New computer

[Concillian]

Argh. This is why buying a new PC is agony. Knowing when to buy is as important as knowing what to buy.

Well, not really. Whenever you buy, you could always have waited another weak or month and get that new or updated thing for it. So no point in waiting

In reality there is of course reasons for waiting if there is a larger update for something that more seldom happens that might make it worth waiting for but in general, I think one can just buy whenever one need a new computer and know that anyoe buying next month will get something better.

I mostly agree with this.

Right now, video cards are something that I'm banking will be a huge difference next gen.

This gen was supposed to be 32nm, but that didn't happen and they'll go straight from 40nm to 28nm. A full 100% shrink. Performance should be very substantially better next gen.

If you are currently on 1280x1024, you might consider keeping your 9800GTX until the next gen is out. Especially since you mentioned that you're not seeing too much in the way of performance issues. Let the rest of your upgrade scratch the itch and wait for the next gen cards where you should see close to double the performance at any given price point (or conversely, probably about 60-70% the price for any given performance point).

I am also currently on 1280x1024 (2 of them, but game plays on only one, I use the other for other functions. In WoW, I moved all the maps, chat windows and other interesting add-ons to the other monitor). I am holding off on a monitor and video card upgrade until the next gen. We'll see where my budget is, but I'm hoping to have enough for a big 27" 2560x1440. Should be a big step up, and if my gut is right on video card improvements, we should see $200 cards able to drive that pretty well.