I mostly agree, but I dont think that Core i7 is overhyped, sporting a 17% single-threaded IPC advantage over Core 2 Quad like it does, even with it's anemic L2 cache. And Hyper-Threading enables it to handle 8 simultaneous threads almost as well as 2 C2Qs put together. Recent BIOS and driver revisions have really improved its performance in the ~6 months since it was released. It's really all about what you'll need it for. Avery's building a new rig for graphics design and she'll definitely need Core i7. I'm not even going quad-core, ATM; I just don't need it. What I
do need is maximum single- and dual-core performance for gaming.
Here's the hardware and OS that I've already bought with prices adjusted for rebates and discounts:
Motherboard: Zotac nForce 780i Supreme -
$116.08
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale 6M E8400 -
$128.79
RAM: Corsair XMS2 2x2GB PC2-8500 (5-5-5-15) -
$30.00
Graphics Cards: 2xPNY 9600 GSO (96SP, 192-bit model) 768MB GDDR3 -These two cards in SLI
should deliver the performance level of the GTX 260
at least -
$80.00 for
both! 
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB -
$68.24
Optical Drive: Sony 24x SATA DVD burner -
$22.80
CPU Heatsink: Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer 120mm -
$28.99
Case Fans: Scythe 120mm and Cooler Master 80mm -
$15.58
Case: Ultra Wizard (Junky, but it works. Hell, I don't care what it looks like.
) -
FREE*
Power Supply: Ultra X-Finity 600W (definitely NOT junk) -
FREE*
Operating System: MS Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit -
$77.99
Total: (so far):
$568.47, and I didn't have to pay tax or shipping on any of it.
*Yes, FREE. Fry's Electronics and Ultra were running these crazy promotions a couple of years ago when Ultra was first entering the US market. I got a case and a couple of PSUs for free after rebate. Good times.
And, yes, I'm going to overclock the absolute crap out of this thing once I get it put together. 4+GHz, here I come!
