College Computer - Wait for Prescott (or Hammer), or buy now?

[doodler85]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for my college computer, and I'm bummed out that Intel and AMD's new lines of chips arent coming out this summer. So, I'm wondering whether I should get a high-end (3.0 ghz p4 800 mhz fsb etc) desktop now, or get a cheap laptop and wait for the new systems to arrive.

All opinions are welcome, with the exception of Apple zealots

-David

 

[nick1985]

get the latest intel 8086 processor. its blazing.

 

[Electrode]

RioWorks HDAMD motherboard (only socket940 with agp right now)
Two Opteron 240 CPUs
Sparkle 550W EPS power supply
------------------
= PWNAGE

Expensive though, I paid $1.1k for the above parts. Add about 300 bucks if you don't have any ECC REG DDR memory.

 

[AtomicDude512]

Originally posted by: nick1985
get the latest intel 8086 processor. its blazing.

NICK!!! :| You are being unhelpful.
Here is the Intel 8086 Nick is talking about, it really is kind of cool...in about 1994.

Personally I would get an Athlon XP 3200+ because, well, AMD processors have a greater amount of IPC then the Intel processors plus AMD processors also have a superior FPU pipeline. Im not saying anymore because this thread will probably turn into an AMD vs. Intel anyway...

 

[Macaw]

Originally posted by: doodler85
Hey guys,

I'm looking for my college computer, and I'm bummed out that Intel and AMD's new lines of chips arent coming out this summer. So, I'm wondering whether I should get a high-end (3.0 ghz p4 800 mhz fsb etc) desktop now, or get a cheap laptop and wait for the new systems to arrive.

All opinions are welcome, with the exception of Apple zealots

-David

Are you super busy this summer or do you have time to party on your PC? If you have time, I'd buy now and enjoy your PC, but if you are really busy I'd hold off until just before you ship out.

 

[doodler85]

Well the problem is I live in Hawaii, so shipping stuff here is a real bastard. I'm going to get the computer when I ship out to California to save like... a hundred dollars in fees. I'm going to major in Multimedia Design, so I really want to get a decent computer soon, but my first year isnt really computer-intensive, so it's not critical. Of course, games would be nice That's why I am considering a $1000 centrino laptop until the more powerful P5's and AMD chips come out... for portability, and a decent amount of power.

Ehhh... I dunno though. That's why I'm asking you guys to convince me one way or another

-Doodler

 

[Murr]

And then when that time comes, you're gonna wonder if you should wait for P5...its the eternal dilema.

Like the other guy said, if you got time to use a computer, buy now. Prices are pretty good, plus its no fun waiting.

 

[OddTSi]

Originally posted by: AtomicDude512
Personally I would get an Athlon XP 3200+ because, well, AMD processors have a greater amount of IPC then the Intel processors plus AMD processors also have a superior FPU pipeline. Im not saying anymore because this thread will probably turn into an AMD vs. Intel anyway...

Can you explain to me why AMD fanatics always use the "AMD has higher IPC" argument. Intel fanatics might as well counter that with "Intel has higher frequency" since that's an equally ridiculous argument towards which one is faster. It's the combination of the two that matters.

 

[l3ored]

hehe, i live in hawaii too, paid 80 bucks to ship my comp today. i was going to wait for the hammer, but if you buy now you get to use it sooner and you can always upgrade later. no matter what you buy its going to be obsolete in three years anyway. my solution was to get the best case with a high psu and good mouse/keyboard, because they wont go obsolete. im getting a coolermaster atc-710 and a logitech elite mx duo.

 

[doodler85]

I guess that's a good point. Plus, the hammer and prescott will probably expensive as hell when they first come out...

Oh well, it's not like a 3 ghz is going to be too outdated to run anything in the near future (1-2 years). My 800 mhz has already passed its peak... a year ago. I haven't been able to run any new games since then. The sadness

What do you guys think of this computer? http://www.abspc.com/app/config.asp?mono=1353 Just replace the DVD burner with a 52x lite on, and remove the speakers... then put dual 160 gig SATA hd's, and that's what I'm intending on purchasing. If you have any better sources, feel free to share your link links.

