For this year I had two major purchases in mind. One is an HDTV and the other is a new computer build. My original plan was to get an HDTV in late winter/early spring, then save and build the new comp. Thing's have gone a bit haywire in the fact that overall HDTV prices have gone up since the end of last year. Now I'm thinking of doing the computer first then saving for the HDTV.

My dilemma though, is considering whether or not I should even bother right now. AMD's processors seem to be struggling, and isn't Intel getting ready to release processors that use a different socket or something? Additionally I'm only looking to spend <$800 on my computer build (without monitor, case, or peripherals) can a system built for that right now be capable of outputting the latest games, like Crysis, at 1920x1080 for when I do get my HDTV (I'll be using it as a monitor) or should I hold off till later this year and hopefully that same $800 will get me something beefier?

On a big screen like that you'd need a pretty expensive graphics card (or two) to play games like crysis on high. I built my new computer last month for $1800 (see specs below) and it can barely run crysis on high.

The new Intel platform releasing next year might not be cheap either, but it will be the new standard, but it's up to you if you want to wait.

If you can live without a new computer right now, then just get your nice TV and wait. Some people (like me) just couldn't wait and needed a nice computer asap

I just built a computer that is pretty powerful and all for under $800, and I think it will serve me well, even in games like Crysis. In fact, I just did some research on it, and it turns out the 3870 performs very well in Crysis, especially for the price. here's a page with benchmarks for crysis with the radeon 3870 compared to some other high end cards including the 8800 gt: http://www.extremetech.com/article [...] 930,00.asp
Seems like it did pretty well there, just as well if not better than the 8800s.

Here are my computer's specs:

gigabyte ds3l mobo (about $85)
C2D e2180 processor (about $75)
Antec 900 case (cost me $80)
Visiontek Radeon 3870 (about $200 if you catch it on sale)
G skill 2x 2gb ram ($90)
Lite-on DVD burner ($35)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250 gb HD ($70)

All that added up to $635. It'll be about $50 in tax, and you should probably set aside another $30 for shipping, though if you buy everything from newegg like I did (except for the processor and mobo) you will probably get free shipping on everything. All in all it'll probably come out to about $717. You'll have a great processor (if you OverClock), and a very nice graphics card. That 3870 is ALMOST as good as an 8800 gt, sometimes better. Plus you'll have 4gigs of ram, and two empty slots in your mobo, just incase you want to go 64bit. As far as Operating system, you'll have to make your own decision there, I'm still not even sure what I'm going with.

The question of "build now or wait" is a tough one. I don't think you're going to see much change for CPUs this year, but new GPUs should be out soon from NVIDIA and from ATI this summer. I just built a system similar to Beurling and in DX10, all settings on high, the 3870x2 has a so-so time with the game (Crysis) @1280x1024. So if you must play the game @1080p on high, you may want to wait for some new GPUs, and get 2.

Right now My Newegg Wishlist is looking something like this.

I'm considering upping the mobo to something that'll support Crossfire and going with a 3870, then down the road putting another 3870 in there when their prices drop. I'll be using XP Pro, initially. I may add a second harddrive and dual boot it with Vista if future gaming makes it absolutely essential.

Edit: I guess it goes without saying but I didn't exactly expect to be able to play Crysis at 1920x1080 at high but now that it's been mentioned...

I'm currently waiting for the Q9450. Shouldn't be much longer now... going from a single-core straight to quad, oh yeah!

I'm thinking I'd like to pop it into an Asus Rampage, if it ever comes out...

It all looks good, except the PSU. Also, I'd get MX-2 instead of AS5.
For HD 3870 Crossfire I recommend GA-X38-DS4 and PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W (or 750W).

Well I may have happened upon a way to get an HDTV at a reasonable price, so this quandary may well resolve itself.

Personally i would wait for the PC build untill the 9800's come out.

It seems to me that there's always going to be a reason to wait. You have to take the plunge at some point, and now isn't a bad time to do so.

Is Now a Good Time to Build?

That is a million dollar question! New hardware (and software) is always around the corner.

$800 dollars is a little low for purchasing mainstream hardware.

I spent over $600 on my motherboard and memory, and the hardware is not that special.

Agreed. For PSU tire listing see:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088
Get a PSU listed in the top tires. I would recommend PP&C and Corsair as good PSUs.

is crossfire 3870 really that much better than 3870x2?

a 3870x2 is cheaper, you could probably go with a cheaper motherboard too

this chart shows it doing pretty well in Obilvion compared to 3870 in crossfire
http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/0 [...] age10.html

and this chart shows it doing very well compared to other high end cards over all
http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/0 [...] age20.html

I agree with Zpyrd....I'd try and up my budget a bit and maybe spring for a new X48 board when released later this month..

Might wanna read this about the upcoming ASUS P5E3 Premium for example. I used to hesitate until BIOS's have had a chance to mature but.....

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdo [...] i=3229&p=6

"Lately, ASUS has consistently led the pack when it comes to BIOS preparation, testing, and qualification, and it shows here as well. Look for "premium" performance from this truly impressive board when we pit it head-to-head next month against some of the latest X38 and X48 motherboard offerings. ....

To be brutally honest about the current market situation, ASUS has almost entirely swept the field lately when it comes to producing high-performance motherboards based on the X38 or X48 chipset. We hope other companies like DFI, Foxconn, Gigabyte, or Abit have an ace up their sleeves and are polishing the cannonball as much as they can before next month's X48 launch. If we had to speculate, we would attribute a lot of ASUS' recent success on their decision to listen - really listen - to what the typical overclocker wants to see in a motherboard. Here's to hoping they keep it up......

......there is a lot of value in the purchase of the P5E3 Premium for those looking at a high-end motherboard to use in the coming years. You get one of the best sounding audio solutions we have ever heard in an integrated chipset, plus built-in draft-N wireless connection with access point (AP) capabilities. Those two items alone account for at least $100 - provided you use them, naturally. We won't go so far as to call the P5E3 Premium inexpensive, because it's not. However, it provides an overall experience you just can't match with a $100 motherboard, and if you're planning to overclock a Penryn CPU you definitely don't want to skimp when it comes to motherboard quality. All you need to do now is wait for X48 boards to officially launch, which should thankfully occur within the next month (believe us, we are tired of the previews and constant retesting also)."