Intel screws LGA1366 users?

[llee]

From the official Anandtech Sandy Bridge review...

One side effect of Intel’s tick-tock cadence is a staggered release update schedule for various market segments. For example, Nehalem’s release in Q4 2008 took care of the high-end desktop market, however it didn’t see an update until the beginning of 2010 with Gulftown. Similarly, while Lynnfield debuted in Q3 2009 it was left out of the 32nm refresh in early 2010. Sandy Bridge is essentially that 32nm update to Lynnfield.

So where does that leave Nehalem and Gulftown owners? For the most part, the X58 platform is a dead end. While there are some niche benefits (more PCIe lanes, more memory bandwidth, 6-core support), the majority of users would be better served by Sandy Bridge on LGA-1155.

For the users who need those benefits however, there is a version of Sandy Bridge for you. It’s codenamed Sandy Bridge-E and it’ll debut in Q4 2011. The chips will be available in both 4 and 6 core versions with a large L3 cache (Intel isn’t being specific at this point).

I'd like to know what the LGA1366 users at AT think. I recall many people telling others seeking build advice to opt for LGA1366 because it was 'future-proof'. Now it seems that Intel is jumping straight to LGA 2011 for the high performance market. Or do you feel differently?

Edit: Also, what do you guys think about the PCIe lane limitation to 16? Even if the CPUs are better, users will be limited from building triple/quadruple multi-card graphics setups.

Edit: I didn't realize that board makers were pumping out mobos with NF200 chips on them for 8-8-8.

 

[richierich1212]

The 1366 crowd already knew that Intel would be going with a totally different socket with SB. And most hardcore guys will always pick up the latest and greatest, no matter what platform.

 

[RussianSensation]

I recall many people telling others seeking build advice to opt for LGA1366 because it was 'future-proof'.

1. The only time I can see anyone reasonably arguing that LGA1366 was "future-proof" was before 6-core i7s were released. I think most knowledgeable enthusiasts on our board already knew a long time ago that LGA1366 was at end of its life (just like AM3+ and S1156 were as well).

2. In some cases it was the most future-proof platform until SB arrived: it still featured 6 Dimm slots allowing for the most amount of memory to be installed, still gave you the option to upgrade to a 6-core Gulftown should you want to go that route, and ran SATA 3.0/USB 3.0 off PCIe which removed bottlenecks often found in LGA1156 boards using such implementations.

3. With PC hardware constantly evolving and new stuff being released all the time, we really should be very careful when discussing the concept of "future-proofing". I mean really, even S1155 isn't really future-proof since you'll probably need LGA2011 for 6- and esp. 8-core chips. Most importantly, people running $300+ CPUs and $200+ motherboards (i.e., S1366 customers) probably upgrade their CPUs along with motherboards anyways; so the idea of being stuck on an obsolete socket is largely irrelevant to that crowd I would imagine.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

OCing is now waaay too easy - get a K and adjust Vcore + multi, or not at all.

 

[Rifter]

Hell i just went 1366 6 months ago and i dont feel screwed. Intel screwed 1156 not 1366. Even SB(1155) isnt a replacement for 1366 so really 1366 is still intels enthusiast socket till LGA 2011 hits the market, its not even obsolete yet.

 

[Makaveli]

I agree with everything posted so far. Most of us already knew SB was not coming to 1366 and even with its release i'm still pleased with my i7-920 build. Been on it since oct 09 and won't be looking at upgrading anything until Q2 2012 or with whatever refresh is out at that time.

 

[tomoyo]

Screwed only if you had a false expectation that sandy bridge would be compatible. LGA-1366 gave you both nehalem and westmere. Anything extra would have been a lucky bonus. I'm still on core 2 platform, but I'll move to either lga-1155 or bulldozer next year.

 

[edplayer]

Screwed only if you had a false expectation that sandy bridge would be compatible.

Even with that, how could you blame Intel?

They never claimed SB would be released on 1366. OP should put more time into researching purchases. At least with computer parts, they are fairly inexpensive. Plenty of other things that you can waste even more money on.

