New Intel processors

[happytraveller]

I thought that Sandy Bridge was somewhere up in Abel Tasman, but it seems that it is the name of the next generation of Intel chips. Just when I thought that the i7-950 was the way to go, I discover that appearing now are the latest intel chips, and that they overclock easily AND that they can be overclocked well using just air. Some good information in the articles below, but for a reasonably priced chip (like US$300 for the i2600 chip) then they are going to be very popular for FSX users.

The disadvantage is that a new motherboard (socket 1155) will be needed, although perhaps with USB 3.0 appearing now, then it will be a good time to upgrade. 4.8 GHz overclocked on air!!!

But the reviews on the net seem to be all very excited about the new chips. The i7-2600K seems to be the way to go (K meaning that the multiplier is unlocked). And the multiplier can go up to 50X as well!!

I will post a couple of links below to two of the reviews, very interesting reading in both. I feel the credit card flexing again.....

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-san...-i3-2100-tested

http://forum.coolaler.com/showthread.php?t=251959

smooth landings.

[Rotordude]

I thought it was a girl I new, but after reading the spec's this Sandy Bridge doesn't run as hot and is way cheaper to run....

This is the Baby I have been waiting for

I just cant wait to see how fast this puppy opens up notpad

[Charl]

Ha ha, you are just too impatient...

QUOTE

The quad-core desktop Sandy Bridge die clocks in at (only) 995 million transistors. We’ll have to wait for Ivy Bridge to break a billion in the mainstream.[/quote]

PC Gamers are an amazing lot, and who knows how the market was even created?
Who could've predicted someone would fork out 10 grand for a machine, before even buying the game it's intended for?
And then finding it doesn't quite cut it!

Or that "bargain" machines could be had, for as little as $2k? and actually delight the owner with the "bargain price"?
Hello... that's two thousand dollars ...almost enough to buy 6 months worth of fags!

Anyhow, for fast opening up of notepad, I'd hold out for a 1TB SSD drive, once they drop under the USD2000 mark...

[cowpatz]

Great post. I am looking at an upgrade from my overclocked Q6600 and I was looking at the current range of I7 processors.
I think I will now opt for the i7-2600K . It seems excellent value for money and very overclockable.
Is there a site anywhere that has used FSX for benchmarking? I am not sure why they don't use FSX in more benchmarking reviews
instead of those older games that no one uses anymore.
I feel a new CPU GPU MOBO purchase coming on.

[pilot.masman]

older games that noone uses anymore?

im set with my cpu for the moment. i tend to upgrade every second release. ie with gpu's i had teh old 9800's then i went to the 400's next to the 600's. less money used and yet i dont feel lacking in power when my friends all get the 500 series. i can still just play the same games as them. and when it comes to the 600 series ill have more money than them to buy the top of the market with.

[happytraveller]

I have been doing some more reading about the new chips, and the way to go seems to be with the 2500K instead of the 2600K, as the general opinion seems to be that unless you are going to do a lot of video editing, then the 2500K is the one to go for to use in gaming. Also it saves us some money!!

smooth landings.

[mfraser]

QUOTE (happytraveller @ Jan 30 2011, 09:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have been doing some more reading about the new chips, and the way to go seems to be with the 2500K instead of the 2600K, as the general opinion seems to be that unless you are going to do a lot of video editing, then the 2500K is the one to go for to use in gaming. Also it saves us some money!!

smooth landings.

Thanks for posting and keeping us updated..... I'm going for another upgrade this year after our house sells. I was going with the i7 960 but the 2500K looks like a better option. Similar performance and half the price!!

QUOTE (cowpatz @ Jan 8 2011, 07:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is there a site anywhere that has used FSX for benchmarking? I am not sure why they don't use FSX in more benchmarking reviews
instead of those older games that no one uses anymore.

I agree, its really disappointing FSX isn't used as a benchmarking tool - I normally go to Passmark for my CPU and Videocard benchmarks....

[gojozoom]

To add my 2 cents, I just bought this HP Elite 185a with a i7 860. I don't intend to overclock it, (reasons : came with 5 years warranty, lack of knowledge and interest, I don't play games, etc), but at factory default, it outperforms the 920 so I'm still happy. With the support of 6GB RAM it gives me a constant 30-35 FPS in FSX, even with the "low-end" GT230 graphics card (everything set to high, VLC, lots of photoreal and custom tweaks).

[AndrewJamez]

the only advantage you get with a 2600K is that it has hyperthreading. Depending which forum you read this makes little to no difference and though FSX uses muliple cores it does not recognise virtual cores which Hyperthrading utilises. So save $100 and get the 2500K. You will also get 2mb less L3 cash with the 2500k. The difference that makes? I'm not sure, prob not much.

[happytraveller]

It seems like more and more sites are recommending the 2500K over the 2600K. Couple of things that I have discovered are that you have to get one of the chips that has the 'K' suffix, as this means that the multiplier is unlocked (so that the chip can be overclocked), and also that the motherboard has to have the P67 (and not the H67) number, to show that the motherboard can also be overclocked.

But the general opinion still seems to be to use the 2500K for gaming. Good thing is that it is also cheaper. Couple of links below if you want to read more on the benefits of the 2500K:-

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=665465

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/297649-2...ing-programming

smooth landings.

[happytraveller]

HOLD YOUR HORSES.

The same day that I placed an order for a new i7 2500K chip, motherboard etc., Intel announce that there is a design flaw with the chip. So I have just cancelled the order for now, and I will wait a couple of months until the new, revised chipsets come out. Annoying but just one of those things. Lucky that I had not installed everything on a new motherboard. See the announcement below for more details from the Intel site:-

Intel just announced in a news release that there is a serious flaw in their P67 chipset. Apparently the boards produced so far have a design flaw that may deteriorate performance over time. Here is the release:

Quote:

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 - As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.


The company expects to begin delivering the updated version of the chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery in April. Intel stands behind its products and is committed to product quality. For computer makers and other Intel customers that have bought potentially affected chipsets or systems, Intel will work with its OEM partners to accept the return of the affected chipsets, and plans to support modifications or replacements needed on motherboards or systems. The systems with the affected support chips have only been shipping since January 9th and the company believes that relatively few consumers are impacted by this issue. The only systems sold to an end customer potentially impacted are Second Generation Core i5 and Core i7 quad core based systems. Intel believes that consumers can continue to use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer manufacturer for a permanent solution. For further information consumers should contact Intel at www.intel.com on the support page or contact their OEM manufacturer.

For the first quarter of 2011, Intel expects this issue to reduce revenue by approximately $300 million as the company discontinues production of the current version of the chipset and begins manufacturing the new version. Full-year revenue is not expected to be materially affected by the issue. Total cost to repair and replace affected materials and systems in the market is estimated to be $700 million. Since this issue affected some of the chipset units shipped and produced in the fourth quarter of 2010, the company will take a charge against cost of goods sold, which is expected to reduce the fourth quarter gross margin percentage by approximately 4 percentage points from the previously reported 67.5 percent. The company will also take a charge in the first quarter of 2011which will lower the previously communicated gross margin percentage by 2 percentage points and the full-year gross margin percentage by one percentage point.
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Smooth landings.

[happytraveller]

Latest on the Sandy Bridge saga.......seems like Intel got onto the problem fast, and the revised motherboards will soon be in the shops, so they appear to have fixed the problem.

I have now taken the plunge again, having had the original order cancelled due to the problems, so I am now waiting on the components for a new system based on the Sandy Bridge processors. I7 2500K + motherboard, MSI 560 graphics card + Corsair cooler. It will be interesting to see how it all works!!

smooth landings.