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 Member 2001 Level 17.98 Mar 2006 
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Dual core is worth it. The multitasking helps with background tasks (AV, firewall, downloads, etc.) And future games will make use of dual core as well, some current games are starting to (Quake4, etc.).
Do *not* get the Tigerdirect machine, the 6600 in it is miles behind the 7600GT and you wouldn't be happy with the gaming performance. I just built a new box, and it's an X2 3800+ (This chip overclocks very well to ~2.4Ghz, so it's a much better buy than the 4000+). Ram is good, 1-2GB is what to shoot for. I personally think the 'low lantency' stuff is not worth the premium. I didn't get a video card in my box yet, but when I do it'll likely be Gigabyte's 7600GT (fanless). There are faster cards out there, but not as good value for money in my opinion. Really though, if you don't 'need' one right away, you'd be better off waiting until Intel releases their new CPUs and check out the changes in pricing and performance at that time. Jam it back in, in the dark.
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."
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Member 2001 Level 17.98 Mar 2006
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I'd put good money on any conroe being better than current 3-3.2Ghz CPUs. You have to wait for confirmation and release, but the best buy will *probably* be a mid range Conroe when it's released.
Your 'minimum' Mhz that you want on the RAM is unfounded. As for the amount of RAM, we'll see when Vista comes around, but I wouldn't be too surprised if 2GB starts to become 'standard' in gaming machines in spring. I believe that getting a current mid range or near top of the line (7600GT or 7900GT) is the best way to go. You get performace now, and with the money you save by not going SLI or getting the real top performance card you should be free to upgrade when you feel you need to. Getting an older or slower card is too slow, getting faster is throwing away money that you could have used elsewhere (or saved for a future upgrade). Right now a good computer to get is a Pentium D 820 machine, but it'd be too slow for you to be happy in the long run as a gaming machine. You could get an X2/Opteron machine and get a more long lasting solution. It's more expensive, but it'll perform well. This kind of box runs great on DDR400, so it kind of rules out your arbitrary 533Mhz RAM wish. As was suggested to the OP, your best bet will be to wait for Conroe to hit, and the assess the market for price/performance. There's nowhere I can't reach.
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."
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