# Building a new PC - is now a bad time? Middling?



## Evans (Nov 6, 2021)

I'm looking at a 5900x (or thereabouts). Is there any particular reason to wait? Prices seem a *bit *settled, but is there something known on the horizon that would cause CPUs in this general range to fall? I'm reading more about further potential rises, but it's been three years since I've researched and built something.

This is my excuse to start fresh, moving from Intel to AMD. New motherboard, 128 GB RAM, etc. That said, I'm willing to wait if it'd be silly to jump now versus, say, six months from now.


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## easyrider (Nov 6, 2021)

5900X is a great chip…However in Q1 2022 we get a 5000 series refresh.









AMD Demonstrates Stacked 3D V-Cache Technology: 192 MB at 2 TB/sec







www.anandtech.com







This technology will be productized with 7nm Zen 3-based Ryzen processors. Nothing was said about EPYC.
Those processors will start production at the end of the year. No comment on availability, although Q1 2022 would fit into AMD's regular cadence.
This V-Cache chiplet is 64 MB of additional L3, with no stepped penalty on latency. The V-Cache is address striped with the normal L3 and can be powered down when not in use. The V-Cache sits on the same power plane as the regular L3.
The processor with V-Cache is the same z-height as current Zen 3 products - both the core chiplet and the V-Cache are thinned to have an equal z-height as the IOD die for seamless integration
As the V-Cache is built over the L3 cache on the main CCX, it doesn't sit over any of the hotspots created by the cores and so thermal considerations are less of an issue. The support silicon above the cores is designed to be thermally efficient.
The V-Cache is a single 64 MB die, and is relatively denser than the normal L3 because it uses SRAM-optimized libraries of TSMC's 7nm process, AMD knows that TSMC can do multiple stacked dies, however AMD is only talking about a 1-High stack at this time which it will bring to market.


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Nov 7, 2021)

But if you want/need a new computer, won’t it almost always be a case of “if you wait 5-6 months, you can get something better”?


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## Evans (Nov 7, 2021)

Henrik B. Jensen said:


> But if you want/need a new computer, won’t it almost always be a case of “if you wait 5-6 months, you can get something better”?


It frequently is the case (and that applies to pretty much all goods and services), but I've also felt pretty dumb in the past when I did a fresh build that would have been $300 cheaper if I had waited about five _*weeks*_. That would've been a lot more RAM for otherwise the same configuration.

I build from scratch so rarely that it's hard to catch up on the 100-page topics on the Anandtech boards about how close something new might be, and many searches are showing old assumptions about timing from several months or quarters ago. That's all.


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## d.healey (Nov 7, 2021)

Wait until Black Friday, just in case there is a good deal.


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## Technostica (Nov 7, 2021)

There is probably only one thing due in the next twelve months, which is when the two players release their next platforms. 
That is the versions of the current AMD chip with extra cache, which supposedly will give a boost of 15% or so. 
That will depend on the workload though, so not sure how it impacts DAWs. 
They are due in Q1 next year and will be compatible with the the current platform. 

Apart from that, Intel released a new platform 3 days ago.


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## sostenuto (Nov 7, 2021)

Aarrgghh ! (3) Win10 Pro Desktops running Insider Win11 Pro for now. Must Update all three and tough to justify until maybe late Spring 2022. Major computer/electronic shows, shakeout of Win 11 Pro _ new Pc component offerings. Some have no choice, but holding off 'till then _ at least.


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## cedricm (Nov 7, 2021)

Evans said:


> I'm looking at a 5900x (or thereabouts). Is there any particular reason to wait? Prices seem a *bit *settled, but is there something known on the horizon that would cause CPUs in this general range to fall? I'm reading more about further potential rises, but it's been three years since I've researched and built something.
> 
> This is my excuse to start fresh, moving from Intel to AMD. New motherboard, 128 GB RAM, etc. That said, I'm willing to wait if it'd be silly to jump now versus, say, six months from now.


It's a bad time if you want a gamer's graphics card: the only way to get them / get them at a decent price is to purchase a computer sold with the graphics card.

Otherwise, hard to tell. Some say the electronics component shortage should ease by the beginning of 2022. Other analysts don't forecast any improvement before 2023.

I made the mistake of only purchasing 64 GB RAM for my new self-made computer last year in October, now it's about 2x the price.


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## Technostica (Nov 7, 2021)

cedricm said:


> I made the mistake of only purchasing 64 GB RAM for my new self-made computer last year in October, now it's about 2x the price.


I am very surprised by that as RAM seems very cheap right now!
I am seeing £100 for 32GB regularly and it was similar last year.


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## cedricm (Nov 7, 2021)

Technostica said:


> I am very surprised by that as RAM seems very cheap right now!
> I am seeing £100 for 32GB regularly and it was similar last year.


I've checked and you're right, it went down these last few weeks, it's only about 15-20 % more expensive than last year.
I think I'll wait a couple of weeks in case there's a BF/cyber Monday sales.
Processors though, I don't know. AMD's CEO said by last conference call they increased the prices this year.


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## Technostica (Nov 7, 2021)

cedricm said:


> I've checked and you're right, it went down these last few weeks, it's only about 15-20 % more expensive than last year.
> I think I'll wait a couple of weeks in case there's a BF/cyber Monday sales.
> Processors though, I don't know. AMD's CEO said by last conference call they increased the prices this year.


How much did you pay last year?


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## cedricm (Nov 7, 2021)

Technostica said:


> How much did you pay last year?


Correction: I downloaded the invoice: €239,89 incl VAT for Corsaire Vengeance 3200 Hz 32GBx2.
Quite better than now.


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## Seymour Caiman (Nov 7, 2021)

Evans said:


> I'm looking at a 5900x (or thereabouts). Is there any particular reason to wait? Prices seem a *bit *settled, but is there something known on the horizon that would cause CPUs in this general range to fall? I'm reading more about further potential rises, but it's been three years since I've researched and built something.
> 
> This is my excuse to start fresh, moving from Intel to AMD. New motherboard, 128 GB RAM, etc. That said, I'm willing to wait if it'd be silly to jump now versus, say, six months from now.


I specced/bought a new 5900x based PC about 3 months ago, and if I hadn't, I'd be happy looking to spec/buy one now. I don't think there's a significant reason to wait on the horizon. Prices and availability of components seem broadly comparable, and you'd be buying for the long term. As soon as you have it, you'll stop worrying about future components and prices and the like and be content using and abusing your new beast of a PC!


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## PaulieDC (Nov 7, 2021)

Good time to buy ram, prices are always a rollercoaster and currently they are down… finding what you want in STOCK is another story though. happy hunting!


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## Evans (Nov 8, 2021)

The PSU is $20 cheaper today than it was yesterday, so that's something. That's, like, a Ben Osterhouse product worth of price drop.

Thanks for everyone's insight into the pricing roller coaster.


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