Worth waiting for Sandy Bridge?

[cmndr_andi]

Ah didnt notice that. I assumed all the new chips had hyperthreading enabled as otherwise they would be not much different from the old C2D Quads except for stuff like turbo mode and better power consumption.

It is true that the i5 700 are quad cores with no hyperthreading, but they do perform a fair bit better than C2Q Penryn chips. This benchmark compares the performance of the 2.83GHz C2Q Q9550 with the 2.8GHz i5 760. As you can see, due to the new architecture the i5 is faster clock-for-clock.

Similarly, Sandy Bridge seems like it will be 10-20% faster than current i5/i7 chips. Also similar to nahalem, the top-end i5 will again be a quad core with no hyperthreading and the i7s will all be hyperthreaded.

To echo what has been asked by others - OP, what is the spec of your system you are currently using?

I may be wrong, but I thought it was like this:

i3 = dual core, no hyperthreading
i5 = quad core no hyperthreading
i7= quad core with hypethreading
i7 six core = six core with hyperthreading

i3 (500 series) - dual core, hyperthreading on, turbo boost off, low powered IGP, uses "Clarkdale" core
i5 (600 seres) - dual core, hyperthreading on, turbo boost on, medium powered IGP, uses "Clarkdale" core
i5 (700 series) - Quad core, hyperthreading off, turbo boost on, no IGP - uses more robust "lynnfield" core, so clock-for-clock, core-for-core faster than i5 600 series.
i7 (800 series) - Quad core, hyperthreading on, turbo boost on, no IGP, same Lynnfield core as i5 700 series
i7 (920/930/940/950/960/965/975) - Quad core, hyperthreading on, turbo boost on, no IGP, Bloomfield core
i7 (970/980X) - Hex core, hyperthreading on, turbo boost on, no IGP, Gulftown core

 

[RobotGirl]

I'd say wait too, it's always exciting when new tech is coming out, however if you buy now you know what you are getting ,but if you wait a short while you could get something newer and much improved and it will be the most current tech you/anyone can get .

 

[varkanoid]

I'd say wait too, it's always exciting when new tech is coming out, however if you buy now you know what you are getting ,but if you wait a short while you could get something newer and much improved and it will be the most current tech you/anyone can get .

but cost a fortune.

 

[cmndr_andi]

but cost a fortune.

The new tech?

The sandy bridge that is getting released in January is the mainstream kit - so it shouldn't cost any more than current s1156 stuff as it is a direct replacement with better performance.

 

[Cleeecooo]

Probably worth waiting incase the price drops

 

[alex24]

I would wait, personally. If you really need a system now, buy an i5 then sell it on come january. You shouldn't lose much if you stick it on an auction site as they take a little while to respond to new tech (in comparison with the MM for example).

 

[Peter450]

I would wait too, i'd stretch to a 470 over a 460 if you can, it's a decent bit faster for not a lot more money

 

[HighlandeR]

Definatly wait... December and Xmas will go so fast anyhow, and by the time you recovered from December and you will see intel launching with the new kit.

We could wait even further another 8-10 months for the X58 replacement and higher end Core i7 replacements but thats way too far off, and you can bet its gonna cost a fortune, so the new kit arriving Jan hits the sweet spot.

 

[jorzeh]

An i5 760 @ 4Ghz would see you right for quite some years of gaming with just the odd new video card upgrade thease Core i5/7 are really very fast 10 months for i7 replacements but i think about 50% of owners will skip till the 2nd gen chip launch after x58 replacement just like people with q9000 cpus did with i5/7.

 

[SavellM]

HiJacking this thread a bit...
But would it not be worth waiting till SB cpu's are out.
Then picking up a new Mobo and i5 CPU for socket 1156 be really really cheap?

Would that not be a good way to go, as Jan is only a month away...

 

[hlennie]

yes i would wait to see what the benchers have to say about the sandybridge i think ill be waiting till ivy comes out or till 6 cores are at a decent price before i upgrade again

 

[mast3r]

i am here and i also have the bug!
Grrrrrr.

 

[mmj_uk]

HiJacking this thread a bit...
But would it not be worth waiting till SB cpu's are out.
Then picking up a new Mobo and i5 CPU for socket 1156 be really really cheap?

Would that not be a good way to go, as Jan is only a month away...

Prices aren't necessarily going to go down that much and VAT is going up in January.

 

[pwsymonds]

Im waiting till January to buy my system just so i can at least compare price differences. Though to be honest right now im thinking of just going for an i7 anyway, most likely last me years anyway

 

[pcpietrek]

leaked prices from swedish e-tailer are higher than i-7 1156 but good news is that 'k' version is only slighty more expensive than regular version

I'm waiting for official prices and than will decide about upgrade I5 or SB