August! Let's discuss another build! :)

[gbcrush]

Instead of parts though, let's discuss timing.

At the beginning of the year, Sandy Bridge and footage of BF3 had me excited about building a new rig. Add in lust for a new case, and anticipation for ATI's 7000 series cards, and I had a rough plan to build some time in september for the forthcoming release.

Now that I'm here, I find I'm looking at two windows. Do I build in September, or around Mid-November?

Yeah, it's the waiting game. Do I get something good now and have more time to enjoy it, or do I try waiting a little longer to see what I can pick up. Originally, I was a NO on Sandy Bridge E, but now that we're "much" closer, it seems like a more tantalizing prospect. Of course, there are rumors of delays and a castrated first-wave release. And if I wait that long, do I want to wait for Ivy Bridge next year...etc. etc.


Here are some factorsI've been considering:

- I get married in the first weekend of November. That means I'm not building in October. Too many important personal things to take care of that I don't want to be distracted with waiting for parts, testing and the inevitable RMA/call to support.

- I've been saving every month for the rig (separate from the wedding, which is also covered), and have a larger budget than initially expected. This time around, money's not as much of a limiting factor.

- Along those lines, now's my chance to "go big." And probably not again for a while. Originally, I would have said no to the "Enthusiast" class x58-driven setups. Three years later though, it seems they've held up well, in part justifying some of the excess.

- My current rig is not hurting (Phenom x2 550BE / 5850)

Your thoughts are most welcome, fellow gerbils.

[swampfox]

If the current rig isn't hurting, wait for at least Sandy E, and then just wait for Ivy as well. If you keep saving, you could build a sweet Ivy rig, and get a new monitor or something like that.

[MEKsLP]

I am in the same boat as gbcrush in that I am building for BF3 and Deus Ex; I have the money ready and am waiting to make that last step toward buying the MOBO and GPU while I load up on sale items for my RAM and SSD.

What are the benefits for waiting for Sandy Bridge E? Ivy Bridge seems a little ways off yet but giggles is it a huge game-changer to try and stick out for?

[skialex25]

Ah yes... to build or not to build. That is the question. I currently have a similar dilemma. Holding off until Novemeber and perhaps a bit later until the holidays has some great advantages in terms of sales and price drops which is sort of what I'm considering.

By the way... does anyone know when Ivy is slated to be released?

[gbcrush]

Ah yes... to build or not to build. That is the question. I currently have a similar dilemma. Holding off until Novemeber and perhaps a bit later until the holidays has some great advantages in terms of sales and price drops which is sort of what I'm considering.

By the way... does anyone know when Ivy is slated to be released?

Current estimates I heard are Spring 2012. So figure it about a year after Sandy Bridge started getting under way (and fixed).

[JustAnEngineer]

- My current rig is not hurting (Phenom II x2 550BE + Radeon HD5850)

If your current system is adequate, then postpone upgrading until you feel the need. I'd suggest early 2012 as a likely time.

[gbcrush]

If your current system is adequate, then postpone upgrading until you feel the need. I'd suggest early 2012 as a likely time.

Drat you. I had thought about this fleetingly. Now that someone's mentioned it...I'm considering it a possibility Sure, what's another 5 months?

[frumper15]

So maybe you don't upgrade your entire platform at this time because your existing one is adequate, but is there something else in your system that could use a little attention? Do you have an SSD as your main system drive? Have you been eyeing a nicer monitor? How about a new case? Those are the sorts of things that can make some nice improvements to your overall system (well, not really the case, but it's always fun to build a machine even if it's the same hardware, right?) and would be able to carry over to a new platform as well. What about RAM? DDR3 is really cheap and as far as I know it's sticking around for a while. I'm running 16gb right now, not because I need it - I really don't - but prices were cheap and 4x4gb sticks should be useful for many years to come (at least that's what I tell myself). A good monitor will last you through many builds, as will a good case, and a reliable SSD will serve well in your main system, secondary, laptop, mom and dads, etc. as the years go by.

That's kinda where I'm at as well - I'm sporting an i7-860 and found myself tempted by Miss Sandy but have decided to hold off since I really haven't found myself bottlenecked by anything I've tried to do - part of which can be attributed to the 1080p monitor that I found myself getting when my faithful 2001FP died a sudden death and I couldn't bring myself to spend $400+ on something nicer. If you find yourself with some discretionary funds now (which will, most likely, become much less after you're married, buy a house, have kids, etc.) I would get yourself the nicest monitor and case you can as you'll probably not be able to justify that kind of purchase a few years down the road.

Kevin

[mboza]

If you are at all concerned that you are not going to have the funds later, you certainly cannot afford it now either. Tech prices tend not to go up.

Wait until your current system feels slow, and spend what you can afford. If it is ok for speed now, a new monitor or SSD might satisfy the itch to upgrade something, and carry over to the new system when you upgrade the rest. If the x2 is feeling slow, buy a 2500k (or whatever) today and enjoy it. But if you think you can wait to see what is round the corner, wait.