 

[kami]

In a couple of months I will have had my i7 920 @ 4ghz setup for 2 years. I have never ever before this had a mobo/CPU combo last that long, and I don't see myself upgrading this until LGA 2011 at the end of the year at the very earliest. I may end up getting 3 years out of this thing and I don't feel bottle-necked at all for anything I do.

While it would have been nice for the 1366 platform to go on longer, I would have ended up upgrading my motherboard eventually anyway for newer features. So it already would have been a new LGA1366 mobo with a new generation CPU - getting a LGA2011 mobo with the CPU isn't much of a difference for me.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I spent good money on my 1366 setup and don't feel cheated at all. It's still wicked fast, and enough performance to last me a good long time.

That said, SB is quite impressive. A $310.00 CPU that can smack around the 980X is just crazy.

 

[Axon]

I've had my i7 920 since 2009. It's now 2011 and Sandy Bridge beats my CPU by some, but not so much that I'm itching to upgrade. How could I possibly feel ripped off?

 

[brencat]

No such thing as 'future proof' OP. I knew darn well what I was doing when I built my i5-760 system in my sig in late October. I had every intention of waiting to upgrade to SB until my 775 mobo (IP35-E) kicked the bucket shy of the finish line. 3 mos was just too long to be without a PC and I got a spectacular deal on the mobo, chip, and DDR3. No regrets here at all.

 

[Castiel]

Newegg needs to release the 2600K/Maximus IV. I NEED to order. AWESOME review Anandtech.

 

[Anubis]

I've had my i7 920 since 2009. It's now 2011 and Sandy Bridge beats my CPU by some, but not so much that I'm itching to upgrade. How could I possibly feel ripped off?

i agree with this, my 920 while 2 years old is still better then 95% of the CPUs out there, unless something breaks beyond simple repair itll be years before i upgrade

 

[Gillbot]

The 1366 crowd already knew that Intel would be going with a totally different socket with SB. And most hardcore guys will always pick up the latest and greatest, no matter what platform.

This ^

LGA1366 will carry you further than LGA775 or LGA1156 will with the Hex core, and for many that's just a tide-over until the real meat begins with LGA2011 IMHO.

 

[Insomniator]

No one got screwed... most people that bought a 1366 platform probably don't care about having to buy a new mobo if they want to get this.

Plus you can still get great CPU performance on S775 and AM3.. cpu's are boring.

 

[llee]

They never claimed SB would be released on 1366. OP should put more time into researching purchases. At least with computer parts, they are fairly inexpensive. Plenty of other things that you can waste even more money on.

For the record, I'm a Lynnfield user. I feel completely ripped off that Intel decided to get rid of backwards compatibility with LGA1156 chips. I quickly realized that I was flame-baiting myself by mentioning the term 'future-proof', but it was just an example of what I've heard in recommendations and accolades. In the original post however, I'm querying for LGA1366 users' opinions.

 

[biostud]

Buying a motherboard to be "future-proof" is in 99% of cases stupid. You should buy it because it fits your needs now, and have the best price/performance ratio for your needs when you buy it. LGA1156 owners are those for medium/high performance LGA1366 for high performance. Unless you want to go AMD you only had those choices, what else should you have bought?

 

[Castiel]

For the record, I'm a Lynnfield user. I feel completely ripped off that Intel decided to get rid of backwards compatibility with LGA1156 chips. I quickly realized that I was flame-baiting myself by mentioning the term 'future-proof', but it was just an example of what I've heard in recommendations and accolades. In the original post however, I'm querying for LGA1366 users' opinions.

Not sure why you're so surprised. I'm a Lynnfield owner as well but it's mainstream. I knew it would be replaced quickly. Can't wait to move up to SB

 

[God Mode]

People that buy their commodity computers as an investment and also expect upgradability beyond a few years need a reality check.

 

[Golgatha]

In a couple of months I will have had my i7 920 @ 4ghz setup for 2 years. I have never ever before this had a mobo/CPU combo last that long, and I don't see myself upgrading this until LGA 2011 at the end of the year at the very earliest. I may end up getting 3 years out of this thing and I don't feel bottle-necked at all for anything I do.

