This year's gonna be expensive...what hardware are you waiting for?

[Gerbil333]

I posted a thread a few days about deciding when to upgrade, but now I've realized a few things.

At first, I was only waiting for the socket 939 motherboards, which should be available towards the end of March. However, PCI Express and the Athlon 64 4000+ will be out around September. I'd really like to get a PCI Express motherboard. But that means I'd need a new video card.

Then I read that around the same time, the new BTX case and power supply form factor will be available. That means I'll need to replace my beloved black alumnum Chieftec Dragon tower w/side panel window and blue cold cathode, and my Enermax 460W blue PSU I'm REALLY not looking forward to BTX. I'm not even going to start about how dissapointed I am with it...

DDR2 will also be out this year probably before the other technologies I was awaiting, so I'd need to buy some of that too. The final list comes out to this:

Socket 939 motherboard
Athlon 64 xxxx+ CPU
1gb of DDR2
PCI Express video card, most likely the upcoming R420
BTX case
Antec/Enermax 430W+ BTX PSU

I was also hoping to upgrade to a SATA hd with my next motherboard/CPU, but that's not gonna happen since all of these other parts will be required.

DDR2 is going to be way too expensive (100% premium initially), and I don't like the new BTX form factor, so forget those two. I'll just get a socket 939 DDR mobo and an A64. I'll wait to see how PCI Express and the R420 do to decide if I should go PCI Express or not.

The last time there were this many new standard and technologies was when the first Athlon was making its debut and RAMBUS was around, but that wasn't even this bad. Not only are the CPU, motherboard/chipset, and RAM standards changing, but the video card, case, and PSU's are being redone! That's a lot of changes for a single year, and I highly doubt any of it will be cheap.

I know some of you are going to say, "just upgrade now, or as soon as you can...the waiting game never ends". True. I've been doing this for a long time. But I always try to buy a chipset and motherboard that'll last a long time before being way behind the times, and this year that's seems to be nearly impossible.

So when are all of you going to upgrade? After socket 939, DDR2, PCI Express, BTX, or all of them?

 

[cjsketchy]

The new hardware does look tempting (it always does), but I think I'll wait all of it out until the end of the year and see where the P4C and 9800 pro stand in comparison to the new stuff. I think they'll still be good enough for my purposes. I'll probably be waiting until mid 2005 By then, the athlon 64 should really be hitting its stride and the newer technologies will have had a bit of time to mature.

 

[tjdavis1138]

Agreed. This is definitely not the year to upgrade if your sitting on a decent system now.

 

[Jeff7181]

I can't wait for the next 56k modem release!!!

Actually I'll probably get a socket 754 Athlon-64 when new cores and motherboards are more overclocker friendly. Then later this year, or next year I'll probably upgrade to socket 939.

I'll probably keep my FX5900 for about 2-3 months after the new GPU's are out, then upgrade to one that's like the Ti4200 in terms of price/performance... then by the end of the year probably will have one that's near top of the line, like how I waited to get an FX5900 until last September.

I'm thinking about upgrading my RAM right now... but there really isn't anything right now worth the premium over my PC3200 that I already have. I'll probably wait for PC3700 capable of running 2-2-2-5 before I upgrade... assuming it's ever made before DDR2 takes over.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

I'm probably just going to buy a new socket A processor and a new graphics card. I'll overclock my system to reach a 400mhz fsb and I should be set for at least six more months, if not a year. Hell, I was plugging along on a Cyrix 233mhz system with a 7gb hard drive, a 12x burner, a Matrox Mystique and a whopping 256mb of ram for years...unless I encounter a game I really want that I can't play, I don't think I'll be too bothered by anything.

 

[labrat25]

This year I'll probably add a decent burner to my system and a DVD drive

next year hopefully i'll graduate to an Athlon 64 (and/or maybe a new laptop)

 

[Duvie]

If they don't ramp the speeds fast enough I am sitting on a good enough cpu to last me for awhile...I will likely wait for the prescotts to mature and try to get one later and push for 3.8ghz-4ghz maybe with a water cooling setup....Once I tasted HT I cannot do without it....

I also want to upgrade to a newer AIW card, that is capable of 2 monitors simultaneously and get a 17" panel to go along with my trusty 19" CRT.....

I don't see DDR2 until enough chipsets arrive for it to use and let alone be mature enough to work out all the kinks....I think we may see them arrive too late in the year anyway....

I will wait on the pci express until I see some actual real-world performance of it.....


