Choosing a CPU: i5, i7. 1156, 1366...

[grimpr]

I agree, a killer choise. Sexier silicon too, server grade, not like the desktop cpu lines....This ones a truly great cpu from Intel.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

If you are a 'Green Minded' type of person, the 750 will do you best. But comparing a 750 to a 920 is a little out-dated by the 750 being newer. I'm usually wrong but my guess is the new 32nm 1366 chips will be on par or better than the 750 in terms of idle and system loads.

 

[Hey Zeus]

One of the best discussions I have ever read on anandtech. Very accurate info and smart spending too.

HT is very premium to pay for as Axon said and I am not really sure how helpful Hyperthreading really is on a Quad Core.

Look at the Multi threaded apps. Do you think an 8 second advantage in blender is really caused by a 200mhz advantage? Or how about a 16 second advantage in WinRAR? HT is WORTH IT and anyone who picks up a 750 instead of an X3440 for 40 dollars more is an idiot

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=109&p2=108

 

[grimpr]

IMHO,HT doesn't command a price premium, but in the case of the X3440 that Zeus proposed, its more than definitely recommended, one of the best Intel SKU's around if not the best.

 

[Dasda]

I'll say it again. X3440

A higher binned processor then the 750 and 860 because it's a Xeon

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117225

That is a very good chip. Have you overclocked it? How well can it overclock with a inexpensive HSF like Cooler Master 212? It could be the best choice for Quad core Hyperthreading but it still is $40 more than i5-750. One could easily say i7-860 is only another $40 more but I'm on your side and think this is a excellent bang for the buck cpu(X3440).

Thanks.

 

[Hey Zeus]

That is a very good chip. Have you overclocked it? How well can it overclock with a inexpensive HSF like Cooler Master 212? It could be the best choice for Quad core Hyperthreading but it still is $40 more than i5-750. One could easily say i7-860 is only another $40 more but I'm on your side and think this is a excellent bang for the buck cpu(X3440).

Thanks.

Xeon > *

This guy has it overclocked on a Corsair H50

 

[biostud]

for $40 more I would probably choose the 3440 over the i5-750, but to me HT is not worth $100.

 

[SniperSlap]

I'll have to keep an eye on the Xeons at this rate. I never knew there was such a thing as a Xeon < $500 even!

Strange, it somehow makes it too good to be true.

 

[Axon]

Wow, I didn't realize the Xeon 3440 was so impressive. Though I would rarely use HT, it's hard to justify not putting the extra $40 down on it, as there are no true detriments to it.

 

[n7]

I'll say it again. X3440

A higher binned processor then the 750 and 860 because it's a Xeon

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819117225

Solid option between the i5 750 & i7 860?
Absolutely.
Better binned than the i7 860?

No.

The results i've seen indicate that Xeon is no better than the i7 860 for OCing; more likely a bit worse overall due to to the lower multi.

Not saying the X3440 is a bad deal; it's not.
It's the value chip to get if you need 8 threads.

But i can't agree that it's better binned than the higher rated i7 860.

 

[andy5174]

I concur with you.

 

[Munky]

HT makes a big difference depending on the application, for example in things like video encoding. In games, not so much.

ALL i7 models and the i5 750 have an on-die memory controller.

If you're looking for future upgradability, the only sure bet is skt1366, which will support six-core cpu's. That doesn't mean however that skt1156 is a dead end, they could be getting newer 32nm quads in the future.

SandyBridge is way off in the future, good luck trying to plan a build around it.

 

[Hey Zeus]

SandyBridge is way off in the future, good luck trying to plan a build around it.

SB will be out by the end of this year :biggrin:

 

[Munky]

SB will be out by the end of this year :biggrin:

That means you still have as much as 11 months to wait. Too long for me to care.

 

[aamsel]

Look at the Multi threaded apps. Do you think an 8 second advantage in blender is really caused by a 200mhz advantage? Or how about a 16 second advantage in WinRAR? HT is WORTH IT and anyone who picks up a 750 instead of an X3440 for 40 dollars more is an idiot

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=109&p2=108

Thanks for reminding us of the Xeons, seems that most people are unaware of them.

So, the X3440 is the Xeon equivalent of an i5-750, clocked slightly lower stock, but with added hyperthreading? If so, it does sound great. Is this the overall best bang for the buck Xeon 1156? Or does this chip equate more to the i7-860, again at a lower stock clock?

I have to admit I am confused about the Xeon offerings, since they don't appear to be a direct duplicate of the desktop chips.

Yes, I fully realize and agree with you that they are usually superior binning, and usually guaranteed lower VID.

Also, all motherboard manufacturers of 1156 boards don't state compatibility, yet I am guessing that they will all work out of the box? Is there a chance in hell that some app won't know what CPU is being used?

What would be the likely air-cooled range that these would easily get to?

 

[Hey Zeus]

Thanks for reminding us of the Xeons, seems that most people are unaware of them.

So, the X3440 is the Xeon equivalent of an i5-750, clocked slightly lower stock, but with added hyperthreading? If so, it does sound great. Is this the overall best bang for the buck Xeon 1156? Or does this chip equate more to the i7-860, again at a lower stock clock?