While it would have been nice for the 1366 platform to go on longer, I would have ended up upgrading my motherboard eventually anyway for newer features. So it already would have been a new LGA1366 mobo with a new generation CPU - getting a LGA2011 mobo with the CPU isn't much of a difference for me.

I don't feel screwed at all. I upgraded to an i7 920, X58 Motherboard, and 12GB DDR3 around 1.5 years ago for around $600 and sold my Q9550, motherboard, and 8GB DDR2 RAM for around $350 at the time, so the overall expense was around $250. At 3.2Ghz I still have a platform which is competitive with Sandy Bridge in terms of raw performance, have the option of Crossfire or SLI for video with 2x 16x PCIe slots (I have utilized both options during the life of my current system), and have plenty of RAM for anything I'd like to do.

My next motherboard will have a UEFI BIOS, SATA 3, and USB 3.0 integrated into the chipset. I think this year might be another one of those rare years that I just don't upgrade anything in my system. I do like the new and shiny graphics cards though, so I may eat those words yet. I'll probably be in the crowd that upgrades to socket 2011 or a more mature S1156 a year or more from now.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I knew full well that 1366 was only "future-proof" in so far as the next few years. I was hoping for SB to have some 1366 support, but wasn't holding my breath. I got my i7 920 in Aug of 2009, and still love it.

I actually even built my gf a system to edit photos on with an i7 920 based system just ~8 months ago because of how solid my system was. SB is great, but it's just an evolutionary step IMO. I doubt that moving to a new SB system would really see much benefit over a 1366 system in real world use. On benchmarks sure, but in real world the benefits will be seen only in a few situations that only a small % of people actually do regularly (or enough to see the benefit over 1366).

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I don't feel screwed at all. I upgraded to an i7 920, X58 Motherboard, and 12GB DDR3 around 1.5 years ago for around $600 and sold my Q9550, motherboard, and 8GB DDR2 RAM for around $350 at the time, so the overall expense was around $250. At 3.2Ghz I still have a platform which is competitive with Sandy Bridge in terms of raw performance, have the option of Crossfire or SLI for video with 2x 16x PCIe slots (I have utilized both options during the life of my current system), and have plenty of RAM for anything I'd like to do.

My next motherboard will have a UEFI BIOS, SATA 3, and USB 3.0 integrated into the chipset. I think this year might be another one of those rare years that I just don't upgrade anything in my system. I do like the new and shiny graphics cards though, so I may eat those words yet. I'll probably be in the crowd that upgrades to socket 2011 or a more mature S1156 a year or more from now.

I concur here too. I got my SSD with SF1200 based controller, 5850, etc and the only real upgrade I'd think of doing is going up to 12 gb ram. Outside of that, perhaps a new monitor (Dell 2407 right now) but there isn't much with my system that I really have an "itch" to upgrade.

 

[Scotteq]

I'd like to know what the LGA1366 users at AT think. I recall many people telling others seeking build advice to opt for LGA1366 because it was 'future-proof'. Now it seems that Intel is jumping straight to LGA 2011 for the high performance market. Or do you feel differently?

This question comes up each and every time Intel release a new chipset.

Each and every time I have the same answer: When I built my computer, I built a System out of the best parts available at the time. To this day, that system performs every bit as well as the day I built it and continues to deliver value for the money I spent. Further - I am now - and continue to be - fully aware of Moore's Law and the expected lifespan of a PC.

I do not see or understand how I could be somehow ripped off by components that were not available for purchase a year and a half ago. Further, the components referenced in the OP aren't even available *today*. So how am I to feel cheated over components that not only didn't exist when I built my system but also cannot be bought today?

It's like feeling ripped off because Acura will inevitably build a new version of the car I drive.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Ripped off would be if the computer would stop working when the new socket comes out. You guys still have an awesome computer, and I doubt that you max it out everyday in terms of usage, even if it's 1 or 2 years old. Do I feel ripped off because my socket 775 and C2D E8500 is no longer supported or used? Nah....I still love it and it serves me well, until I upgrade once again that is. Like the seasons in the year, it's an eternal cycle that won't stop anytime soon.