I am about to come into some money and want to upgrade my computer. (currently: P3 600 Mhz, Generic intel mobo, 256 mb pc100 ram, TNT2 Ultra 32 Mb vid card, and SB live! value)
But I was wondering if I should wait untill the new AMD’s finally come out (with the smaller die and MUCH faster clock speeds). Or just go with a current AMD, or current Pentium?
I would say to wait until the newer Athlons come out… not because I think you should get one (unless you came into several hundreds of dollars), but because the release of faster chips will make the current ones drop in price.
Of course, in my opinion, at the same time you upgrade the proc and mobo, you should up that RAM (PC-100? What is this, the Stone Age?), and go with DDR. Upgrade that video card, too (unless you’re not into gaming). A GeForce-2 MX400 64mb can be had for $50 or so.
It really depends on how much your current computer is bothering you. There will always be either a major price drop or a newer faster processor (or both) coming out a month into the future, so at some point in time you just have to say “I’m sick of waiting, and I’m buying it now!”
-lv
Actually I am heavily into gaming. You would be surprised how well this thing has held up in FPS.
That, and having M@d l33t sk!1z helps 
Also, should I get a GeForce4 now, or wait for Ati to come out with their next card?
No to waiting unless, as SPOOFE said, expense is a primary concern, and “eh” to the ATI. Whatever you get now, at the specs you’re looking at (close to the bleeding edge) will be good for at least another 2 years, a few months waiting for the new AMD procs won’t make that big a difference.
If anything, what you should be looking at most closely is your mobo. If it can accomodate the new AMD procs, you’ll be able to double your CPU clock for a couple hundred bucks.
I’m waiting for the new AMD. It will rule, and I will have it.
I agree with this sentiment, and as a rule I don’t wait for the next advancement to come out, because there is always something new around the corner, and you’ll end up forever waiting.
Seriously, I have a coworker who has always been just about to buy a computer for as long as I’ve known him (about 4 years now). He is forever waiting for the Next Big Thing [sup]tm[/sup] before he buys. I don’t think he will ever buy a computer.
Not sure about which new line you are talking. Is it the Claw Hammer, or the Athlon on a 0.13 micron process?
I don’t think you really need to wait because there are always better and faster CPUs coming off the pipeline.
Your setup don’t look too bad except for the video card. It’s a good time to get a GeForce 3 (the GeForce 4 is out) or an ATI 8500 card. Just ignore the MX models.
0.13
I think I am justified in waiting here. This is not just the same gradual increase in clock speed. The new Athlons will finally be able to meet and beat the Pentiums in all areas. The cooler running chips will also last longer, and be viable for high OC’ing.
Also I want to see what ATI’s answer to the GeForce4 is. Will it even be worth it? Are they coming out with it anytime soon?
According to the roadmap, Throughbred (0.13 micron) will soon be available, but a few months after that there will be Barton. Will you wait for that also?
Well, waiting for a few months is just about always justified–as has been noted a couple times already, there’s always something new that’s going to hit the market in a few months and cause the current top-of-the-line to price-drop like a lead brick.
Way I see it, for gaming purposes, just get the best stuff you can afford when you’ve reached the limping-along point of your current rig. You’ll be good for another couple years.
I would definately wait until at least the release of Thoroughbred, for several reasons. First of all, prices on existing Palomino processors will probably drop. Second of all, we’ll see the release of motherboards based on Via’s new KT400 chipset, which should add some nice features to the line-up. Also, DDR memory prices might have dropped to somewhat sane levels by then, though today’s earthquake in Taiwan may make prices on EVERYTHING skyrocket 
.
As for more distant upcoming products, it looks like the AMD Barton processor is not going to appear. AMD does not need the work of trying to introduce ANOTHER 32-bit processor between Thoroughbred and Clawhammer. It appears that AMD will probably simply drop Barton, pull Clawhammer up, and extend Thoroughbred to take up any slack. This is probably the best bet in the long run.
As for video cards, I would definately go with an ATI Radeon 8500. The Radeon 8500 has the hardware feature support necessary to run new games using DirectX8, which the Geforce2-series and Geforce4MX-series do not. The Radeon 8500 is also a good bit faster and has more features than the Geforce3-series accross the board, and is priced to compete. I’ve got a Radeon 8500, and it’s definately a great product.
Does anyone know approximately when AMD’s Thouroughbred processors will be available?
Also, I noticed that the ATI Radeon 8500 is now available with 128MB of memory, and a 128MB version of the All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 is being offered in Compaq computers. Does anyone know when the 128MB All-In-Wonder 8500 will be available to purchase by itself?
Ditch anything by ATI. For the time being, just go with a faster proc and snag a nice, cheap 64mb GeForce-2 MX400 (hey, fifty bucks or so). Not the best card on the market, but where it lacks, the faster processor will pick up the slack. Wait 'til the next gen GeForce hits the market before you really upgrade.
Had ATI Rage Fury and Radeon VE. Hated the. The cards are very good; the drivers suck.
I would go ahead and just buy what you want now.
If I always waited for the lastest, greatest before upgrading I’d still be using a Vic-20.
AND, as always with the new CPU’s come new motherboards. These aren’t as proven as with the ones that have been out for months. The first of the slot-1 athlon boards were real dogs. I say if you ARE going to wait, wait for several months until after they are released and let the motherboard companies upgrade their BIOS’ a few times.
Forget that. Get a GeForce 3 (not the Titanium version) card. They are great deals if you can find one.
Actually, ATI’s drivers are a lot better than they have been in the past. They’re frequently releasing new drivers, and the drivers, for the most part, work. I’ve used a Radeon since early 2001, and currently use a Radeon 8500. At no time have the drivers been a serious issue. In addition to this, ATI’s products offer the best image quality and performance available in the price range.