Don't Upgrade Now; Quad-Core is coming soon - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 20th Jul 2006, 20:36

http://www.bit-tech.net/columns/2006...ng_soon/1.html

Neogumbercules · 20th Jul 2006, 21:11

But how much do they cost??

perplekks45 · 20th Jul 2006, 21:19

(2*price Conroe)-(10 or 20%) I guess...

What would be more interesting: When will Conroe be free to pre-order in Germany?

Tried www.Alternate.de as it normally is one of the fastest to have new stuff and you can't even order them.

Back to topic --- Conroe is a kickass cpu as will Kentsfield be imo and if Intel keep their prices that 'low' I might consider going Kentsfield for Christmas.

specofdust · 20th Jul 2006, 21:23

I hate you Bigz

, you convince me of Core 2's pwnage with that awesome review, and now you tell me to wait ;(

Big question is though, how sure are you all that the mobo is going to stay the same? Buying a cheap Core 2 and some decent DDR2 with a nice mobo would make good sense if the only thing being upgraded in 6-12 months once 4Core is out and about in good numbers and value was the CPU itself. But if quad core is going to make expensive RAM or a decent mobo useless then waiting does indeed seem like the smart option.

K8L better be good now, because without it who's going to bother buying AM2 kit?

Fr4nk · 20th Jul 2006, 21:25

erm, thanks for the heads up Tim but 4 cores ? C'mon it does seem overkill but We'll just have to see what Vista says about it. Also I'd assume when kentsfield is out Core 2 Duo (dual core) will get a price drop ?

Lazlow · 20th Jul 2006, 21:34

Great article, which makes choosing a new PC even harder. I'm glad I didn't think twice when I bought my new rig, otherwise I would still be waiting a month or two on for the new Core chips.

Is it me, or does it seem that the evolution of PC technology is picking up?

Tim S · 20th Jul 2006, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by specofdust

I hate you Bigz

, you convince me of Core 2's pwnage with that awesome review, and now you tell me to wait ;(

hehehe, sorry

Quote:

Big question is though, how sure are you all that the mobo is going to stay the same?

Tyrou at XS has a Kentsfield in a D975XBX rev 304 (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=107092)

Tim S · 20th Jul 2006, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fr4nk

Also I'd assume when kentsfield is out Core 2 Duo (dual core) will get a price drop ?

Quite possibly yes

EQC · 20th Jul 2006, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazlow

Is it me, or does it seem that the evolution of PC technology is picking up?

Yeah...it seems like it to me too.

Whenever you see questions in computer forums about "should I buy now or wait for xxx new thing" people always respond "there's always something else around the corner, if you wait for it, something else'll be just around the corner in a few months again."

But with a less than 5 month (possibly only 3 or 4 months to get in before the holidays) wait between Dual-core Core 2 and Quad-core Core 2, waiting for the new technology (or the likely associated price drop on the Dual-core) becomes a bit easier to justify. Especially when you can't even buy Core-2 yet (release next week?) and availability might be sketchy for a while anyway.

If I was looking to upgrade my current pentium system, I might just upgrade it to a higher end Pentium in a week when the price drops through the floor...and wait for the Kentsfield for a "true" upgrade.

olly_lewis · 20th Jul 2006, 22:13

To upgrade to Core 2 or not to upgrade to Core 2.. That is the question. Even though i would welcome quad cores by the end of the year, what if there are delays and it gets pushed back and for those with a pc not so tuned up to handle vista and advanced 3D gaming of Q4 this could be a bitch... Spending their hard earned money now and there not being any delays and loosing out on quad goodness or waiting and waiting and waiting.... I think I might just upgrade to Quad Core and wait for a while, my current main rig is a fine specimen and should tide me over fine into Vista and on to Q2 2007 ish...

will. · 20th Jul 2006, 22:18

There is a pattern amerging here! It is the pattern of everything... They releace something, its awesome, and i'm all set to spend money on it.. and now i have to wait for the next new thing to come out! Whats the bet that 2 months later they will announce another new thing and we'll be told to wait for that as well... I think sometimes we just have to take the plunge, upgrade and miss out a few of these advancements... Unless your uber rich like some of the people on this forum seem/have to be!

