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Help me decide 1156 (i7 860) or 1366 (i7 920)

Which route should I go?

  • Intel 1156 socket (i7-860)

  • Intel 1366 socket (i7-920)

  • AMD

Results are only viewable after voting.
C

chnsawalex

Member
So I'm ready to build/upgrade my current system and am kind of in a bind trying to figure out which path to go. I really like what the i7 860 has to offer however the motherboard features don't seem as future proof as 1366 boards. I like the idea of having usb 3 and sata 6 ready to go when devices start coming out that utilize them. I don't plan on overclocking so it seems like the 860 is the way to go. However I'm also toying with the idea of installing x somewhere down the line and most people go the 1366 route because of the EFiX. I don't game much these days mostly on the 360 when I do. It's mostly for productivity apps.

In either case I will need to purchase a new power supply, mobo, cpu, and ram. I have a case drives and video card that I'm fine with. Also price wise I feel like either way would be about the same. Microcenter has a great deal on both processors and mobo I'm looking to spend no more than $250 but have the future proof features. Any advise is better than where I now stand trying to price out two separate builds.

Thanks in advance for all your help.
 
Being "future-proof" is impossible. Right now the 1156 platform is a better value for money. As far as USB3 and SATA 6 go, there are plenty of 1156 boards that support both (posting from one right now).

If you want a Mac, just buy a Mac. The new series of iMacs are quite nice and you can always run Boot Camp to get Windows.
 
The 860 does not overclock better than the 920. I think you are misinformed there.

I had to make the same decision and I went with the x58 chipset but if your on a tight budget, the p55 or even h55/57 will do you fine for the 860.
 
mfenn said:
If you want a Mac, just buy a Mac. The new series of iMacs are quite nice and you can always run Boot Camp to get Windows.
Click to expand...
I'm not looking for a mac just have the os as a novelty that is all.

Dasda said:
Default
The 860 does not overclock better than the 920. I think you are misinformed there.

I had to make the same decision and I went with the x58 chipset but if your on a tight budget, the p55 or even h55/57 will do you fine for the 860.
Click to expand...
Thats what I'm saying is that I don't care about over clocking so the 860 would be the better choice. However I like your self am leaning more toward socket 1366 and the x58 chipset. However performance and feature wise will it be significantly better than getting the 860? I've just got the notion in my head that the 860 is a great value and what I'm looking for in a CPU. It's just the mobo and chipset for it I'm not as enthused about.
 
chnsawalex said:
Thats what I'm saying is that I don't care about over clocking so the 860 would be the better choice. However I like your self am leaning more toward socket 1366 and the x58 chipset. However performance and feature wise will it be significantly better than getting the 860? I've just got the notion in my head that the 860 is a great value and what I'm looking for in a CPU. It's just the mobo and chipset for it I'm not as enthused about.
Click to expand...

The 860 is faster than the 920 in most benchmarks due to its more aggressive turbo modes. If you want to go 1366, then you should go for the new 930 which is only $6 more and the same speed as the 860.

Mind you, P55 is just as good as the X58 (unless you want a multi-GPU setup, which you don't) and is a good deal cheaper. Neither 1156 nor 1366 have future, as Sandy Bridge will use a new socket (1155).
 
mfenn said:
The 860 is faster than the 920 in most benchmarks due to its more aggressive turbo modes. If you want to go 1366, then you should go for the new 930 which is only $6 more and the same speed as the 860.

Mind you, P55 is just as good as the X58 (unless you want a multi-GPU setup, which you don't) and is a good deal cheaper. Neither 1156 nor 1366 have future, as Sandy Bridge will use a new socket (1155).
Click to expand...

Yea I agree with above but I think he has a Microcenter close to him so he can get the 920 at $199. So the 930 would probably be atleast $80 more unless they are running the same deal on them now too. Otherwise, 930 is clearly the obvious choice now if there is no Microcenter near you.

Back to 1156 vs 1366, I'll tell you How I chose 1366 over 1156. 1156 mobo would have cost me $180-190 for good features(Asus p55 de pro or ga-p55a-ud4p) . The x58 motherboard cost me $220(x58a-ud3r-- pretty much same as x58a-ud7).

The second "savings" comes from RAM. I did not consider this to be savings because on 1156 people actually run 4 gigs dual channel RAM which you could also do on 1366 if you choose to.

So I was only really saving upto $30 on mobo and thats it. I felt like it was worth the extra few bucks to get the x58 chipset for somewhat future proofing and a lot of people said it is more robust than the p55.

I hope my post helps, and yes I suck at keeping it short.
 
MicroCenter:
920 = 199$
930 = 229$

There are hints that a new board may be required for SandyBridge. A quote from an Anandtech article: "The verdict isn’t out on whether or not Sandy Bridge will require a new motherboard. It is possible to make the chip work in existing LGA-1156 motherboards, but that requires additional validation that Intel may not be willing to commit to at this point. The decision isn’t final yet and Intel is telling its partners to expect a new chipset (6-series) and thus new motherboards to support the chip at this point." - Link
 
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Dasda said:
Yea I agree with above but I think he has a Microcenter close to him so he can get the 920 at $199. So the 930 would probably be atleast $80 more unless they are running the same deal on them now too. Otherwise, 930 is clearly the obvious choice now if there is no Microcenter near you.

