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

[Davidh373]

Alright, so I've already posted an exact copy of this thread in "CPUs and Overclocking", but they also recommend a lot of i7 9xx series' for builds, so since I'm more conservative with my money like you guys, I figure why not ask you too!

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. So far, I have been instructed to wait and buy the i5 2400. On Wikipedia it says it will be priced in bulk for $184, so I've been told that it will cost close to the $210 of the 760.

 

[DominionSeraph]

What's wrong with your i7 920?

 

[Davidh373]

What's wrong with your i7 920?

I'm building a computer for my room, my i7 is in my workstation. This will be my "fun" rig.

 

[DominionSeraph]

i5 760 is $180 right now with... one of these promo codes:

Discount From Promo Code EMCZNZV73
Discount From Promo Code EMCZNZV76
Discount From Promo Code EMCZNZV99

(I don't feel like emptying my basket to see which one.)

i5 760 or wait for un-overclockable Sandy Bridge... I don't see the point in waiting.

And why the 9800GTX+?

 

[Davidh373]

why the 9800GTX+?

I've had it for 4 years and I feel like it has another half a year in it. I know it's going to be a bottleneck but It will be replaced soon with a nice 6850 or 6870, or if something new comes out in that same price bracket. I only play at 720p anyway, so I figure the 9800 will hold me at least another 6 months.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I've had it for 4 years and I feel like it has another half a year in it. I know it's going to be a bottleneck but It will be replaced soon with a nice 6850 or 6870, or if something new comes out in that same price bracket. I only play at 720p anyway, so I figure the 9800 will hold me at least another 6 months.

Ah, that makes more sense. I thought perhaps you were buying one.

1GB GTX 460's can be had for $136 and 6850's for $155 right now.

 

[Davidh373]

1GB GTX 460's can be had for $136 and 6850's for $155 right now.

Well, I'm not going to worry about it too much yet, but I will be getting something soon. So you're saying stick with Christmas day and get the 760?

 

[DominionSeraph]

So you're saying stick with Christmas day and get the 760?

I don't see the difference. By the time there's a worthy successor CPU at a decent price you'd probably be wanting a new mobo anyway.

 

[Davidh373]

I don't see the difference. By the time there's a worthy successor CPU at a decent price you'd probably be wanting a new mobo anyway.

well, would the "worthy successor" not be the i5 2400? It's 3.1Ghz and it's a complete rebuild for around the same price right? I don't plan to OC, but I do plan to keep this processor around for at least 3 years. What are the chances of the i5 not sucking 5 years after launch? I mean, launch of the new stuff is 2 weeks off. If 2 weeks will get even another six months or so it would be well worth it imo.

 

[DominionSeraph]

well, would the "worthy successor" not be the i5 2400?

On what planet would it be worth it to spend ~$300 to upgrade an i5 760 to an i5 2400?

 

[Davidh373]

On what planet would it be worth it to spend ~$300 to upgrade an i5 760 to an i5 2400?

I'm not upgrading, I'm buying a new system... so my choice is the i5 760 or the i5 2400 which I would wait till early January to get.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I'm not upgrading, I'm buying a new system... so my choice is the i5 760 or the i5 2400 which I would wait till early January to get.

Yes, and by the time you're ready to upgrade one of those, you'll be ready for a new mobo. So why would it matter?

i5 760 at 3.8-4GHz will undoubtedly smoke the i5 2400. At a more reasonable overclock they should perform the same. Sooo... why are you thinking of waiting?

 

[Davidh373]

Well, that is what I needed to know. I will never overclock that processor though either. So my 760 will stay at 2.8Ghz until I replace it. So what you have said is the 760 vs. the 2400 clock for clock have the same processing power? Just to be sure...

 

[mfenn]

Unless you really want the lower TDP, just get the 760. The Sandy Bridge will be faster, but not by a whole lot (maybe 20&#37.

To answer your questions:
1. Jan 9th
2. Here's the slide.
3. Probably from $100-175 initially
4. Very good, Intel has been stockpiling them for months.

 

[Sp12]

That said, SB is also bringing a whole lot of other platform changes that may make waiting another 2 weeks interesting (AVX, hardware transcode, EFI, Intel integrated Sata3 to smoke current implementations, AES-NI, socket compatibility with Ivy Bridge).

There's a thread over in the CPU subsection with some people who work at MC mentioning pricing/specs on some boards.

 

[Davidh373]

Unless you really want the lower TDP, just get the 760. The Sandy Bridge will be faster, but not by a whole lot (maybe 20&#37.

20% performance increase for $70 platform difference isn't all that bad when considering the platform cost is what? $350?

 

[slugg]

If the money isn't an issue, I'd wait. That's just me. Personally, I like to buy whatever is current. And a 20% increase clock-for-clock sounds pretty damn good to me.

 

[Davidh373]

If the money isn't an issue, I'd wait. That's just me. Personally, I like to buy whatever is current. And a 20% increase clock-for-clock sounds pretty damn good to me.

I would spend an extra $50-$70 to see a 20% increase and a more modern platform. If this is true, (especially it's potential Ivy Bridge compatibility) I will totally be waiting. Or at least I'll wait until I see benchmarks. I'm not overclocking after all. The only thing that will hold me back from a purchase of the 2400 now is a major problem discovered in the platform or a ridiculous price tag. I obviously don't NEED this computer immediately, and if my parents aren't freaking out about me getting my present late, I'm not worried.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

What do you do on your workstation? I mean you say you game at 720p but have 1080p monitor and a gtx470 so..?

 

[Davidh373]

What do you do on your workstation? I mean you say you game at 720p but have 1080p monitor and a gtx470 so..?

My old monitors are 1440 x 900 and I play will be playing 720p windowed (or maybe what 1360 x 768 or whatever). On my workstation I do 3D Modeling and Rendering, Video Compositing, and Video Editing, mostly for 1080p output.

 

[mfenn]

If the money isn't an issue, I'd wait. That's just me. Personally, I like to buy whatever is current. And a 20% increase clock-for-clock sounds pretty damn good to me.

The TPC will work out to about 20% more, at least initially. So its pretty much the same bang for buck.

 

[Davidh373]

cool, sounds like I'm set for a 2400 then . Thank you everyone!

 

[BoomerD]

Just curious...why the 2400 and not the i5-2500K?

There's only $32 difference in price...and a nice little bit of extra performance.

I already have the parts for an i5-760 system...and I'm probably going to return them and get the i5-2500K when it comes out. The difference between those two is huge...and they're both at about the same retail price.

 

[Davidh373]

Just curious...why the 2400 and not the i5-2500K?

There's only $32 difference in price...and a nice little bit of extra performance.

I already have the parts for an i5-760 system...and I'm probably going to return them and get the i5-2500K when it comes out. The difference between those two is huge...and they're both at about the same retail price.

we'll see, but the mobo price is prolly going to be more than $100, and I've already expanded my budget from when this was on the original thread and I was looking at an Athlon II X3.