2600K or 990X?

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Arachnotronic

Arachnotronic

Lifer
Mar 10, 2006
11,715
2,012
126
Hi,

So Intel's delaying their SNB-E, and I'm done waiting to upgrade. I want the fastest CPU possible, so should I get the 990X or the 2600K?
 
Maximilian

Maximilian

Lifer
Feb 8, 2004
12,604
15
81
Intel17 said:
Why not the 990X?
Click to expand...

Well its not worth it.

990x advantage is that it has 6 cores and the sandy bridge only has 4. But 990x is on a dead platform and by the time 6 cores are actually useful for anything other than niche applications the 990x will have been eclipsed in every area by newer tech.
 
Anubis

Anubis

No Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
78,712
427
126
tbqhwy.com
the 2600k is 1/3rd the price and nearly identical in preformance in everything but encoding that can take advantage of the extra cores

its a total waste of money
 
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tynopik

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2004
5,245
500
126
there is no such thing as the 'fastest' cpu

it's 'fastest for a particular purpose'

so . . . what exactly do you want your cpu to be fast at?
 
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Topweasel

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2000
5,437
1,659
136
Intel17 said:
Are you sure? I have no loyalty to Intel, so if BD 8 core will be very fast, I'd like to get one...
Click to expand...

You should see his posts in any of the BD threads. I am supprised he didn't just tell people to hold off for Haswell.

The one thing I do agree with is not holding out for a CPU, its a silly time to get a Phenom X6 or something like that. But I mean the 2600k is a highly competitive CPU for just about any task and is available now. Even if the BD ends up being faster then some of the most hopeful optimists from the AMD side foresee, the 2600 is still going to be right up there with it. It is a 4 core CPU, but one is available now and the other could be a month away or 4. So unless someone is already using a Thuban/deneb or Nahelem, then I would probably recommend just getting the best hardware you can now, and not waiting for a great unknown. By the time BD comes out SB-EX and IB will be closing in, then Trinity/Komodo, and so on.
 
V

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
Yea if you need a lot of cores and use software that will use them then Bulldozer may be worth it.

But if buying now and/or don't need more than 4cores then get the 2600k/2500k and a good z68 board.
 
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Topweasel

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2000
5,437
1,659
136
Intel17 said:
I'm using an i7 860...
Click to expand...

Hold off then. I mean in the end I doubt you would see that big of a performance increase going to SB that it would be worth dumping everything. If the 980x is in your price range then wait out SB-ex and BD and maybe even IB and then assess where your at.

I would at least hold off till Mid July when Hocp has their event with AMD. Supposedly there will be a lot of hands on with BD at that point. If at that point you want to make a decision between 980x and the 2600k, then I would try to figure out what you would rather have top end speed or bandwidth. The 2600k slightly beats the 980x in most SC stuff, but 980x is 6 cores with HT, that a lot of multitasking allowance and better performance in apps and games that can use more then 2 cores.

I am partial to cores, but realistic in price. Which is why I am hoping BD can be really competitive. Doesn't have to win, but come close enough to SB that for me the doubling up in cores makes the difference.
 
Arachnotronic

Arachnotronic

Lifer
Mar 10, 2006
11,715
2,012
126
Yeah, it's an OC'ing dud, despite the Noctua NH-D14...

And I guess I'll just hold off...I've been saving for this new setup for years, so I can wait a few more years for Haswell or IVB-E...
 
D

drizek

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2005
1,410
0
71
What about a 990FX instead?


You're taking a risk waiting for bulldozer, but it is a lot of cores. If it over locks, your patience will have paid off, if not, Zambezi will be flowed by 10-core chips next year. New stepping and 25% more cores, pretty much guaranteed to beat anything on s1366 in multithreaded apps. At least we should hope so.
 
Arachnotronic

Arachnotronic

Lifer
Mar 10, 2006
11,715
2,012
126
Well, the machine I was thinking of doing would be:

- i7 990X or 2600K
- 16 or 24GB of memory (depending on which CPU)
- Top end Asus board
- TriFire 6970s

Choice of CPU doesn't affect the money I have for anything else -- I've saved up > $5,000 over the last few years for this upgrade...

I'm just worried that I won't see enough of an improvement this gen...
 
Chapbass

Chapbass

Diamond Member
May 31, 2004
3,147
96
91
If its that rig in your signature, don't upgrade the proc or video cards at all, instead get an SSD or two and do that. It'll be a much more worthwhile upgrade for most tasks.
 
bryanW1995

bryanW1995

Lifer
May 22, 2007
11,144
32
91
I would get 2 very high end ssd's in raid, save the rest of the money for BD, IB, or SB-E down the road.
 
edplayer

edplayer

Platinum Member
Sep 13, 2002
2,186
0
0
Intel17 said:
Yeah, it's an OC'ing dud, despite the Noctua NH-D14...

And I guess I'll just hold off...I've been saving for this new setup for years, so I can wait a few more years for Haswell or IVB-E...
Click to expand...


Yeah, you should hold off till at least Haswell.

Why not just sell your current cpu and buy one from a trusted seller that guarantees a certain OC?


I'm seeing a 875K on Hardforum that the seller says was running at 4.1GHz (and higher) for $210
 
Last edited:
BTRY B 529th FA BN

BTRY B 529th FA BN

Lifer
Nov 26, 2005
15,197
403
126
Next Gen GPUs

don't waste your money on current GPUs like the 6970s

The rest for gaming isn't worth it IMO

maybe asus will have a bios update for that board .. EVGA did for the 760 and I am overclocking 300 more Mhz at a lower vcore
 
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