New Build - Haven't kept up w/ CPUS / Sockets....

[bob4432]

so, need a new machine and haven't kept up on all the skts/cpus. current machines are C2Ds (6600s & 5200s) and they run fine, just figured that skt775 is eol. what is the replacement? which setup has the most longevity in it atm? good bang for buck is also nice as long as the end result is a faster machine. machine will be used for solidworks (single threaded) and cam programming (need to verify if multi-threaded or not) on win7 (probably 32bit) w/ 4GB of ram.

don't really care whether amd or intel - i am a fanboy of my $$ and not intel or amd

thanks in advance,
bob

 

[alyarb]

AM3 is the only upgradeable socket right now. best-value sweetspots would be a $75 rana or $200 thuban. both of them can do over 3.5 ghz on stock volts. do not buy 32-bit windows.

 

[bob4432]

32bit is because some of the cam software doesn't work so good in 64bit even in compatibiilty mode, but need win7 because solidworks 2011 is not going to support xp anymore, so hands are a bit tide - i know it is weird but it is the reality that the machines have to work w/. i am going to call the cam software people and see if the next version will work w/ 64bit win7, but this machine is needed now....

also, production machine = will run @ stock speeds

 

[bob4432]

any other input?

 

[faxon]

if the cam software is multithreaded, find out how many threads it uses. if it can use 6 or more, then i would get a thuban core (phenom 2 1055T or 1090T) and a good AM3 board. if it can only use 4, get an i7 860 instead since its per clock throughput will be higher. check to see if there's any benchmarks for the software you're running first though, of course. solidworks will definitely run faster on the i7 however, since the 860 turbos up to 3.46GHz in single core mode, and it's faster per clock than the phenom 2

 

[bob4432]

thanks for the info. does the i7 860 have to be put into "single core mode" or does it do it on its own based on what program is being used?

 

[Ben90]

It does it on it own. If you prefer a more in-depth answer Anand talks about it here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2832/4

 

[bob4432]

It does it on it own. If you prefer a more in-depth answer Anand talks about it here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2832/4

thanks, this looks like it will cover all the bases i was worried about. any issue going the i5-750/1156 setup? the performance of the i7, while impressive, i don't think they will need it since of that "turbo" setup since of what they are getting fine w/ currently. the i5-750 looks like the bang for buck cpu, and i won't have to really worry how the software is coded

is skt1156 a dead skt or do you think it has some longevity in it? i see newegg only has 6 cpus @ skt1156 and 5 are dc...any reason? i see that they are going to 32nm, any link to a plan of what intel has for skt1156?

is there any issues w/ the tech or does it actually work as advertised for the most part?

if it works as advertised, guess i need to start looking for a reliable m/b w/ built in gpu that is = to ~8600gt or so.

does amd have anything like this?

thanks for all the info and appreciate any more

 

[Martimus]

is skt1156 a dead skt or do you think it has some longevity in it? i see newegg only has 6 cpus @ skt1156 and 5 are dc...any reason? i see that they are going to 32nm, any link to a plan of what intel has for skt1156?

Socket 1156 is a dead socket. Intel is releasing socket 1155 next year with the low level Sandybridge chips. All current desktop Intel sockets are dead sockets with Sandybridge, so you'll need a new MB the next time you upgrade.

EDIT: Here is a link to the SB Plans: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/04/21/intel-sandy-bridge-details-of-the-next-gen/1

 

[Fallen Kell]

Yeah, the socket is the reason why I have been waiting for upgrading my 2 computers...

 

[one30eight]

I am very happy with this 1055t. You can find it on sale quite a bit and with AM3, you should be able to get a CPU upgrade in the future.

 

[bob4432]

Socket 1156 is a dead socket. Intel is releasing socket 1155 next year with the low level Sandybridge chips. All current desktop Intel sockets are dead sockets with Sandybridge, so you'll need a new MB the next time you upgrade.

EDIT: Here is a link to the SB Plans: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/04/21/intel-sandy-bridge-details-of-the-next-gen/1

shit....i need to build this machine in about a week or at least order parts. would like to kick the intel engineers in the nuts over this b.s.

really like the throttling/o/cing of the the "turbo" setup, seems to be a more efficient use of power and the fact that i wouldn't have to really worry about do i get a faster dc or a bit slower quad (clock speed of course) because some software is single threaded and other is multi is very appealing.

damn, a i5-750 would be a decent step up from e6600 & e5200 machines, so i guess that is what i have to go w/ unless amd has anything like this kind of power control for AM3?

only issue w/ going this i5 route vs going a 775 since it seems both are basically eol, the 775 is not going to be as fast, but otoh it will have parts commonality w/ their other machines in case of a ram issue, plus it is a very stable/mature platform but the price=the i5 setup . an i5 or AM3 would be a lone wolf....man, i hate these decisions..

are there any known i5 m/b issues?

i appreciate all the info thus far very much. i am frustrated - not w/ you guys just this constant skt changing when recommending something to a friend for a biz that will last them. arrrrggghhhh

 

[Axon]

Well, the i5 750 will last a long time, you'll just have to upgrade your mobo and CPU when the time comes instead of just the CPU. The 750 is very powerful and will likely run for 3-4 years of normal use (surfing, internet, office suite apps, moderate encoding).

