Yet again another build but need help!

[BrokenKingdom]

Ok so I'm addicted to building PC's, who isn't??

So my question is should I build a new PC now...or... should I wait till the end of 1st quarter when AMD releases all their new goodies?

By no means do I need to upgrade in fact I have 2 new computers(less then 6 months old)which I built and a new tablet pc (my baby). I'm giving one of the two desktops to my mother because her computer is slowly fossilizing, I mean it, literally, I think it's actually becoming fused to the desk and turning to stone.

Now I am down to one PC and one tablet PC and the incontrollable itch to build a new, better PC.

So I guess my questions I'de like to ask are:

1) Should I wait till the end of 1st quarter?

2) Is the price difference between a GeForce 7900 and a GeForce 7950 worth it? It's a difference of $38.99

3) How are the AM2s working out?



Thanks again in advance! You guys rock!

[hitchface]

If you are gonna build something new, go for Core 2 Duo, it is just too superior to pass up. That addresses the AM2 question I guess.

I just compared the XFX GT versions of both of those cards, and I'd go for the 7950 if I were to go that high. You get twice the memory, but you do have to deal with a slower memory clock (a whole stinkin' 40 megahertz). Aside from that the 7950 has way more features. Whatever you do, don't go for the GX2...

As for the wait, I'm not sure if it will be worth it. There are murmurings of something big from AMD, but I wouldn't hold your breath for it. They have a fairly advanced lineup coming our way that could do some damage to Intel if they execute it properly, but they fell behind in the dual core competition. Like I said earlier, the leader right now is Intel.

[freakitchen]

The C2Ds are great processors, and I can easily see them as the processor of choice in 2007.

What I wouldn't do, though, is drop big bucks on a video card right now. DirectX 10 is around the corner.

The building 'bug' is all well and good, but if you have a good computer at this point, I'd wait until Vista and DX10 are fully established before building another gaming computer.

FK

[glc]

Not only that, there are improvements to the Core 2 Duo on the near horizon. The E6300 and E6400 are getting double cache and there's 800 FSB variants coming for the low end.

AM2 has too many memory controller issues for me to get excited about. I am an Intel fan, but I do have a reasonably open mind. If a customer insisted on an AMD computer, I'd build a 939. I hope AMD gets this solved, Intel needs some fresh competition to make everything better for all of us. I also wish AMD would get back into the chipset business - or now that they own them, get the ATI chipsets working well. Nvidia is the best game in town for AMD motherboards right now. None of them have the absolute stability of Intel on Intel.

[freakitchen]

Indeed. I have been traditionally an AMD fan, and over the last couple of years have built a couple of 939 systems for myself, and a few 939/754 systems for customers - all using nvidia chipsets. I haven't had a problem with any of them, and at the time, they represented great value for money.

At this point, however, I really don't think AMD has anything to offer the customer. I wouldn't build AM2 for the reasons GLC has mentioned - that's even before you consider that they are outperformed like-for-like (price-wise) by the C2Ds. And the good motherboards, and best-value processors for s939 are just not available any more - in addition to the fact that DDR RAM has been increasing in price for a while now.

Sincerely hope that they come out with something good soon, if only for the benefit of competition and consumer choice.

FK