To SB or not to SB?

[lttlejoe]

I was just about to place my order for all the bits for an SB based system when the chip issue story broke on the same day so, I've held off ordering - now the question is, I'd really like to get an SB based system but, given the recent development of problems with SB associated chips, is it wise to purchase an SB based system right now or, would it be wiser to hold off until they have resolved any problems?

If I did go ahead with an SB mobo purchase, would the manufacturers replace problematic boards at some point once they have resolved the issues or would I be stuck with a potentially faulty mobo which could fail at some point in the future?

My alternative is buy all the bits except the SB processor and mobo and fit a budget AMD mobo and maybe an X4 640 or 965 as a stopgap until the board problem is resolved and then fit the 640/965 and mobo into this computer ( which needs upgrading) and then fit the 2500k and mobo into the new build!

Any suggestions?

 

[jay303]

took from overclockers website news

IMPORTANT SANDYBRIDGE UPDATE

For those of you wondering all OcUK's motherboard vendors which includes Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Intel, Foxconn and Asrock have agreed the following with OcUK:-

All of the above parties have agreed on a immediate solution to the Sandybridge problem.

As there is NO Immediate Danger/Fault and as this fault is likely to affect a small number of boards over time and Replacement Stock will NOT be available until April/May. All the parties above have guaranteed direct swap out of all P67/H67 Boards bought from OcUK should you the end user wish to do so at a later date. The above manufacturers will launch plans after Chinese New Year with instruction on how to register to get your board swapped out for a new B3 revision which will happen in April/May time, no doubt direct with the manufacturer.

Based on this swap out guarantee we have decided to keep all our Sandybridge based mainboards on sale.

The decision to buy and use still lies upon you the end user.

 

[Krislord]

I bought all my SB bits yesterday. As long as you don't need to use the 3Gbps SATA ports you won't see the issue at all. So I'll have a shiny new PC soon and the only downside is I will have to fit a replacement motherboard in April/May.

 

[Maxi011]

If you are only going to use two SATA ports and dont mind the hassle of having to take out your board and replace it, then i dont see why you should not buy SB.

I.E if your just going to use a dvd drive and a hard drive, put them in the 6gbps ports and you should be fine.

 

[VoG]

Any suggestions?

build it.

if you check this hideously long thread the manufacturers will be replacing B2 chipset boards with B3 chipset boards once they become available, so, if you buy a board, you have no worries about it being replaced later on down the line once the stocks are there.

personally ive decided to build a SB rig now. ive ordered my gfx card & ram, i now just have to make up my mind what mobo i'm going to use & the order will be placed ( currently agonising over the MSI P67A-GD65, the Asrock P67 Extreme 6, & the Asus P8P67 ). once that decisions made i'm pushing the buy button.

 

[~Mike~]

At the moment I have decided to wait until the revised motherboards are available. The reasons being are that I do not want the hassle of having to replace the motherboard later on if I build it now (remove CPU, cooler etc...), I am prepared to wait as I have no immediate need for the new system (unless my ageing pc dies!)

One question regarding changing motherboards. When you remove the CPU and cooler you need to remove(clean) the existing Thermal Compound from the CPU and cooler and replace with new. Are Asus, MSI etc. going to supply this or will you have to buy your own?

 

[lttlejoe]

If you are only going to use two SATA ports and dont mind the hassle of having to take out your board and replace it, then i dont see why you should not buy SB.

I.E if your just going to use a dvd drive and a hard drive, put them in the 6gbps ports and you should be fine.

Well I really need 5 SATA ports ( 2 x hdd + 2 optical drives and an SSD). I could get by with just 2 SATA for a while but I'll deffo need 5 eventually! As long as they don't damage the drives etc if they fail, I'm not too fussed about failure as I'll have everything backed up on external drives.

I don't think it will be too much hassle dropping in another mobo...just a bit of a pain in the backside!

 

[Mario]

I bought all my SB bits yesterday. As long as you don't need to use the 3Gbps SATA ports you won't see the issue at all. So I'll have a shiny new PC soon and the only downside is I will have to fit a replacement motherboard in April/May.

same, ordered yesterday parts for about 1400£ and can't wait when i get them,have no problems with replacement later

 

[Monkeh]

Well I really need 5 SATA ports ( 2 x hdd + 2 optical drives and an SSD). I could get by with just 2 SATA for a while but I'll deffo need 5 eventually! As long as they don't damage the drives etc if they fail, I'm not too fussed about failure as I'll have everything backed up on external drives.

I don't think it will be too much hassle dropping in another mobo...just a bit of a pain in the backside!

If I was buying this week and needed the extra SATA capacity then I'd just slap one of these in the basket for some extra peace of mind, and swap the motherboard later when the option is made available by the manufacturer, and just think of all those SATA3 ports you'll have left to play with then .