I'm always skeptical if a price is too low. I'll always pay more if I know the model/brand uses better components.... it's the stuff that's been out for a few months that is usually the best value, the more mature the product, the more information you have to go on.