Upgrade - stay AGP or wait a little longer?

[zo1d]

OK here are my current system specs:

Abit NF7-S v2
Althon Mobile Barton @ 2000Mhz (10x200)
1Gb OCZ Platinum Matched Pair
Sapphire 9800 Pro
Viewsonic VX912 19" TFT

Although my system is starting to show it's age, it still performs reasonable well, and is 100% rock solid, performing faultlessly.

I am looking to upgrade based on the following spec:

Motherboard - ATI RD580 Based Chipset, probably when Abit release a revised version of the AT8 board (assumption).
CPU- dual-core, probably the 4200 or 4600 (Manchester core), as I’ve read it uses less power than the equivalent Toledo cores with the extra cache.
Graphics Card – X1900XL

Now the dilemma...
Obviously these products are not yet available, but all sources are indicating that the RD580 will follow closely behind the release of the X1900, and the XL model surely won’t be too far off either. I’m guessing/hoping by March time all these products I’m after would be readily available?
However I have seen a AGP X850 Pro for just over the £150 mark (inc. Vat) which would serve as an interim upgrade measure (to tide me over until the end of the year)

So should I wait and buy in the next couple of months, or do a minor upgrade now, with the view of a full upgrade later in the year?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Curio]

Although my system is starting to show it's age, it still performs reasonable well, and is 100% rock solid, performing faultlessly.

So should I wait and buy in the next couple of months, or do a minor upgrade now, with the view of a full upgrade later in the year?

I think you answered your own question

Unless you're not happy with the performance of your 9800 then I would just wait a bit longer until you can do the full upgrade. Sounds like you're just getting the pre-upgrade "itch" to me.....hang in there!

 

[The Running Man]

i was thinking about upgrading my AGP system too..

but with socket AM2 just around the corner im definately going to wait.

 

[zo1d]

i was thinking about upgrading my AGP system too..

but with socket AM2 just around the corner im definately going to wait.

I won't go socket M2, prefer to buy into the last evolution of the socket 939 products (just as I did with socket A), so that all the quirks and bugs have been ironed out.

 

[The Running Man]

mm, possibly.

i boguth a mid 939 board, (agp one) and it has bugs. its not 98% stable i dont think:/

 

[NJ-]

I don't understand, how can there be a new socket type about to be released when 939 has only been out for a while. 754 didn't last very long before 939 took over, now just as 939 is getting settled socket M2 is about to be released.

Moving to fast for me.

 

[zo1d]

I think you answered your own question

Unless you're not happy with the performance of your 9800 then I would just wait a bit longer until you can do the full upgrade. Sounds like you're just getting the pre-upgrade "itch" to me.....hang in there!

Yep you’re right, I’ve definitely got the pre-upgrade "itch"
However the 9800 is really struggling to run new games @ 1280x1024 (native 19” tft resolution), but with the new ATI X1900’s and motherboard chipsets round the corner it would seem silly to scratch the itch right now, but the urge to do so is getting greater by the day

 

[Roll]

I'm in a similar position myself. The P4 socket 478 and 9800 Pro in one of my systems I think will soon be showing their limitations.

Instead of perhaps doing a partial upgrade now I've decided to wait until much later this year or possibly even early 2007 and go all the way with a complete CPU/motherboard/memory and graphics card upgrade.

Hopefully this should be a good plan