Hardware Intel Sandy Bridge: Details of the next gen

An exclusive set of details on Intel's next generation, Socket LGA1155 CPUs. Yes, 1155.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/04/21/intel-sandy-bridge-details-of-the-next-gen/1

 

This news really hold me back on upgrading to X58 or H55 or P55 or what ever so now...damn should i stick back to my q66 now?

 

Yay new sockets!....not

 

LGA1366 and X58 will still be around for quite a while, so it's still a good upgrade. P55/H55 on the other hand has a much shorter shelflife now.

 

I feel the same way. Was hoping to do a full system build late this year/early next to replace my Q6600. Now I don't know what to do, still don't feel theres a big enough benefit upgrading my rig to current tech. Sockets should last for 3-4 years as its such a headache

 

I too was thinking of a new build as the i7 930 is looking so good at the moment. Also, an i3 530 - H55 build for my daughter which I will definantly still go ahead with.

The rate Intel is progressing, will we really be looking at a 2 year life span of every generation?

Four channel DDR3 sounds a bit sexy though!

 

With very little being added or upgraded I doubt these chips will offer much better performance than current Intel chips apart from an improved GPU. As these chips are the better part of a full year away I would still think an upgrade to either i5-750 or i7-930 for the higher end or the i3-530 for the more budget minded to be very good upgrades, even right now with their current costs.

 

Depends on what your upgrading from I guess. I don't see it being worthwhile for me to upgrade my Q6600 to one of these. Wouldn't see much a leap in framerates which would be my biggest draw, not a bunch of benchmarks. I am also hoping to get my TDP way down on my next machine, at least the idle TDP. Guess I will see how it goes towards the end of the year as another one thing I really want is a SSD and they are just to expensive right now. My new keyboard and mouse will have to count as my upgrade for now

 

On the topic of new sockets - this will be inevitable in every new Intel generation of the future because more and more high performance components are getting integrated into the CPU itself, meaning more pins or a change in pin-layout has to be designed.

I've been told by motherboard engineers that socket design is not a trivial factor, because traces have to not interfere with each other, each pin-out set has to be on the edge it's SMT components relate to (PCI-E sockets/memory/CPU power etc) and the pressure on each pin must be the same - so this requires a lot of time to develop the hold down mechanism.

It also means motherboard companies don't get the blame but can sell you a new product.

 

Coming soon: Intel i5 Sandy Bridge lga1155 and Intel i3 Sandy Bridge lga1155 (and possibly i1)
As if we didn't hate Intel's nomenclature enough as it is!

 

This is getting a bit like the rush from pentium 2s to pentium 4s.

Really? a new socket per new cpu type? Its really like the 90s you buy the best and in 6 weeks there is something better that is not compatible at all with what you bought.

Can't they make a modular mobo design that lets you plug any type of socket onto it?

 

So what's this, three sockets in two years?

Damn it all intel, stop ****ing everybody over.

 

not impressed with new LGA1155, feature-wise is exactly same as 1156, except for SATA 6Gbps, which is not that important.

looks like my next upgrade will be LGA2011

 

Oh I agree with you there, although I think that an i7-930 would give the Q6600 a fair beating. But it does come down to what you are doing. If it's only gaming that really concerns you then I would agree that the Q6600 is good enough. In fact I would say that most gaming machines don't need to be upgraded at all, CPU or GPU for some time yet unless you are interested in an expensive ultra high res monitor or looking at multi monitor gaming.

 

i will be upgrading, but that is because my rig is really poor (not even recommended on BC2) so it will be useful, but why cant they just bolster their existing ranges? like the 775 socket?

 

Despite of what Bindi said - which contributes to help us understand why Intel or others cpu manufacturers change their socket so much - we can't help but think Intel launches beta-cpu's and when they're selling, the R&D is finishing what should have been done in the first place before launch and then, new socket. I hope the performance gap won't be too much so people having X58 for a while or have upgraded recently won't feel tricked.

Personally, I don't have an Intel cpu, I have AMD but if AMD did the same, I would go nuts about it. Luckily AM3 cpu's work on my AM2+ mobo, so when the new cpu's from AMD reach the market and I happen to fry my cpu, I can always go for the AM3 x)

 

Lol it is pretty obvious that what Intel release is not a beta-cpu. I would say that it is probably not in the interests of Intel to create new sockets since that raises the barrier of entry to the new CPU's since people can't do a drop in upgrade. The flipside is that they get more money if people do take the plunge on Sandy Bridge but I guess without intimate knowledge of the sales figures it is just guesswork.

I would also say the performance gap has to be significant to entice people to upgrade from existing i7/PII systems to Sandy Bridge as they have to ditch a motherboard as well.

 

The comments that Bindi has passed on smacks too much of a load of bull... Otherwise Intel would not have the i3/i5 with intergrated GPUs and the i5-750 without all using the same chip/pin design as we do with the 1156 socket (although you need the H55 and not the P55 to use the intergrated GPU).

Saying this however, I have rarely had a complete system that I have wanted to upgrade just the CPU to the next generation. Normally by the time I wish to upgrade my CPU, it's time for a new platform anyway.

 

Hmmmm....I think AMD values its customers more than Intel....I was a bit confused about my next upgrade - but now that Intel has started to 'slaughter its customers' (as we say here in Pakistan, I think I am gonna go with AMD....I will upgrade as soon as the Phenom II X6s come out and the new 890FX....for graphics, I am going with GTX 4xx series....AMD's Performance-to-Price ratio is better than Intel's. I, too, was an Intel fan for a long time but I guess its time to switch to AMD.

 

2011 pins! Jaysus!

I've got a feeling that LGA2011 isn't really going to have a huge performance benefit compared to LGA1366. Besides, when it does come out, I'll be more interested in seeing if I can pick up an i7 980x for cheap.