I have to admit I am confused about the Xeon offerings, since they don't appear to be a direct duplicate of the desktop chips.

Yes, I fully realize and agree with you that they are usually superior binning, and usually guaranteed lower VID.

Also, all motherboard manufacturers of 1156 boards don't state compatibility, yet I am guessing that they will all work out of the box? Is there a chance in hell that some app won't know what CPU is being used?

What would be the likely air-cooled range that these would easily get to?

4Ghz on air shouldn't be much of an issue with great air ala a TRUE or Mega shadow. The X3440 is pretty much a lower clocked 860.

X3440 - 19X Multi
860 - 21X Multi

The Xeon will plop into any P55 board and run without issue. EVGA doesn't state Xeon support for my board but many are running it without any issues. My Clarkdale ran on the original september bios shipped with this board so you shouldn't worry about any issues.

 

[jlee]

I was going to look at an i5 setup this summer, but now I wonder if the 3440 may be a better choice..

 

[SniperSlap]

I'm happy enough to wait until the end of the year to at least have a better picture of things. Right now is not the greatest time to build and March may only bring slight discounts to older technologies.

While I think waiting for things to come out is futile, in this case I could see myself wishing I'd held back a bit. There's no immediate rush as I've managed to bake my laptop's Go 7900GS back into working shape.

Here's hoping Sandy Bridge does come out near the end of the year. Although I suspect it will be more like March/April of 2011.

 

[aamsel]

4Ghz on air shouldn't be much of an issue with great air ala a TRUE or Mega shadow. The X3440 is pretty much a lower clocked 860.

X3440 - 19X Multi
860 - 21X Multi

The Xeon will plop into any P55 board and run without issue. EVGA doesn't state Xeon support for my board but many are running it without any issues. My Clarkdale ran on the original september bios shipped with this board so you shouldn't worry about any issues.

You wouldn't then see any reason for the next step up in Xeon's, which is what, the X3450 or greater, just to get a higher multi?

I fully realize that people are using these, just a pinch "queasy" about it.
Where you say that "many are running" (these chips) it is tough to find more than a tiny handful of people posting about them,
or reviews. Of course, being a server chip, consumer reviews are less likely since people just don't generally know about the Xeons at all.

With that lower 19x, wouldn't the integrated memory controller also be a limiter?

About ready to bite and try one.

 

[Axon]

You wouldn't then see any reason for the next step up in Xeon's, which is what, the X3450 or greater, just to get a higher multi?

I fully realize that people are using these, just a pinch "queasy" about it.
Where you say that "many are running" (these chips) it is tough to find more than a tiny handful of people posting about them,
or reviews. Of course, being a server chip, consumer reviews are less likely since people just don't generally know about the Xeons at all.

With that lower 19x, wouldn't the integrated memory controller also be a limiter?

About ready to bite and try one.

The X3440 looks like a i7 860 with a lower clock speed and a lower price tag, so it's definitely a good deal in that regard. I would not anticipate any problems running an 1156 chip in an 1156 socket at this point.

If I was building something for myself, I'd go with it. if I was building something for someone who was a little more budget-conscious and not so concerned with horsepower, like I recently did for the little lady, I'd go to Microcenter and get them an i5. Fuggedabouit if they bring the i5 back down to $160.

 

[tweakboy]

How do the Xeon overclock ? The Xeon is a server processor and from what I have read about it, it's not a workstation CPU and thus is slower then the desktop line.

These chips are only good for big companies with servers and hundreds of users if not thousands.... It will handle all load easily. thx

 

[mav451]

How do the Xeon overclock ? The Xeon is a server processor and from what I have read about it, it's not a workstation CPU and thus is slower then the desktop line.

These chips are only good for big companies with servers and hundreds of users if not thousands.... It will handle all load easily. thx

Where did you read this?

 

[Markfw]

How do the Xeon overclock ? The Xeon is a server processor and from what I have read about it, it's not a workstation CPU and thus is slower then the desktop line.

These chips are only good for big companies with servers and hundreds of users if not thousands.... It will handle all load easily. thx

wrong....@2.53 rated speed, its just as fast as a I5 750 if you ran them both at the same speed. And it won't handle hundreds or thousands of users either, nor will an I5 750 or an I7 975.

 

[Hey Zeus]

How do the Xeon overclock ? The Xeon is a server processor and from what I have read about it, it's not a workstation CPU and thus is slower then the desktop line.

These chips are only good for big companies with servers and hundreds of users if not thousands.... It will handle all load easily. thx

Ugh.. Let's have alittle processor lesson shall we? Lets say this is a Lynnfield Wafer. The processors in the middle are going to be Xeon X3470's and Core I7 870's. The 860's and X3440's will be towards the outer edges with the 750's on the real outter edges.

Tell me again how a processor that comes from the same wafer as the 860, 750 is not going to overclock?

 

[n7]

Here are some results from OCN people.
http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/637323-lga-1156-round-two-xeon-x3440.html

Basically just as i said, the Xeon X3440 is a great option if you can spend a bit more than the i5 750, or cannot quite afford an i7 860.