To the author....sounds like it will be expensive for you, but a few months later you will be left with a system worth half as much and likely buggy as heck.....Early adopters usually get burned whether it be in the wallet or just shotty product...

 

[THUGSROOK]

actually ~ this is going to be a great year to upgrade to "2nd rate" performance parts.

of course those 2nd rate parts are currently "top rate"

so have some fun on the cheap side

 

[Chaotic42]

I don't see myself upgrading for years.

 

[kazeakuma]

Mostly waiting on a video card. I can't wait to ditch the Radeon I currently have in favour of a card with working drivers. I was going to take the plunge last year but the products didn't grab me, didn't really seem to offer a benefit over the previous gen.

Other than I'm only interested as a geek not a buyer

 

[boran]

my next upgrade is planned for start 2005, maybe 6 months later or so, it's just a bad time to upgrade, this year, you can get hardware that's going to be outdated within about half a year, and u can buy (for a hefty premium) the newest of the newest which is so beta that the designers dont even know if it's going to work, neither is quite good for yer wallet or workings of yer PC, I'm holding out till at least the second generation BTX boards. cous methinks the first will all have their quirks and issues etc.

 

[digitalsm]

A complete over haul wont be happening on my workstation until late 2005, early 2006. No need to upgrade it since it was ~5-6 months ago that I built it. Though I might upgrade to a next gen professional graphics card from ATI or Nvidia. As for my PC, Ill probably replace it late 2004. Might pick up a notebook computer, that VoodooPC Envy 460 is tempting.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I don't see myself upgrading for years.

ill be getting a video card, and thats probably gonna be it for a while, so im trying to be as patient as i can so i can get the most for my money, otherwise im quite happy with the system i have now.

 

[CJP]

I'll upgrade when I can build a system that will play Doom 3 at 1600x1200. I know that may be quite awhile but my current system is running ok so there's no hurry.

 

[howhao]

did i mention my forever searching of a 1400x1050 T41?

until T42 or T50 comes out, of course.

 

[Regs]

The RV420. It won't be just for PCI express. And hopefully won't cost over 350 dollars.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: tjdavis1138
Agreed. This is definitely not the year to upgrade if your sitting on a decent system now.

I think differently, and here are my reasons:

Half Life 2
Doom 3
Unreal Tournament 2004
Breed
HitMan 3
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Far Cry

Developers have finally stepped up to stress PC hardware this year without a doubt. The new era of graphic engines are here.

But I all ready made my big upgrade for this year. Just waiting on the new Video cards.

 

[nycdude]

Originally posted by: THUGSROOK
actually ~ this is going to be a great year to upgrade to "2nd rate" performance parts.

of course those 2nd rate parts are currently "top rate"

so have some fun on the cheap side

I like this man's thinking. Second rate parts are sweeet!!! LOL

 

[biostud]

I guess I'll change my 4200Ti for something else..... most likely a 5900XT
So it's not the big upgrade round for me..... I'll wait till next spring

 

[SkaarjMaster]

I'm upgrading (actually second system) next month and will hook both computers together. Even though I'll be getting a MB with SATA, I won't be using it just yet (maybe next year). No new technology for me just yet, but maybe an upgrade to all this new stuff in 2006 once it matures.

 

[PizzaDude]

I just upgraded to a dvd burner and a dvd rom. Next in line for me is my first LCD and a new processor this summer. Otherwise, my K7S5A from 2001 and 512 gb of pc2100 DDR has suited me perfectly fine. Cheers.

 

[charlie21]

I plan on going with a 939 / A64 setup in April with my tax return. As for PCI-Express and DDR-2, I usually don't jump on brand new tech. First generation products almost never offer a significant performance boost, especially for the money.

 

[Markfw]

Nothing. Maybe one more system to be upgraded when all the new stuff comes out, and the old stuff (socket 754) is a lot cheaper. I have more horsepower now than I need anyway....

 

[JBT]

The only foreseeable thing I plan on upgrading is my hard drive waiting patiently for the 2ND Gen 36 GB Raptors =). Every thing else in my system is pretty decent I may upgrade to a gig of ram as well depends how good of a summer job I get.

 

[Lonyo]

I want a faster processor, but for that really I need a new mobo/proc and RAM, but I don't want to get something new now when there won't be much life left in it in ~1 year (ie: DDR, Socket A).
The option right now would be to get an Intel 478 mobo at 2.8GHz (which will be dropping in price on the 1st Feb to the same price as the 2.6c) and then use that for Prescotts in the future (probably up to something like 3.6GHz).

If I was going for anything right now, it would be Intel.