Build Advice 1366, or wait (or something else entirely)

id go 1366 now rather than wait for sandybridge

even if you can overclock on the k series your still gonna pay more money for the processor in the first place.

People forget overclocking is to add value aka performance

if your paying £50 more for the cpu that is unlocked its difficult to say its value.

sandybridge once prices are confirmed may be imba

if its sub £200 for the chip and £100 motherboards are avail and it performs at a decent level above the current i750 chips for example. Then it will sell well

if its £200+ chip £200+ board for similar performance to the old i7860 which is what benchmarks ive seen say its at. Then it wont sell at all well

intel wont attack there own 1366 market as its suicide they will wait for the 6core cpus on sandybridge which are due out late next year.

 

Or just be patient, it's only just over a month and SEE what the difference is instead of speculating. Some people don't like to overclock and there's always the chance you blow the MB or damage the CPU.

Just wait, be patient and you might grab a bargain. I'm waiting because I made the same mistake buying a Q6600 etc a month before the i7 launch. I'm still hurting.

 

Some really interesting replies. Thanks guys.

I had forgotten that it really is ONLY a month until we know more. I've gone without gaming this long and I've survived. My main reason for considering 1366 was longevity and decent (i.e. not botched 1156) implementation of USB3 and SATA6. The Sabertooth review really hit home as having everything I could want.

However, I don't NEED the power of an i7. Not for gaming and the only other thing that might make use of it is FLACing CDs when I buy them, but I'm not doing that every day and literally anything will be quicker than my X2 3800+!

This, is a really good point.

VAT doesn't bother me. We're talking all of £15/20 for the max I'd spend. Korea could be an issue and I'd like RAM to stay where it is, but I think the key on that is to be ready to go at a moments notice. I would've thought the demand that Sandybridge will generate will increase prices anyway.

Great idea.

2011 is Q3 next year, so that's a waste of time and quad channel RAM will be mega bucks - that's if it's even a mainstream platform. But the bold bit is the kicker, isn't it?!

Does anyone need to spend 50% more i.e. £150 just for longevity and SATA6 and USB3?? I'm glad I asked in here, coz that's made me think that I really don't!!

Bakes, from the reading I've done this evening, it appears that the 2600 is badged i7 and therefore has HT, but the 2500 is i5 and given it's price point appears as if it may be the new 760. There's a K version as well. Given HT makes little difference to games, could I perhaps have found a specific chip to wait for?!

Thanks for the Anand link, interesting reading. Those numbers would appear to suggest that a 3.1Ghz Sandybridge part with no HT performs similarly to a top end 1156 i7 with HT. Assuming you get either a 2500 @ 3.3Ghz and it turbos, or a 2500K and do it yourself, I would say that probably constitutes near-as-dammit 1366 performance. Alright it doesn't account for a 4Ghz 1366 OC, but as I've already said, I don't *need* that, and most gamers won't.

Think I'm gonna sit tight, but keep an eye on special offers and memory prices etc. If you haven't read Bakes' link, you should - it's very, very interesting.

 

Hmmmm, I'm not sure if I could live without OC'ing. Just tinkering is too much fun. Thats why I'm waiting for socket 2011, as these will be fully OC'ble...

 

Which, when you buy Enermax and water cool, is entirely understandable. But if the 2500K comes in at $200ish, that's equivalent to a 760 and should arguably be even more overclockable

If you need quad channel RAM and enjoy e-peen, then fill your boots. I'm more excited for the rest of us....