I am slightly supprised at the timing here though.... its like they are trying to reduce sales of conroe...

Tim S · 20th Jul 2006, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by will.

I am slightly supprised at the timing here though.... its like they are trying to reduce sales of conroe...

I was incredibly surprised to see Otellini say what he did - it's almost like they want to trash Core 2 sales, hence why I felt there was a need for an OpEd.

Lazlow · 20th Jul 2006, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by will.

Whats the bet that 2 months later they will announce another new thing and we'll be told to wait for that as well...

What's left to announce? 8 core? It seems that they're just doubling up everything now, which is by no means a bad thing.

DougEdey · 20th Jul 2006, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by will.

I am slightly supprised at the timing here though.... its like they are trying to reduce sales of conroe...

Thats what I said when I posted about this first!

aggies11 · 20th Jul 2006, 22:52

Honestly, I don't think this is true.

Not buying AMD and waiting for Dual Core Conroe is NOT the same as

Not buying Dual Core Conroe and waiting for Quad Core.

Why not? It's missing the performance jump. Conroe is a big improvement over AMD in CPU terms. Quite the slam dunk. However the same can't be said for Quad core.

Is Quad core gonna give you twice the performance boost? Hardly. It's rare enough to hit 100% usage on both Cores already. Can you imagine how often users will see that on 4 cores?

It's hard enough to develop software for dual-core, let alone quad. Outside of a few specialized applications I just don't see their being much benefit.

This is like saying "Don't buy Core 2 Duo now, because there will be faster speeds of the dual-core chips come fall". But in the CPU biz, this is always true. It's nothing new.

So unless you are a _massive_ multitasker, in leagues of encoding video while playing games, the benefits of quad core are largely academic.

Conroe was a big jump, so it was worth waiting for. The benefits of Quad core will likely only be seen on paper.

Aggies

specofdust · 20th Jul 2006, 23:55

I disagree. My main system is used primarily for gaming, but I'm shortly going to be building a PVR too. If I want, I'd be able to do the heavy duty encoding on a quad core core over the network, thus keeping the PVR low powered in every way, which has both silence and cost benefits. That's one core. Games are starting to be coded for two cores. True, it'll probably take time before 100% of two cores are used by games, but I have no doubt in the ability of programmers everywhere to abuse any CPU I have to the fullest. That's three cores. That leaves one core over for the usuals, scheduled virus scans, real time monitoring apps that lean heavily on the system, and all the other random things people do.

I agree that quad core wouldn't be for everyone, but as a main processor for all my PC's quad core sounds fantastic.

Lastly, if people don't build 4 core CPU's no-one will ever code for 4 core CPU's. These things have to be being used by people before the coders will bother, but you can be sure that they will and within a few years apps that need a lot of power will be able to utilise all that is available to them.

kenco_uk · 21st Jul 2006, 00:56

Imo it wasn't until the release of the AthlonXP when AMD eventually overtook Intel in the performance stakes. It's taken a long time for Intel to rediscover how to make good cpu's. The P4 was pure marketing, the Core chips seem to be Intel getting back to their roots. Maybe they re-hired the team that created the P3 to create the successor to the P4?

I'm still tempted to shift to Intel with a Core2 for the moment and shift to Core4 when the dust settles.

hitman012 · 21st Jul 2006, 01:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenco_uk

Maybe they re-hired the team that created the P3 to create the successor to the P4?

I believe that the same Israel design team that created the Pentium M also extensively worked on Core2

Zekey · 21st Jul 2006, 01:34

Just going to point out, there have been no reports of a lowend kentsfield, has there? The only think I've seen is reports that kentsfield will be replacing the x6800.

