I’m looking to build a new pc to last a few years. My main question is which has the most power to keep me going for a good 3 yrs. The processor and video cards are my
sticking point since most else will be the same with either build.

system 1

QX9650 processor   (12mb cache)
w crossfire video cards(dual ati 3870’s )
At the moment I’m under the impression the QX9650 wont run SLI and the 3870’s are directx 10.1 rdy (even though no programs use this atm I was thinking long term)

or

QX6850 processor (8mb cache)
w SLI video cards (dual Nvidia 8800 ultra’s)
I assume this may be faster since the video cards are better (going by what I read) I’m curious if the 4mb cache difference in processors will make a big difference and if you think 10.1 will come
into play within the next few years to be worried about it.

Currently, according to the most recent Valve Survey Summary DX10 compatable machines number in less than 3%. Since DX10.1 adoption isn’t that high and few games currently support it I think you may be better off going for DX10.1. Since 10.1 is better and they don’t have to worry about catering to a large DX10 audience I could see more developers wanting to move to DX10.1. So for future-proofing I’d say go for the ATI 3870.

Then again if you’re looking for power, I think two 3870’s are as powerful as a single 8800GTX. Given the 8800 Ultra is more powerful than the GTX and you’re willing to get two of them I’d say you’d get some pretty insane FPS’s out of those two cards.

However if you want the best of both worlds I’d suggest waiting. I’ve heard talk that Nvidia plans on bringing out their 9000 series cards somewhere in the first quarter of 2008. The 9000 series will continue to be the top-of-the-line high-end cards that Nvidia seems to excell at putting out but with the combined ability to support DX10.1.

As for the processors I do believe the 4MB cache would make a decent difference. A while ago when I was comparing AMD and Intel chips the extra 2MB the Intel chips had seemed to put them out on top. But that’s only in a difference of 2MB and 4MB, I’ve got no idea how much improvement would be seen in a 8MB and 12MB CPU.

Also, what on earth do you do for a living that allows you to pay for all this? 😛

thanks for info, useful for me

A while ago when I was comparing AMD and Intel chips the extra 2MB the Intel chips had seemed to put them out on top,thanks for info!