Back to 1156 vs 1366, I'll tell you How I chose 1366 over 1156. 1156 mobo would have cost me $180-190 for good features(Asus p55 de pro or ga-p55a-ud4p) . The x58 motherboard cost me $220(x58a-ud3r-- pretty much same as x58a-ud7).

The second "savings" comes from RAM. I did not consider this to be savings because on 1156 people actually run 4 gigs dual channel RAM which you could also do on 1366 if you choose to.

So I was only really saving upto $30 on mobo and thats it. I felt like it was worth the extra few bucks to get the x58 chipset for somewhat future proofing and a lot of people said it is more robust than the p55.

I hope my post helps, and yes I suck at keeping it short.
Click to expand...

Your argument is all well and good (although I don't buy the robustness part one bit), but what did your extra few bucks buy you? A slower CPU in a socket that's just as dead as the other.
 
It looks like Microcenter sells the 930 for $229.99. which is exactly how much the 860 costs. So with this in mind would it be wise then to go with the 930?
 
chnsawalex said:
It looks like Microcenter sells the 930 for $229.99. which is exactly how much the 860 costs. So with this in mind would it be wise then to go with the 930?
Click to expand...

I would still go with the 860 over the 930 if you're not overclocking.

The reason is that they have the same base clock speed (2.80GHz), but the 860 turbos more aggressively. The max turbo modes (in 133MHz increments over the base):

4 cores active / 3 cores active / 2 cores active / 1 core active
860: 1/1/4/5
930: 1/1/1/2
 
I just went through the same thing. Ultimately, it came down a savings of about $100 (RAM, MB, & CPU) to go with the 1156. I did lose out on the $200 i7-860 deal @ MC, but getting the MB (Asus P7P55D-E) @ Newegg for $140 w/FS made up for it (everyplace else was $160+) and also got the Amazon Cosair RAM for $85.
i7-860 $230(MC had it @ $200 when I priced it) + MB $140 + RAM (4GB) $85=$455
i7-920 $200+ MB $220 (from Dasda)+ RAM (same 4GB though should use tri-channel for the full benefits which is how I priced it) $85=$505
That extra cash would allow me to afford either a GPU or add. HDD and I think I got a pretty nice set up (non gaming)
 
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mfenn said:
Your argument is all well and good (although I don't buy the robustness part one bit), but what did your extra few bucks buy you? A slower CPU in a socket that's just as dead as the other.
Click to expand...

Say one was interested in overclocking. In that case, would a 920 be the better choice? (I have a Microcenter by me, so prices are pretty good)

Where does a 750 fit in?
 
Thanks for your advice keypox, that's kind of what I was looking for. I am going to stick with i860 p55 though, going either gigabit or asus. However I will check the site for tutorials to see which board will work better since it's a toss-up for me now.
 
I voted 1366.
Biggest reasons are:
1. future more affordable 6-core chips
2. more PCI-e lanes. (If you should get a 2nd PCIe-x16 card besides your video card somewhere down the line the 2nd slot will actually work as x16 instead of having all the lanes already pre-allocated for video).
 
I am leaning now more toward the 930 as there seems to be more advantage to socket 1366. I don't build a new PC often (my current box is at least 8 years old) so money isn't a huge issue this time around. Still I'm keeping it kind of conservative as I simply don't need top of the line power and performance. With that in mind what motherboard would you recommend? I have an IDE dvd burner that I need to bring over until I can find a suitable replacement for what I use it for.
 
chnsawalex said:
I am leaning now more toward the 930 as there seems to be more advantage to socket 1366. I don't build a new PC often (my current box is at least 8 years old) so money isn't a huge issue this time around. Still I'm keeping it kind of conservative as I simply don't need top of the line power and performance. With that in mind what motherboard would you recommend? I have an IDE dvd burner that I need to bring over until I can find a suitable replacement for what I use it for.
Click to expand...

1366 is silly for you. Check out Anand's recent article where he shows the Intel roadmap. There are NO affordable, 6-core, socket 1366 processors coming out. Period.

roadmap.jpg


Sandy bridge is going to require a new socket, so the socket 1366 longevity argument is moot. Also, Extreme Edition processors hold their value quite well, so you're unlikely to get the 980X or 970 parts (the only 1366 6-cores) for cheap. Glugglug's PCIe lane argument is valid, but irrelevant to you since you don't game much on the PC these days.

You said it yourself, "I don't need top of the line power and performance." Get a i5 750 or i7 860 and be done with it.

Also, a new SATA DVD burner is $22, so don't choose your motherboard solely based on the availability of an IDE port. Pick the mobo you want, and then consider the presence of IDE to be an added bonus.
 
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