Kinkade · 21st Jul 2006, 01:48

I think Zekey is right i read somewhere that the first Kentsfields will be Extreme edition chips, so i very much doubt there will be a price drop in Core2 at that time.

20th Jul 2006, 20:36	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Don't Upgrade Now; Quad-Core is coming soon http://www.bit-tech.net/columns/2006...ng_soon/1.html __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

20th Jul 2006, 21:11	#2
Neogumbercules Ultramodder Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,494	But how much do they cost?? __________________ Abit AB9 Pro, Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 CPU, 2GB Corsair DDR2 6400, nVidia 8800GT, Seagate 160 GB HDD.

20th Jul 2006, 21:19	#3
perplekks45 BSc... finally Join Date: May 2004 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 3,349	(2*price Conroe)-(10 or 20%) I guess... What would be more interesting: When will Conroe be free to pre-order in Germany? Tried www.Alternate.de as it normally is one of the fastest to have new stuff and you can't even order them. Back to topic --- Conroe is a kickass cpu as will Kentsfield be imo and if Intel keep their prices that 'low' I might consider going Kentsfield for Christmas. __________________ "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far." Blame it on Cheaps! [now a social group]

20th Jul 2006, 21:23	#4
specofdust Banned Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 7,609	I hate you Bigz , you convince me of Core 2's pwnage with that awesome review, and now you tell me to wait ;( Big question is though, how sure are you all that the mobo is going to stay the same? Buying a cheap Core 2 and some decent DDR2 with a nice mobo would make good sense if the only thing being upgraded in 6-12 months once 4Core is out and about in good numbers and value was the CPU itself. But if quad core is going to make expensive RAM or a decent mobo useless then waiting does indeed seem like the smart option. K8L better be good now, because without it who's going to bother buying AM2 kit? __________________ Like marmite, only no-one hates it Mmm bop!

20th Jul 2006, 21:25	#5
Fr4nk Tyrannosaurus Alan ! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Uk, Essex Posts: 2,367	erm, thanks for the heads up Tim but 4 cores ? C'mon it does seem overkill but We'll just have to see what Vista says about it. Also I'd assume when kentsfield is out Core 2 Duo (dual core) will get a price drop ? __________________ {Macbook Pro + Dell 2407 WFP - Canon 3000V + Canon 350D + BG-E3 + Sigma 10-20mm + 50mm f1.8 + kit 28-90mm EF - Rolleiflex 2.8 TLR} *Flickr ~Flickriver ^ My Behance Art Folio

20th Jul 2006, 21:34	#6
Lazlow I have a dremel. Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Lincoln, UK Posts: 1,464	Great article, which makes choosing a new PC even harder. I'm glad I didn't think twice when I bought my new rig, otherwise I would still be waiting a month or two on for the new Core chips. Is it me, or does it seem that the evolution of PC technology is picking up? __________________ Logs: Red Nineteen\|Pink PC Links: slickhouse.com\|Free file upload

20th Jul 2006, 22:13	#10
olly_lewis Hypermodder Join Date: May 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 756	To upgrade to Core 2 or not to upgrade to Core 2.. That is the question. Even though i would welcome quad cores by the end of the year, what if there are delays and it gets pushed back and for those with a pc not so tuned up to handle vista and advanced 3D gaming of Q4 this could be a bitch... Spending their hard earned money now and there not being any delays and loosing out on quad goodness or waiting and waiting and waiting.... I think I might just upgrade to Quad Core and wait for a while, my current main rig is a fine specimen and should tide me over fine into Vista and on to Q2 2007 ish... __________________ My signature dumped me... ___________

20th Jul 2006, 22:18	#11
will. A motorbike of jealousy! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Yorkshire! Posts: 4,403	There is a pattern amerging here! It is the pattern of everything... They releace something, its awesome, and i'm all set to spend money on it.. and now i have to wait for the next new thing to come out! Whats the bet that 2 months later they will announce another new thing and we'll be told to wait for that as well... I think sometimes we just have to take the plunge, upgrade and miss out a few of these advancements... Unless your uber rich like some of the people on this forum seem/have to be! I am slightly supprised at the timing here though.... its like they are trying to reduce sales of conroe... __________________ work \| play \| blog PS3 & 360: willblack Flickr my twitter. Last.FM Check out my Last.FM & iToggle & Nav-o-Matic jQuery plugins.