-Doodler

 

[Blain]

For my money, waiting for the "280GHz Prescott @ $180" is a KILLER dead on fantastic deal!

 

[OldSpooky]

If you live in Hawaii but are going to college here in the continental US, I would advise you to get a notebook computer. It will be easier to transport the system, and you can take it with you when you go home for breaks.

I would go with a Centrino laptop for now, and a Prescott or Hammer desktop next year. The Dell Inspiron 600m might be what you are looking for. It's not super sturdy like a ThinkPad, but it'll last a year and it will be relatively inexpensive.

 

[TheInvincibleMustard]

Originally posted by: Blain
For my money, waiting for the "280GHz Prescott @ $180" is a KILLER dead on fantastic deal!

LMAO!

My opinion? If you want it now, get it now. There's ALWAYS going to be something better down the road ... by the time Hammer comes out, you'll be wanting to wait for the next biggest and baddest video card to come out, and then when that does, it will only be two months and the super-duper motherboard chipset will come out, with an incredible-awesome processor just a month after that, and then ... you get the idea ...

I'd go with what others have said. Wait not for the new hardware, but because of the moving to CA ...

 

[lameaway]

I think the most important factor is... what is your current desktop? If it's acceptable, I'd just languish through the first semester with it, then buy yourself a blazing system as a present to yourself after exams By that time the new chips will be out and you wont be getting shafted price-wise for going with the latest platform.

The cheap laptop is a good idea - if it's not going to be used for gaming it won't really "age" very much from month to month anyhow. Just go for reliability and build quality over raw performance. Try for an IBM.

 

[doodler85]

My current computer is a Dell 800r (I think that's the model, but that doesnt really matter). It's a 800 mhz P3, with 512 megs of SDRAM, one 80 gig 7200 matrox hd, one 40 gig stock hd, and a geforce 256. In terms of gaming, it's dead. I can't play anything that's decent and was released this year. That's why I got an Xbox for the summer For webdesign and stuff like that, it's OK. I haven't been spoiled by access to a better system, so I don't think I'd miss that much for working tasks... but gaming... *cries* I want my half life 2

Anyway, the desktop I want is on sale at www.abspc.com for 8% off whatever configuration I want... so I'm really tempted to buy tonight. *drools* That money could go to shipping to hawaii, so I don't have to pay Cali sales tax, and would be a kick-ass end to the summer. So, what do you think? Go for it? My mouse finger is twitching to click "purchase", but I'll fight it until I get a response.

-Doodler

 

[brettjrob]

Seems like a nice system (especially in terms of looks), but of course you're paying a lot more than building yourself, plus overclocking will probably not be much of an option on that Intel motherboard. If that doesn't bother you, I say go for it; once Prescott comes out it will take a few months before they switch over to the new socket and DDR-2, then who knows how long it'll be before the prices are reasonable? Could very well be next summer, so IMO this is a good time to upgrade, especially to a P4 800FSB system.

 

[DGath]

Yeah.. if you wait till prescott, you'll want to wait for the 2nd gen prescotts to come outcause the'll be a lot more feature packed. But those will also be insanely expensive. I think I saw on these baords that the 3.4's will be around $550 right off the bat.

My opinion? The C's are so inexpensive right now. You can get a 2.4c for $140 after pricematching and coupons and stuff. IMO right now is a great time to buy a new computer. There is nothing new on the horizon to wait for (No way would I buy prescott/Athlon 64 right when they come out. Too much $$$.) and both processors, hard drives, are really cheap, and memory is priced pretty good now.

You can get a primo 2.8c/gig of 3200 system for around $1,200. I wouldn't go for the 3.0c now cause IMO they're over-priced a bit, the 2.8 is a good match in terms of $$$. And even AMD fans have to agree nothing on the AMD market competes, just look at the benchmarks.

