Well, all this new CPU talk sounds pretty interesting (especially Intel's "Turbo Mode"), so maybe I'll upgrade my computer once 7 is released. Here's what I'd get right now. Intel Core i7 860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail Intel BOXDP55KG LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm "heatpipe direct contact" CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-GP - Retail - $479.98 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail - $89.99 Subtotal: $569.97 Not too bad IMO, but I might miss 8 GB for a while. Now if only Nvidia or ATI would take similar strides in power efficiency like Intel, I'd be all set.
I've been reading on the changes Intel made in the 8xx series vs the 9xx series. It's going to be a interesting few years if they manage to combine both advantages in the 2 cpu series. And yes.. ATI and Nvidia need a serious lesson on efficiency. Just got an Asus 275 and had to spring for a psu and case. The damned thing is almost a foot long.
What is the difference between the two, for the record? Considering the prices, you'd think the 8xx series is better, but the numbers, not so much... I haven't really looked into the technical details yet though.
The 8xx series uses the new Lynnfield design, which seems to be more mainstream. If you take a brief look at the article in my OP, you'd see the following: less pins (1156 vs 1366) onboard PCIe link "normal" two channel DDR3 (vs triple channel) smaller TDP cheaper
Radeon 5870 for the power efficiency, plus in Crossfire they pwn the GTX 295 all over the floor, and a single card beats the GTX 285 anyway. And they're cheap. That setup sounds fun! Personally I think the i5 is the way to go though, unless you're just looking to top a piece of paper. Actually using it you're not going to see a huge difference between the i5 and i7 except on a benchmark. And personally I don't like the ripjaws series because of mobo compatibility and finicky-ness but there are so many RAM choices it matters not at all, that's the price point of them all basically.
They're more efficient than the Nvidia cards and the previous generation of ATI cards according to HardOCP: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/10/12/amd_ati_radeon_hd_5770_5750_review/7 Scroll down a bit for the power information.