You hit the nail square on the head. A dual core processor will actually
make your multitasking computer, a multitasking computer. I've been
following prices now for a few years and the prices alwys drop in feb and
continue to drop, usually, through the next few months till June. Then come
Aug 1. The prices are raised about $20 or more. You see it the most on ram
though. I myself like to burn dvds and do video editing(cutting commercials
out of shows like the new Battlestar Galactica) with my 9600 XT AIW and
editing software. To make a dvd, it usually takes upto an hour, and with my
wimpy XP 2600 and its even wimpier 166(333) fsb, All I can do is wait
because nothing else will run. If I had a dual core processor, that would
cease to be an issue. I could make a dvd and play online or single player
and not even make the X2 blink. I bought my cpu over 2 years ago for $150.
Today, the stores here in Winnipeg still want $120 for it. So yes, do wait
till feb/march to let prices drop if you want to save some money, but don't
wait to long cause they won't change much after the initial drop. I myself
am leaning heavily towards a 3800 X2, as even this processor runs on a 1000
fsb. What I've been trying to do is compare benchmarks for the 4800 X2 and
the 3800 X2 to see how much of a performance differece there is. I just
haven't had the time to read through my computer magazines yet. But as was
mentioned earlier, its not so much the cpu as it is the graphics card you
use when playing games, and that wimp ass ATI crossfire 200 is not what you
want. thats for intel nerds who have to buy their computers at
futureshop/bestbuy. The best budget cards to buy for AGP anyways, are the
overclocked nvidia 6600 series and even the 6800 is now considered a good
budget video card since it is now cheaper. For ati stick with their XT cards
or the X800 XT agp version is also rated pretty good, although maybe more
expensive. My 9600 XT AIW has a 400mhz engine and its not bad. But I would
rather have the X800 XT AIW agp which goes for $450 here. So my point is,
get the dual core so you can actually multitask, and for gaming, sink your
hard earned cash into a fine graphics card. Although I will probably get a
3800 X2, The 4400 X2 seems like a good compromise to the 4600/4800 X2 as it
is $200 to $400 cheaper, though $200 more expensive than the 3800 X2. Is the
perfomance gained worth the money spent? That also what I want to know.