 

[doodler85]

Would you recommend that I purchase this system from ABS or someone else? It seems to be a decent deal for the features... here's my config:

P4 3.0 ghz 800 mhz fsb
Dual 160 gig SATA hd's (RAID 0)
1024 megs pc3200 corsair ram
DVD/cd-rw drive
52x/32x/52x cd-rw (different drive... it was cheap )
Multimedia/TV tuner card
Radeon 9800 pro (sapphire)
7-in-1 media card reader
3-port firewire card

for... $2400 (including shipping, which was 140)

If that is too expensive, where else should I look?

-Doodler

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: doodler85
Would you recommend that I purchase this system from ABS or someone else? It seems to be a decent deal for the features... here's my config:

P4 3.0 ghz 800 mhz fsb
Dual 160 gig SATA hd's (RAID 0)
1024 megs pc3200 corsair ram
DVD/cd-rw drive
52x/32x/52x cd-rw (different drive... it was cheap )
Multimedia/TV tuner card
Radeon 9800 pro (sapphire)
7-in-1 media card reader
3-port firewire card

for... $2400 (including shipping, which was 140)

If that is too expensive, where else should I look?

-Doodler

I would go with a lesser card just to save cash. Current games dont need a 9800 pro, and you arent future proofing crap. DX9 games will make all current cards cry.

 

[PrinceXizor]

While there is always going to be something "faster/better" down the road, you can take reasonable steps not to paint yourself into a corner as far as upgrade path goes.

To that end, you will want to pick a motherboard that will have a decent length upgrade path. Right now, that is NOT Intel, since the new CPU's will be pin incompatable.

If you buy a Nforce2 v2.0 board, AMD's latest and greatest (Clawhammer) will not be pin compatable, but, the "value" line will still be compatable with your system.

It also depends upon how often you will build a new computer. If you don't mind spending a couple hundred dollars to replace a motherboard and cpu, then I'd buy something middle of the road and upgrade ($200) frequently.

Since you have a PIII-800 system (not bad, but definitely out a few generations), that seems to indicate that you upgrade less frequently. I'd hold off and wait to build your system until Prescott or Clawhammer is released. That will give you the greatest upgrade path and better longevity with your system.

P-X

 

[Kentarre]

Originally posted by: doodler85
Hey guys,

I'm looking for my college computer, and I'm bummed out that Intel and AMD's new lines of chips arent coming out this summer. So, I'm wondering whether I should get a high-end (3.0 ghz p4 800 mhz fsb etc) desktop now, or get a cheap laptop and wait for the new systems to arrive.

All opinions are welcome, with the exception of Apple zealots

-David

i envy all people with lots of money to spare on these high end systems :\ must ... get ... money ... too ... upgrade ... ugh ...

 

[bjc112]

Doodler is it possible you could build your own?

2400 is much to expensive for that computer.. And why spend that when you could do your self a HALF decent upgrade and then splurge in about 1 year...

A barton 2500+ for about $ 80
Epox 8rda+ $ 80
512 PC 3200 $ 100
9700 Np $ 225
120 gig WD SE $ 120 (?)
Nice case + PSU $ 100

You can grab a nice monitor of your choice...

Now those prices are off the top of my head but, even if you could save 1k from the 2400 and spend 1400... You could have a hell of a system...

Sit on that extra thou and your set to go in about a year...

 

[PrinceXizor]

Actually, its hard to say if that is "overpriced" without having the full specs of what is in it.

A quick check of newegg for the CPU, Motherboard, Memory, Hard Drives, Case and OS nets me about $1500.

That's w/o the DVD, CD, Card-Reader, monitor and other bundled software, or knowing specifically what kind of memory, harddrives, motherboard, etc...If this comes with a quality LCD screen, this could easily be in the ballpark price quoted.

P-X

 

[doodler85]

Well, I ordered it. It ended up with the same specs as I quoted earlier, except with a 2.8 ghz processor. The ending cost was 2200 including shipping, 2 games (I couldnt remove them), warranty, blah blah... cheaper than what I could find in other major manufacturers, but not exactly a steal pricewise. Of course, this morning I looked and saw dell had some huge special... but that always happens, eh?

Thanks for all of your advice. I pressed myself for time because of that 8% deal thing, and I hope everything turns out. Heh.

-Doodler

 

[jm0ris0n]

that'll be a nice system