 

[Voo]

Since you don't seem to upgrade very often, I don't think that any socket you could buy today will last through another update, since I assume bulldozer will need a new socket as well as the next Intel ones..

 

[bob4432]

again, thanks for the info. now off to find a m/b

thanks all for the info, appreciate it greatly.

 

[3DVagabond]

Everywhere I've read says BD will work w/AM3. With that said, right now skt.1366 or 1155/6 is the highest perf/core. If your aps are single thread then one of these would be your best choice.

I'm assuming your company uses something else, besides the workstations, for rendering the work. Assuming the renderers are not single thread, and if the rendering is done on the workstations, then Thuban (AM3) would likely be best bang for the buck. Cost no object would be 1366 w/Intel 980X.

All IMHO, of course

 

[bob4432]

Everywhere I've read says BD will work w/AM3. With that said, right now skt.1366 or 1155/6 is the highest perf/core. If your aps are single thread then one of these would be your best choice.

I'm assuming your company uses something else, besides the workstations, for rendering the work. Assuming the renderers are not single thread, and if the rendering is done on the workstations, then Thuban (AM3) would likely be best bang for the buck. Cost no object would be 1366 w/Intel 980X.

All IMHO, of course

BD? sorry, not sure what is meant by that.

as far as rendering, don't do much of it. most stuff is drawn up in solidworks or files are sent in, then go to the cam software. so not really a lot of computer power needed, just so that sw runs smooth, which it is on the older machines atm, but the need to get another designer/programmer and the move to win7 is the reason for the build, so figure go to a newer than skt775 setup for that move since the move to win7 is going to happen by q4 this year since sw2011 isn't going to support xp anymore. the price of doing another skt775 machine is pretty much = to a skt1156/i5-750, so may as well get the extra speed.

are there any issue w/ the 6gbps & usb3 controllers? the #1 requirement is stability, so if that means not going a certain route, please lmk. i have looked on newegg and there really aren't many reviews on the skt1156 stuff.

 

[3DVagabond]

BD=Bulldozer. AMD's next processor arch. Forget the 1155 reference. Mistake on my part. 1156 should be fine for your needs. I don't know if you'd consider a dual core even? It would give you faster clock speeds. Up to 3.6Ghz w/o over clocking.

 

[bob4432]

BD=Bulldozer. AMD's next processor arch. Forget the 1155 reference. Mistake on my part. 1156 should be fine for your needs. I don't know if you'd consider a dual core even? It would give you faster clock speeds. Up to 3.6Ghz w/o over clocking.

no prob, thanks for the explanatuion. i have considered a DC and have to call the cam software people because they claim their software is multithreaded, but i want to really verify how many cores it can take advantage of and if the software is actually multi-threaded and not just the fact that the os can take advantage of multicores - basically if a decent size cam job is getting done, i want to see all the cores used like i would if i was using the rendering stuff i do for fun or video encoding. that will kind of determine how that goes.

assuming the whole i5 line does this "turbo"? if the cpu is advertised "Intel Core i5-650 Clarkdale 3.2GHz 4MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor" does that mean 3.2G is the max or it will throttle above 3.2G if a single threaded app is using the machine?

i also need to verify how many times people are using the cad software for one job, while cam for another on the same machine - again, that is something i need to verify and should have already...

 

[3DVagabond]

Turbo will take it up to 3.46GHz. 3.2 is it's base speed.

I was just reading a bit @ Solidworks' website and it doesn't look like the "workspace" is multithreaded. They really dance around it a bit explaining that many calculations are linear, therefore can't be threaded. They also specifically state that when possible Windows will send different threads to different cores/threads when there are parallel calculations going on. Except for things like rendering, it doesn't seem like Solidworks is multithreaded. This isn't unusual though. The software I use (C4D) isn't multithread capable in the workspace either.

Before I based a purchase decision for my company on it though, I'd check with Solidworks to be certain. Wouldn't want to screw up and get the wrong hardware.

 

[bob4432]

Turbo will take it up to 3.46GHz. 3.2 is it's base speed.

I was just reading a bit @ Solidworks' website and it doesn't look like the "workspace" is multithreaded. They really dance around it a bit explaining that many calculations are linear, therefore can't be threaded. They also specifically state that when possible Windows will send different threads to different cores/threads when there are parallel calculations going on. Except for things like rendering, it doesn't seem like Solidworks is multithreaded. This isn't unusual though. The software I use (C4D) isn't multithread capable in the workspace either.

Before I based a purchase decision for my company on it though, I'd check with Solidworks to be certain. Wouldn't want to screw up and get the wrong hardware.

thanks for the info, appreciate it greatly.

i have a sw2010 seat (company i assist had extra seats as they bought vol seats i believe, so i wanted to learn it and w/ me having access i can be sure the hardware does what it needs to and run benchmarks to make sure they aren't getting bottlenecked on the hardware side, if the computer isn't slowing them down, they are happy and they can go as fast as they can ) so i can verify that the workspace is in fact single threaded most of the time. very rarely does it use a more than a single core when designing, i think it is more when you rotate something that it will use more cores probably due to the redrawing w/out a "cad" card. of course rendering will max out multiple cores, but again, rendering is not done often and if it is it can wait since the sw workspace does a good job of the visuals even w/out a "cad" card.

thanks for looking into it for me