Is it worth waiting for the Penryn?

[VigilanteCS]

Hi all. I'm going to be ordering parts of a new system, and I was going to do it today, but do you all think it'd be worth it to wait for the E8x00 C2Ds and quads? I had originally planned to get an 8800GT, E6750, some SLI mobo (undecided, suggestions?), 4 gigs of ram and some omfgbig hard drive.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Xvys]

The E6750 is pretty similiar to the E8400 and has many of the new features. The Penryns are essentially the latest revision of the original Core2Duo, and will increase performance by 5 to 10% in most applications. The E6750 are already super cool, but the Penryns are even cooler and will probably o/c a bit higher without massive voltage.

If I didn't already have a good computer (E6300) I might buy the E6750 noe and be perfectly satisfied with it. But the E8400 will be available in about 3 weeks for about the same cost. I will wait until early Feb when the Penryn prices to come down, then plunk a E8400 in my P5K-Deluxe!

 

[VigilanteCS]

Thanks for the response. I'll go ahead and get a 6750. Does anybody have a suggestion on a decent SLI motherboard? I know this is the wrong section but I wouldn't want to make another thread for it. I'm looking to keep it under $200.

 

[nonameo]

isn't 45nm delayed?

 

[Cookie Monster]

Wait for the 750i nforce boards which will support SLi with 2x8 PCI-e gen2. These will be out at the same time the 780i is launched (this depends on the mobo manufacturer of course since EVGA/XFX has already launched theres, but gigabyte, MSi, DFI? still hasnt)

They look pretty decent and should be around the price range you are looking at. The current set of SLi boards unfavorable especially when it comes to stability of the 680i boards.

However if your not doing SLi, id just go grab a P35 board which is perfectly fine and much cheaper as well.

 

[PCTC2]

Originally posted by: nonameo
isn't 45nm delayed?

Only Yorkfields.. until "February" or so.

As for SLI, wait around for the 750i as Cookie Monster said (it'll be similar in performance to the 680i SLI with the features of a 650i with Yorkfield Compatibility. The 780i isn't worth it unless you want to go Tri-SLI and have a huge need to burn money.
790i will require DDR3, which probably isn't worth the switch at the moment.

 

[VigilanteCS]

I've decided I'll probably never run SLI so I just got a Gigabyte GA - P35 - DS3P. Thanks guys.

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: VigilanteCS
I've decided I'll probably never run SLI so I just got a Gigabyte GA - P35 - DS3P. Thanks guys.

SLI would be a good bet to buy. I ran a 7600GT single for a long time then bought another 7600GT for dirt cheap and ran SLI. I could actualy see a difference in speed and graphics. I would still be using it today but I got a great deal on a 8800 GT 512 :thumbsup:

 

[Conroy9]

c2d's are less than a month away; 3 weeks doesn't seem like a long time to wait for something that's faster, cooler and uses less power.. You're going to be keeping this PC for awhile.

Quads are a different story though, having been delayed already.

 

[Extelleron]

If I was building a dual-core Intel machine, I'd definately wait for the E8xxx series to arrive, it's only a few weeks and will be faster, run cooler, and consume less power.

If I were building a quad-core machine, though, I'd just go with the Q6600 because you're talking about waiting at least 2-3 months and the Q9450 probably won't be $316 at release anyway.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Build now get a mobo that will also use the new CPU, get it up and running then exchange for the new one. I was going to get the E8400 but after getting my 6750 to 3.6 I decided not to, its not like it isnt fast enough already. A little cooler and less power used I can live without that, I mainly game so ill keep what I have.

 

[Timecop1967]

I've seen preorders for the Penryn Q9450 for 359$ and 209$ for the E8400 at Antares Digital. Now the question is whether or not I should preorder the Wolfdale E8400 at $220 delivered price or just get a Quad 6600 at 250-280$. I like the idea of a cooler running system but the Quad may have more longevity.

 

[darkxknight]

e2160@3ghz until quad penryns come down in price for me!

 

[j0j081]

I was in a similar situation but just decided to get the e6750 because I am tired of waiting for everything to come out all the time. I wanted it for a xmas present to myself and I am extremely satisfied so far. If I really get the itch for one of the newer models you can always sell your cpu on ebay for close to retail because there are so many dumpty heads on there.

 

[tallman45]

I would wait at this point, if you leave your rig running all the time, just the electricity savings will add up to a significant amount in just 6 months

Not to mention the proc does perform slightly better

 

[trake1]

In same decision mode myself ~ 680i and ready to upgrade from e6400.

All your advice has helped a lot, thanks!

One question to add to this thred please...

Going from an 800 FSB e6400 w. DDR2-800, can we just plop in an 1333 FSB E8400?

Will the memory bus match up?

Sorry if it's a stupid question.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Originally posted by: trake1
In same decision mode myself ~ 680i and ready to upgrade from e6400.

All your advice has helped a lot, thanks!

One question to add to this thred please...

Going from an 800 FSB e6400 w. DDR2-800, can we just plop in an 1333 FSB E8400?

Will the memory bus match up?

Sorry if it's a stupid question.

I run DDR2 800 with my E6570 which is 1333 FSB chip, so yes it works.

 

[Pabster]

Well you don't have to wait. There's a Penryn out there right now :laugh:

I'm assuming you mean wait for the "cheap" Penryn cores...in which case, yes.

EDIT: Of course, it depends on what you are doing with it. 10% is a lot in some areas, not even noticeable in others...IMHO, Q6600 is the best bang right now.

 

[Engineer]

Interesting that so many companies are taking pre-orders for Q9300's and Q9450's even though they are supposedly delayed. Interesting indeed.

 

[fire400]

Originally posted by: Engineer
Interesting that so many companies are taking pre-orders for Q9300's and Q9450's even though they are supposedly delayed. Interesting indeed.

Organizations concerned with getting the latest computer hardware? They have teams who are 24/7-ready to replace current systems.

Sub-processing at the lower-end is still important, we're talking typical desktops.

Penryn is nothing in product cost to these bigger guys.

Macro-microfunction servers/workstations with Penryn's will make a difference in two weeks of consecutive computing over a Clovertown branch.

 

[Zenoth]

The decreased power consumption and heat alone from the revised 45nm models make me wonder why anyone right in their mind would instead chose to go with a 65nm model. I see no reasons whatsoever to go with such a model when the revision is just right around the corner. I think only impatience can push anyone to buy at this very day rather than waiting for, simply said, an overall better product. And the extent at which it can be considered "better" is, in my opinion, still irrelevant in the long run.

Everything that that 65nm architecture does is done better by the revision. I would highly recommend to anyone willing to upgrade to wait, instead of listening to their impulsive temptations. Unless of course you'd have some kind of a very noticeable price cut on the current models, which might be the only reason with sense in it to go for one rather than the upcoming Penryns.

 

[Toadster]

get both, get the current gen - and then the penryn, sell the current gen later

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: fire400

Originally posted by: Engineer
Interesting that so many companies are taking pre-orders for Q9300's and Q9450's even though they are supposedly delayed. Interesting indeed.

Organizations concerned with getting the latest computer hardware? They have teams who are 24/7-ready to replace current systems.

Sub-processing at the lower-end is still important, we're talking typical desktops.

Penryn is nothing in product cost to these bigger guys.

Macro-microfunction servers/workstations with Penryn's will make a difference in two weeks of consecutive computing over a Clovertown branch.

My point was more that they are taking pre-orders when the quads are supposed to be delayed until late Feb. / early March. Some of them have "usually ships in 1-2 weeks".

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: Toadster
get both, get the current gen - and then the penryn, sell the current gen later

^best advice