Uh oh.. HL2 on the horizon, time for a new PC :\

[PR.]

Hmmm, so my question is now, should I wait for the Prescott P4's to ship or go with whatever is available in late July early August.

I've got a system priced up but I'm waiting on:

CPU (P4 2.8Ghz+)
Motherboard (Haven't decided yet)
The nVidia 5900 Ultra

Its already priced at £1,200 already tho and that doesn't even include Monitor/CD/DVD drives

 

[Jonty]

The best comes at a price Personally, if money wasn't an issue, I think I'd wait for the 64bit kit to roll out, since it will be genuinely beneficial. That said, such kit will be very expensive to start off with, so your bank balance won't thank you for making that decision. Alternatively, of course, you could buy the 32bit stuff, which certainly won't disappoint, but just keep in mind that it will begin to date as 64bit applications are launched.

Not helpful, I know, but it really is a tricky question

Kind Regards

 

[TheJkWhoSaysNi]

I think what i'll do wait for the 64 bit processors to come out and buy a 32bit one then Should be cheap by then. And all the motherboards that wont support 64bit processors will get cheaper too.

 

[Embattle]

It isn't going to be worth waiting for 64bit computing to arrive unless you want a cheap 32bit processor. 64bit computing is likely to suffer from a series of average motherboards which are bound to get superseded within a few months. The first batch of processors aren't likely to be that great and there will be limited 64bit software at the time of release and for a while afterwards.

I don't reckon it'll be worth going to 64bit computing until some time next year.

 

[nath]

Is this 64bit business a big thing then? Like, the processors aren't gunna double in speed are they?

Plus, will software have to support it to get a performance increase?

 

[Jonty]

Originally posted by nath
Is this 64bit business a big thing then? Like, the processors aren't gunna double in speed are they? Plus, will software have to support it to get a performance increase?

Hi nath

64bit CPUs will be the next big thing, but as Embattle says, it may be a while before they really take off. The benefits of the new architecture are manifold, but no, applications won't run twice as fast. In order to get the most from the new technology, yes, applications will have to be written, at least in part, with 64bit architecture in mind. However, since we're all going to be using 64bit CPUs in years to come, developers will (and already have begun ) work on such applications. That said, a 64bit CPU will still run all your 32bit applications.

Kind Regards

 

[(Shovel)]

Well, an AMD 64-Bit CPU will. As to how Intel stand on a consumer level product is hard to tell. Rumurs of IA-64 in Tejas are all well and good, but its a different type of 64-Bit technology to that of AMD.

As Embattle suggests, it'll be messy, and for most of us, the best bit will be cheap 32 bit machines

 

[nath]

So when are they due out then, I want to upgrade my pc in september sorta time, would it be worth waiting till they're out so the 32bit stuff is cheaper?

 

[Jonty]

There's been a lot of (confused) talk about AMD's solutions today, as it would happen. It seems that the official launch of the Athlon 64 will be in September, but (copying an Intel trick) the CPUs should be made available in August for manufacturers to complete their final testing, so everything is available and 'just works' come the launch date.

As for Intel's kit, I'm not too sure exactly when it's out, I'll read up tomorrow if you want. I know the 3.2Ghz Pentium 4 C (due out very soon) is the last of the current design (as far as we know) but that their 64bit consumer chips will launch after AMD's solutions.

Whether it's worth waiting, I don't know. Certainly prices drop over the summer, but for the 64bit kit to further lower prices may take a little while. If Half-Life 2 launches on September 30th, that's less than a month for prices to drop because of the 64bit chips, which seems too short a time to my mind. So, whilst I would wait until nearer the time to buy, to see price drops due to 64bit technology would probably leave you waiting a little too long. But I'm tired, rambling and probably wrong See what other people think

Kind Regards