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Sandy Bridge help

Revolt

Revolt

Revolt

Associate
Joined
29 Nov 2010
Posts
196
While making my first PC, I have chosen on using the i5 2400 under codename 'Sandy Bridge' to be released on the 9th of January. I've made this decision as it will have better performance and mainly because of the new socket type (LGA 1155) which will bring new motherboards and therefore revolutionize upgrading your computer. It will prepare me for the future and hopefully Ivy Bridge but probably not for 2013 when Haswell may possibly be released (not confirmed). I have a few problems and questions that others may have. Here is what I want to know atm:
1. Won't these processors have glitches and niggles as they haven't been put to the test by the public yet and therefore I'll have to get improved versions not long after release?
2. Will they not be much more expensive for what they are due to the hype and new technologies?
3. Are they really worth getting as Intel are going crazy with their sockets and new releases and AMD might out-do them with their upcoming BD?
4. Will they be worth the cash as current CPU prices may fall?
5. Will motherboards be released by Intel with the CPUs?
6. Where can I pre-order them or buy them on release + get professional information (rather then reviews) on them before release?

P.S: I am new to making computers so I know some of my questions may be a little juvenile ;) but that's why I'm here! Also, give me additional information if possible, feel free to correct me and thanks! :D
 
I'm not sure revolutionise is the right word, but the 1155 socket should remain current for a year or two.

It's pretty unlikely that there will be any glitches, they don't happen often. Later models may well overclock better / run cooler however as the manufacturing process improves.

For a new build it should be fine, from what I can tell it won't be much different to putting together a i5 system at todays prices. The i5-2400 should be around £140-£150.

Motherboard manufacturers have been showing off boards for months now at trade shows, so there should be plenty available at launch (and thus competition ensuring reasonable prices)

From a personal perspective, for normal gaming/office/desktop use the power might be overkill and you could get away with picking up a second hand system with a fast Core2Quad or current gen i5/i7 that will handle everything with ease for years to come. The only real demand driver for faster processors nowadays is people who are into Rendering or Encoding video.

My current chip is coming up to 4 years old and with a little overclocking still handles everything fine. I'm not planning to update for a year or two, probably once Light Peak, PCI-E 3.0 and decent SATA6Gb/s onboard controllers are available. At that time I'll have to decide between Bulldozer and Sandy bridge - Which currently look like they'll be very similar in performance.
 
Juvenile said:
1. Won't these processors have glitches and niggles as they haven't been put to the test by the public yet and therefore I'll have to get improved versions not long after release?
Click to expand...

It is possible, but going by Intel's recent track record it is highly unlikely.

More likely is that the initial motherboards will have problems, hence waiting for reviews of these would be a good plan.

Juvenile said:
2. Will they not be much more expensive for what they are due to the hype and new technologies?
Click to expand...

These chips are being released as "mainstream" level processors - so its unlikely Intel we be offering bad value for money as there is already such competition in this area (not just with AMD, but with their nahalem based chips which are very capable). Esentially these chips are replacing the current s1156 line - so expect pricing to fall in line with launch pricing of these CPUs.

Here is a leaked price list (presumably per CPU cost for 1000 units). To put this in perspective the i5 750 was released at $196 and cost ~£160 in the UK for consumers at release.

Juvenile said:
3. Are they really worth getting as Intel are going crazy with their sockets and new releases and AMD might out-do them with their upcoming BD?
Click to expand...

This is a tough question as we don't know how long intel plans to keep using this socket and how BD will perform. What is pretty certain is that when SB launches, for most applications the SB quad cores will be mighty fast.

Juvenile said:
4. Will they be worth the cash as current CPU prices may fall?
Click to expand...

This really depends what you are doing. If you are doing CPU heavy applications or want your machine to last as long as possible (in terms of performance with ever increasing hardware requirements) then almost certainly yes. However, if you want the best bang-for-buck then even current-gen AMDs will have it beat.

As for price of current CPUs going down, if you mean nahalem chips - then I wouldn't bank on this too much. There may be some small offers to clear stock - but once an Intel chip is EOL the price often goes up instead of down (at retail). However, if you are willing to go second hand then there will certainly be some bargains to be had.

Juvenile said:
5. Will motherboards be released by Intel with the CPUs?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is what has always happened in the past. However, i probably woundn't buy a mobo on the very first day as you will want the in-depth reviews to trickle out in the days following the launch, so you can judge which is the board to go for.

Juvenile said:
6. Where can I pre-order them or buy them on release + get professional information (rather then reviews) on them before release?
Click to expand...

Pre-order isn't going to happen - they will just appear :)

If you want a nice preview then this is well worth a read (and the other SB articles on this site).



Finally, I would strongly suggest you go for the i5 2500K instead of the 2400, as it has an unlocked multiplier -allowing for overclocking. It will only cost ~18% more.
 
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Im still on a Q6600 @ stock with 4gig of Ram and all is well, but I feel a nice Core i7-2600k bundle and a decent Ocz SSD/ and latest DX11 card will do me fine for 2011, it would be ideal to wait till BD or X58 replacement but then months after they arrive is Ivybridge in early 2011 and the entire cycle begins again....

The waiting game sux ;0
 
Sandy Bridge = January 2011, Bulldozer = ~April 2011.

The high-end Sandy Bridge won't come out until Q4 2011 and Ivy Bridge ain't coming out until 2012 AFAIK. I'd wait until after April if I could - we have no real idea how Bulldozer will stack up against Intel's offerings and I think it's always better to support the smaller company if possible (e.g. if both are the same performance-wise at your price point, go AMD). If you can't wait until then, just go Sandy Bridge.
 
Yes, Ivy Bridge will most likely be LGA1155 to start with, with parts for LGA2011 appearing later on. There might only be a few Sandy Bridge LGA2011 CPUs with Ivy Bridge LGA2011 CPUs appearing a couple of months afterwards, we don't know.
 
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