Sandy Bridge bound to be out of stock before benchmarks hit?

[Davidh373]

Christmas is coming around and my parents are going to buy me parts for a new gaming computer, and I know people are saying sandy bridge is worth less than a month's wait. They said they might delay ordering the parts if I say they are really worth it. I do have a few questions. I haven't been in the PC building crowd for long. My first build was an i7 920 about a month after release (listed in sig). So I haven't really been around for a new processor release. I know graphics cards seem to get snatched up quickly after launch though.

This is the system I'm planning on building

i5 760

Gigabyte UD3

4GB GSkill 1333

1TB Samsung F3

Antec 300

9800GTX+ (I know it's bad, but it's temporary)

I've seen on Wikipedia that the processors will feature slightly lower prices for the i5. I would probably go for the 2400T (45W) if I can, or the standard 2400 (95W).

So here are my questions:

1. Is there an exact date of release? If not, how precise is the speculated timespan?

2. How accurate is the pricing on the wiki?

3. How much do you think motherboards will cost? Any more or less that $100?

4. What are the chances they will be in stock when benchmarks hit the web?

Thank you all for the assistance you give.

 

[IGemini]

1. Is there an exact date of release? If not, how precise is the speculated timespan?

The date is slated for sometime during the Consumer Electronics Show. The common estimate is that Intel will officially release it for retail on January 5 during their press release before CES officially starts. Another date that pops up is January 9th toward the end of the conference. Those seem most likely, but it could be anywhere in between.

2. How accurate is the pricing on the wiki?

They always release bulk 1k bin prices, so as they say in the wiki, the actual price will be a bit higher depending on the place. Some sites average $30-50 higher than the bin price, though one or two will manage to offer the best deal around <$20 over the bin price. I can't remember how it was for Nehalem, but for Conroe (Core 2) I think Tigerdirect managed to get it closest to the bin price at release.

3. How much do you think motherboards will cost? Any more or less that $100?

Mostly mid-range and high-end boards will be released with budget boards to follow in later months. My guess is the mainstream will start ~$150 +/- $50. I wouldn't expect many to be under $100 if any at all.

4. What are the chances they will be in stock when benchmarks hit the web?

Zero. Review sites (including AT) usually are allowed to release full benchmarks a week before release. A better question is "how long will they remain in stock when released?" For the first batches, the answer is usually "not long."

 

[khon]

Since IGemini has already answered your questions, I will just say this: Do NOT buy a T-series chip for a gaming computer. The whole point of that chip is to lower power consumption at the expense of performance, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you need.

 

[Spikesoldier]

my guess is 6th of Jan

 

[Davidh373]

Since IGemini has already answered your questions, I will just say this: Do NOT buy a T-series chip for a gaming computer. The whole point of that chip is to lower power consumption at the expense of performance, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you need.

So are you saying it would be better to get an i5 760?

my guess is 6th of Jan

Thanks

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

wait, you are keeping your i7 920 strictly as a "workstation?"

 

[Davidh373]

wait, you are keeping your i7 920 strictly as a "workstation?"

yes. Right now I use that as a 3D/ Video Editing station.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

what video editing software do u use?

 

[Davidh373]

Applications I use in order of usage.

3DS Max

Softimage

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Premiere Pro

Zbrush

After Effects

Sony Acid Pro

Reason

EDIT

I have also used Logic, and Final Cut Pro on the Apple side.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

huh. i am just using Windows Live Movie Maker; it can import AVC HD files - transcodes them but you can retranscode them back to the original quality..

edit: i do have PP CS4 and was waiting to upgrade to CS5 and then use the GTX 480 but the learning curve for PP seems a bit too steep for just doing light hobby stuff

 

[mv2devnull]

Since IGemini has already answered your questions, I will just say this: Do NOT buy a T-series chip for a gaming computer. The whole point of that chip is to lower power consumption at the expense of performance, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you need.

Doesn't that depend on the game? The normal multiplier is lower, but the Turbo has specs to reach the same peak as with the other models. Therefore, a single-threaded game should get the same oomph with all models, shouldn't it?

What has not been discussed is what Turbo stages can the SB models reach when all cores are in use. That is where I would expect to see a difference between T and others. Isn't that the number crunching usage, rather than the gamer (until the games threads up en masse)?

 

[khon]

So are you saying it would be better to get an i5 760?

No, I'm saying you should get the i5-2400, not the i5-2500T.

 

[khon]

Doesn't that depend on the game? The normal multiplier is lower, but the Turbo has specs to reach the same peak as with the other models. Therefore, a single-threaded game should get the same oomph with all models, shouldn't it?

What has not been discussed is what Turbo stages can the SB models reach when all cores are in use. That is where I would expect to see a difference between T and others. Isn't that the number crunching usage, rather than the gamer (until the games threads up en masse)?

Most games these days can use at least 2 cores, and you'll often have other processes running in the background as well, so even for a gamer it makes sense to have 3+ cores.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I would wait. You can get a lower wattage chip that probably out-performs the current. That type of thinking has been on my mind lately. As you can see, I've been monitoring my idle watts on my PCs ... I've found some older HDDs really suck watts. I unplugged 2 of my 500g older Seagate drives and the watts dropped from ~ 188w to 165w but the CPU is a good place to start with that type of thinking in mind.

 

[mv2devnull]

Most games these days can use at least 2 cores, and you'll often have other processes running in the background as well, so even for a gamer it makes sense to have 3+ cores.

True. That is why 3+ core turbo behaviour is more interesting than the already leaked max for one core.

 

[Davidh373]

huh. i am just using Windows Live Movie Maker; it can import AVC HD files - transcodes them but you can retranscode them back to the original quality..

edit: i do have PP CS4 and was waiting to upgrade to CS5 and then use the GTX 480 but the learning curve for PP seems a bit too steep for just doing light hobby stuff

I work for a Professional video production company. WMM isn't really acceptable for me. For hobby stuff have you by chance looked at Avid Free DV?

No, I'm saying you should get the i5-2400, not the i5-2500T.

On Wikipedia it says the 2500T has the same specs (Cache, Clock Speed, Cores) as the 2500 with lower power draw. Am I wrong?

EDIT: NM, I read it wrong. So the 2400 it is.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

No, never even knew Avid had a free editor. Where can i get it at ... anyplace to be suspicious of downloading it?

 

[Davidh373]

I really don't know, I haven't installed it myself, but videos on youtube show it's quite capable.

 

[IntelUser2000]

What has not been discussed is what Turbo stages can the SB models reach when all cores are in use.

The "all cores enabled" Turbo Mode can reach nearly the maximum Turbo Mode clock, but it could be just for mobile and can't be sustained indefinitely unlike the current Turbo Mode all-core enabled scenario.

For example:

i7 2600

3.4GHz Base
3.8GHz Max Turbo clock

3.7GHz max "all core" clock?