Upgrade your PC

Now that it’s officially springtime, our thoughts turn to . . . upgrading PCs.
Before you run right out and buy the latest thing, some serious thought must be used! This year, we’ll see shifts in a number of basic component technologies – processors (CPUs); memory; and graphics cards.  AMD will be changing it’s chipsets to take advantage of faster memory (DDR2).  Meanwhile, the next Microsoft operating system, Windows Vista, will ship this fall (well, maybe).  And lastly, a new version of Direct3D which will be much better in the detail it shows, and faster, will initiate a whole new series of video card wars.
It would be nice if all these changes happened at the same time, but unfortunately, they’re spread out over the year. Let’s take a brief look at upcoming changes for CPUs, memory chipsets and video cards. Then we’ll talk about cost-effective ways to plan.
Processors in 2006
The world of desktop PC processors looks to be dramatically shifting in 2006. But the major changes won’t occur until the June timeframe. So unless your system is falling apart, or you need more processor horsepower right now for some key application, it’s best to wait until June or July.
Memory in 2006
It looks like 2006 will finally be the year where memory chips (DRAM) shifts from DDR to DDR2 in a big way, now that DDR2 is at 667MHz (effective), with 800MHz around the corner. There are even discussions about 1066MHz DDR2, though how serious they are is open to question.
Next year, we may see the first implementations of DDR3 on PC systems. To date, DDR3 has mostly been used on graphics cards. DDR3 promises to double the speed of DDR2 while lowering the power requirements. But it’s not going to show up this year, and any impact in 2007 will probably be small.
Graphics Cards in 2006
So nVidia and ATI both recently launched new, high-end cards. But those cards were really “more of the same, just faster.”
That’s going to change with DirectX 10. Either a video card will be DirectX 10, or it won’t.
From the perspective of someone actually buying a card, that means that any DirectX 10 card will behave the same. Performance (and price, of course) will really be the key difference between cards, and users won’t have to worry.
Since that Windows Vista won’t ship until November (assuming the schedule doesn’t slip again), then it’s unlikely that DirectX 10 will be a major factor this year. It is likely that ATI and nVidia will have DirectX 10 capable hardware by year’s end. But you don’t need to grit your teeth and wait for them: If you buy a current-generation card, then you’ll be okay for a couple of years.
Planning Your System
If you need to buy or build a system today, it’s a tough choice. I suggest that if you have a fairly current AMD or Intel motherboard, the best bet is to simply wait. If you need more horsepower, then you can drop in a faster CPU.
The biggest reason to upgrade for AMD users will be new memory (DDR2) support, plus slightly higher speeds at the top end.
As far as graphics goes, if you need a high-performance video card today, go ahead and get one. Prices are dropping because of the fierce competition between ATI and nVidia. It’s looking like DirectX 10 won’t have a major impact this year. On top of that, any of today’s high-performance cards will likely do well for the next year to 18 months.
Have a question or problem?  Write me at BaliPCAdvisor@GMail.com.  I’ll try and answer as soon as I can.
Bali PC Advisor and other Bali Advertiser article Archives now ONLINE: www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/index.html.
NEXT:  What to do with your old PC
PakBruce, your Bali PC Advisor!
©2006 BaliPCAdvisor@GMail.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission of the author or The Bali Advertiser.