Yeah, but a CPU is just one component of many. My experience has always been that if I wait four to six months, then some other tech will be on the verge of a nice jump four to six months after that and it will be attractive to wait for that. Rinse and repeat. Like in the past going from two to four CPU cores, SDRAM to RDRAM to DDR to DDR2 to DDR3, single to dual channel memory, a smaller manufacturing process, a new CPU socket that will end up being more future-proof, a new video card revision that promises a big jump in performance, a new motherboard chipset, a new hdd interface with double the bandwidth, new hdds with faster rotational speeds, a new GPU chipset, GPU chipsets that include dedicated physics processing, video cards with a new faster type of RAM, etc. There are tons of examples of this.
So, sure while this new CPU architecture might change the CPU game for a couple years, nine to ten months from now there is probably some other tech on the horizon that will be a game changer in whatever category that tech is in. I have not really followed PC hardware for the last few years so it is possible that this new CPU type is the only big change coming to PCs in the next year, but somehow I doubt it. In any case, I'm not advising MysterD to jump the gun here and not wait. All I'm really saying is that there is always some interesting new tech around the corner and at some point you just have to commit to something and get it, whatever that point may be.
I got advice on my current PC to wait for quad core processors to come out and to wait for the successor to the nVidia 8800 series. I decided not to wait, and here I am, still completely happy with my PC, though I did later upgrade to a Core 2 Quad since it was LGA775 like my Core 2 Duo (it ended up being just a $70 upgrade after selling the C2D on eBay). I put this thing together before shortly before Vista was released. So I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
The differences you are talking about are refinements in tech. Waiting for newer refinements in tech is a personal decision, and I don't feel as strongly about it. What I am talking about are generational leaps.
Waiting to go quadcore, or waiting for DDR3 instead of DDR2 isn't something I would have done. Small improvements like that happen a lot. Quadcore took a long time before it started to benefit gaming and other software in general. DDR3 is nicer than DDR2, but it isn't something I'd wait six months for.
This is a new generation of CPUs that will require their own mobos. Imagine someone paying full price for a crappy P4 system when C2D was a few months away. C2D basically swept P4 off the market. I am not saying that you should wait for new RAM types, or more cores or whatever. But I feel that when generation leaps are around the corner, then it isn't a bad idea to wait, especially since it will cause significant price drops in what you are looking to buy anyway.
Yes you will always have minor stuff like PCI E updates, USB updates, newer RAM, or processors with more cores around the corner. But if you are part of that generation, you can still find it cost effective to enjoy newer refinements in tech without taking a huge dent in the wallet.
Also, here is the difference between you not waiting then (which was fine), and you not waiting now. The C2Quad you didn't wait for wasn't a generational leap. It was a refinement of Conroe (C2D/C2Q series). Because you already had a C2D motherboard, you easily managed to upgrade when you wanted. Imagine if you had a P4 system because you didn't wait for C2D. Being a generation behind, to enjoy quadcore, you would have had to have built a new system entirely.
This is the end of the line for Nehalam. Core i XXX processors which work with current mobos won't see better tech in the future.
Core i XXXX processors i.e. Sandy Bridge, require their own mobos. Most of these processors are four core, though there is talk of six and eight core Sandy Bridge processors next year. Say that you not wait till Sandy Bridge is out in the wild, and go for Nehalem i.e. Core i XXX right now. It is just a processor and chances are that you'll be happy with it. But what happens when you want to go for an eight core Sandy Bridge next year?
Unlike the situation where you spent a few hundred bucks, and upgraded your core2duo to a core2quad, you'll now have to spring for a new motherboard, and go through the pain of reinstalling all your software. And there can be a lot of compatibility issues with RAM.
It is the difference between waiting for the next processor for your generation, and waiting for new tech entirely.
By the way, if someone owns a core i XXX processor, don't feel bad. The Core i XXXX processors won't be
that much better, that you should buy a new system. In fact, I don't think D ever upgrades, and goes for a new system entirely, so if he doesn't want to wait, he should get the core i xxx processor.