20th Jul 2006, 22:52	#15
aggies11 Multimodder Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 171	Honestly, I don't think this is true. Not buying AMD and waiting for Dual Core Conroe is NOT the same as Not buying Dual Core Conroe and waiting for Quad Core. Why not? It's missing the performance jump. Conroe is a big improvement over AMD in CPU terms. Quite the slam dunk. However the same can't be said for Quad core. Is Quad core gonna give you twice the performance boost? Hardly. It's rare enough to hit 100% usage on both Cores already. Can you imagine how often users will see that on 4 cores? It's hard enough to develop software for dual-core, let alone quad. Outside of a few specialized applications I just don't see their being much benefit. This is like saying "Don't buy Core 2 Duo now, because there will be faster speeds of the dual-core chips come fall". But in the CPU biz, this is always true. It's nothing new. So unless you are a _massive_ multitasker, in leagues of encoding video while playing games, the benefits of quad core are largely academic. Conroe was a big jump, so it was worth waiting for. The benefits of Quad core will likely only be seen on paper. Aggies

20th Jul 2006, 23:55	#16
specofdust Banned Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK, EU Posts: 7,609	I disagree. My main system is used primarily for gaming, but I'm shortly going to be building a PVR too. If I want, I'd be able to do the heavy duty encoding on a quad core core over the network, thus keeping the PVR low powered in every way, which has both silence and cost benefits. That's one core. Games are starting to be coded for two cores. True, it'll probably take time before 100% of two cores are used by games, but I have no doubt in the ability of programmers everywhere to abuse any CPU I have to the fullest. That's three cores. That leaves one core over for the usuals, scheduled virus scans, real time monitoring apps that lean heavily on the system, and all the other random things people do. I agree that quad core wouldn't be for everyone, but as a main processor for all my PC's quad core sounds fantastic. Lastly, if people don't build 4 core CPU's no-one will ever code for 4 core CPU's. These things have to be being used by people before the coders will bother, but you can be sure that they will and within a few years apps that need a lot of power will be able to utilise all that is available to them. __________________ Like marmite, only no-one hates it Mmm bop!

21st Jul 2006, 00:56	#17
kenco_uk I feel your presents. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK Posts: 6,302	Imo it wasn't until the release of the AthlonXP when AMD eventually overtook Intel in the performance stakes. It's taken a long time for Intel to rediscover how to make good cpu's. The P4 was pure marketing, the Core chips seem to be Intel getting back to their roots. Maybe they re-hired the team that created the P3 to create the successor to the P4? I'm still tempted to shift to Intel with a Core2 for the moment and shift to Core4 when the dust settles. __________________ MSI X58M - i7 920 4Ghz - 6GB Corsair - GTX260 648/2520 ::: Vote for bit-tech T - theevilelephant - "it sounded like bouncing around on a pogo stick, screaming in chinese while occasionally throwing a cat at a door."

21st Jul 2006, 01:34	#19
Zekey Modder Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wells, Maine. Posts: 52	Just going to point out, there have been no reports of a lowend kentsfield, has there? The only think I've seen is reports that kentsfield will be replacing the x6800. __________________ Let's pretend this is witty or advertising a mod.

21st Jul 2006, 01:48	#20
Kinkade What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2	I think Zekey is right i read somewhere that the first Kentsfields will be Extreme edition chips, so i very much doubt there will be a price drop in Core2 at that time.