Should I wait for a Conroe compatible motherboard?

[FalvinP]

I am still researching my first build. I did have a bit of luck with my P4 2.53 Ghz machine. It’s finally working to the extent that I can put off a new build for a while. After buying a nice new Antec power supply and having it looked at by a local computer repair person, I finally determined that there was a conflict with my Sandisk 8 in 1 external card reader. When it’s plugged in to my powered usb hub the machine doesn’t boot, when it’s unplugged it boots……….

At this point I now plan on building a rig after the first of the year.

I’ve been doing lots of research, visiting many websites and forums, and am just generally absorbing as much knowledge as I can before diving in to this project.

One of the fundamental concepts I’ve learned is to not be cheap on the motherboard choice. I will plan to have my next computer for as long as I can. Therefore, I want to buy a motherboard with as much potential upgradeability as I can get for around $150-$200 (probably closer to $200.)

I had originally planed to get an Asus P5LD2 Deluxe motherboard with a Pentium D 930 processor to start out my build. While the motherboard pricing has been steady at $150-$155, the processor price has been dropping significantly. The 930 has dropped by about $25 in just the last 2-3 weeks, obviously in anticipation of the Conroe processor coming out in late July.

This got me thinking………. For maximum upgradeability down the road, should I wait and get the new Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard that was just announced? It has a new chipset that supports Conroe and I believe it is backwards compatible with the Pentium D series processors.

I know technology is ever changing and it’s difficult to predict the future, but wouldn’t this choice give me a little more of an upgrade path in future years? I won’t always get the latest and greatest, but at least I’ll have a more generic box that will allow upgrades in the future. Also, by the time I build this box, I will probably get a very good price on the 930 or perhaps even the 940……... In a year or two or three, I would probably want to get the Core 2 Duo chip. Of course by then there’ll be something far better on the market. I know………..It’s a never-ending struggle to keep up with technology………..

I plan to use this machine for email, web surfing, downloading, Office applications, watching dvds, photo and video editing, sound editing using Audacity or something like that, and activities along those lines. I do not play games, so I don’t feel the need to have SLI or Crossfire capability now or in the future, although I will get a suitable video card for video editing and watching dvds. I like doing several things at once, so the dual core chips sound very attractive right now.

I realize that I’ll have to update my research when the date to get serious about this build comes along, but barring any significant products appearing, should I just go ahead and start my system with the following components or should I get that new board? Obviously, this list is not complete, but I wanted to get come initial choices made….

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...asp?ID=3603163

I don’t want to skimp on these basic components…..hence the Lian Li case (which looks very nice and easy to work with, the removable mb tray and four included fans being the key for me.)


Thank you for your thoughts.

[blue60007]

Link doesn't work. You'll have to share the wish list and link to that wish list. The link tries to bring up my wish lists.

You might consider waiting for a Conroe motherboard and Conroe itself.

[glc]

At this point I now plan on building a rig after the first of the year.

Come back and see us then. 6 months is FOREVER in computer technology time, and discussing today's components for a build then is almost pointless.

[corndog]

Originally Posted by glc Come back and see us then. 6 months is FOREVER in computer technology time, and discussing today's components for a build then is almost pointless.

This is totally true. I've been monitoring prices for many specific components over a nine month span, and ALL of those I monitored have dropped--some significantly. For your described uses, you should be able to assemble a PC after Jan 1 that will exceed your expectations, given todays price/performance ratio.