Xtreview Forum

I have this problem every time I upgrade my PC. I buy a mid-level processor because the high end processors are overpriced. Then six months later, the price drops. A year later, the socket size changes. So then, I have to go buy another motherboard, if I want a faster CPU.

I'm sure enthusiasts buy the latest CPU every year, but I wonder how long most people keep their CPUs. I bet Intel and AMD are losing more sales than they are gaining because of the continual price and socket size changes.

story (http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-2694-view-Core-2-Duo-price-drop-in-September.html)

In general full platform update cycle is set to 2-3 years + .
For example LGA 775 socket was here for many years , AMD AM2 socket will support next generation processor.
No need to buy processor each 6 month . Just buy good Mid range processor as E6XXX serie overclock it and u will be happy for more than 2 years.
Today CPU's , overclock really well , u can get 3,2 ,3,4 GHZ from most core 2 Duo . witch is pretty enough for long run.(Core 2 extreme is clocked only @ 2.93 GHZ )

 ;)

I generally update my entire system every 3-5 years and try and get the best I can afford when I do.  It does always seem that I could get something better if I waited another 6 months though  :-\

Its better to make a good choice on your cpu next time.
choice one mid range cpu and overclock it.
For example my E6600 is running @ 3600 MHz currently.
Note the fastest today cpu is x6800 (3.00 GHz only). i Got this cpu about 4 or 5 month ago and it still running 600 mHz faster that the fastest today intel processor ;).
With video card situation is harder but u an always get a good alternative.

In my case, I'm still using the system I bought five years ago.

It's still doing every thing I ask, although it is possible to bog it down if I run too many instances of the more recent VST synthesizers in the music program Cubase SX.

thats like me with my dell 8300 3 years ago it was great but now needs some updating although the 3.2g intel p4 processor still seems fine i paid 1500 gbp and three years later all i need is a new gfx card and some ram so im happy with that

That's good to hear, fabian. I remember back in the 90s, it seemed like if you waited a few months you could get something twice as fast for half the price.

I'm not sure how literally true that was, but it seemed that way at times.

Yeah its crazy how quickly technology is upgraded.  When home computers were first becoming popular it was insanity though because they were dinosaurs- so slow and loud.  Now it's not so bad; a 2 year old computer will still be able to make you happy most of the time, whereas 15 years ago that was not the case at all.  I remember when we first got the internet with our old IBM and we had a 36.6 modem and how incredibly awful it was. 

The computer i have now is a few years old and works nicely, especially considering that i put it together myself, but i'm really excited about getting my hands on some of the newer technology next year!

-H

I wasn't online until 96, but I remember a friend talking about downloading golf games on his Atari. That was the first I'd heard of connecting a home computer to a modem, I think.

I'm still hoping to get some more use out of my current system.

I usually just upgrade to what I need to keep it cost effective. I only do this every 3-4 years.

Good choice , but now u have to speed up a bit the update process to 2 years . if u are a gamer .

The prices of computers and it's parts will always come down and will never go up again. In computer field, the technology change is very fast and so you will always see the prices going down.

I'm not real smart when it comes to this sort of thing but I usually just purchase a new computer because that is cheaper to do around here rather then pay someone outrageous amounts of money to do whatever work it needs...

I wouldn?t call it as a dilemma because we are going to benefit from the price drop.  As the price of the processor drops that will only mean that more people can buy them.  This is a win situation for us consumers.

I was using the same system which i bought 6 years back. Just the previous month i was forced to change my configuration. Will over clocking always work in all the processors?

Yes . it work in all processor .
But some are known to overclock better than other's .
what is your processor type socket , cooling , current motherboard , chipset : So i can tell u the average overclocking result. .

Completely agree with you
that's what all people must thinking of
and u always have the overclocking option to get a boost for your rig

I've settled into a happy medium with this cycle.  I can't afford to keep upgrading with the socket changes and new cores, but one day I just said that I'll be happy with what I have.  2 years later, I have an out-dated 2500+ processor and a 9600pro video card!  But it's alot more fun now, because I'm getting back into the hardware scene and overclocking, and now I have the money to build a nice new system.  And no more worrying about what comes out tommorow! 

Price is always a falling factor. And you have to decide that whether to wait for the prices or not. When you are in such dilema, my opinion is to go for the product and never wait.