What to choose: Core i7 860 or Core i7 920?

[The Sneaker]

Hi
I'm buying a new comp. next week, had the money allready two weeks ago but decided to wait and see how the new Lynnfield based processors would perform. Now I'm just even more confused.
I'm not a big overclocker so I do not know if I'm going to do that, at least not in the beginning. I have about 2500 $ for the rig and would like to do some gaming, dont have to make any work that is especially demanding other than word and so and running some simulators.

As I see there are some pros and cons of them both and they are: (and plz correct me if I'm wrong)

860: + New turbo (much better than the 920), + faster than the 920 in many ways because of the clock speed, - 2x16x PCI express 2.0 and therefore a little less GPU power when running SLI/Crossfire., - manual overclockable

920: + Easy overclockable, + support for 2x16x PCI express 2.0, so enough bandwidth for high end gaming. + 1366 socket will support the coming gulftown processor, - slower than the 860 in some cases

Price diff. are as of what I can see in my country very small so that Is not the tipping point. I've allready looked at some motherboards aswell for both processors, if the choise lands on the 920 I might buy the Asus P6T Deluxe v2 (would you choose otherwise?), if it becomes the 860 it would be the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe.

One more question: how easy is it to just clock the 920 to say 3,2 GHz on the Asus P6T Deluxe v2 ? just a click in one of the overclocking programs asus gives you? and will it run stable without any problems on the clock?

Hope that you can help me find the right one?

Thanks!

 

[boran]

I have an i7 920, but in your case I would get an 860. The processors are identical in base specs and the 860 has better turbo and will perform better in most cases.
In terms of sli/crossfire. I dont know if the difference would really make or break the deal.

THG has a review focused specially on this very issue: http://www.tomshardware.com/re...i5-lynnfield,2379.html

But the money you save on the mobo can be spent on better GFX hardware (on that note, the new cards from ATI and NV are about to be released, so maybe hold off for a few weeks)

 

[JAG87]

Dude you have all the right ideas already. Brainstorm what you need, then review your notes and find what suits you best.

The main differences are:

multi gpu scaling
overclocking
upgrade path
and cost of course

As far as overclocking, use BIOS. 3.2 ghz is a piece of cake. Set BCLK to 160, you don't need to touch any voltages. Fix the memory multiplier to suit you memory speed, ie. for 1600 use 5x or 2:10.

 

[AdamK47]

Overclocking pretty much takes away the turbo mode advantage of the 860. If you're overclocking to one predefined speed and take intels stock overclocking out of the equation then you'll end up with the 920 outperforming the 860 on a clock for clock basis.

 

[Pneumothorax]

If you're a "stocker" definately get the 860. If you're an overclocker get the 920. It's a no-brainer overclock. Vast majority of 920 D0 will run at BCLK at 166 with stock voltage and even "turbo" mode on. Both CPU's will need a better cooler if you want higher than that.
BTW BCLK 166x20 multi=3.320Ghz with the 920 or 21 multi with turbo on.

 

[RussianSensation]

Personal preference I suppose.

As has been mentioned, for SLI/CF, get the 920 system. If you are not going to be overclocking, get the i7 860. Also consider power consumption (if that's important to you). An 860/870 processor consumes significantly less power than the 920. The heatsink on the 860 sucks though.

If you want the ability to get a 6 core Nehalem, X58 system is your only option.

Idle:
Core i7 860 = 97 watts
Core i7 920 = 145 watts

Load:
Core i7 860 = 158 watts
Core i7 920 = 251 watts

 

[jjmIII]

I may not be the OP, but this answers questions I also have. Thanks everyone .

EDIT: I was looking at the cheaper Asrock x58. The Asus P6T Deluxe is way too much loot! The Asrock with MicroCenter $199 i7 920 looks very tempting to me.

I don't need any of this power, and just want to play with the new toys .

Should I just get an i5 750 and $100 mobo??
How much will the new 6 cores cost??
That would be cool, but there may not be a "budget" 6 core??

 

[taltamir]

How much will the new 6 cores cost??

The current estimation is 1000$, aka, an "Extreme" chip

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: taltamir

How much will the new 6 cores cost??

The current estimation is 1000$, aka, an "Extreme" chip

Well, when they are first released of course.

I'd imagine there will be non-extreme editions out within a few months after the extremes at worst. Non-extremes will most likely start around $250 and go up from there.

 

[venkman]

If I had to make the decision today, I would go i5. The six core is going to be a $1000 for a while and by the time it comes down, there will probably be "mainstream" 6 core parts that require a new MB anyways. Plus, if you are buying today you will need to upgrade your mobo in the future if you want to take advantage of USB 3/SATA3.

 

[RussianSensation]

Just a sidenote: I always sell my old hardware when I upgrade.

So, here are my thoughts when the time will come to sell the 1156 system vs. 1366:

1) Less than sophisticated computer users generally prefer "newer" products assuming equal performance 920 = 860 (i.e. average Joe will rather take the newer socket 1156 and i7 860 rather than "1 year old" 920 and X58). Also, the massive power consumption advantage can be turned into a sales pitch ("This quad core cpu will run a lot cooler when not use and save you $ on electrical bills").

2) You can always pitch to the buyer that the 860 has turbo mode which makes it more effective for most people who don't overclock over 920/940 x58s. This alone will sway almost every computer user out there in favor over 920.

3) Given that socket 1156 is a significantly cheaper platform, it will be a lot easier to find 'mainstream' computer users who may have 2 DDR3 sticks vs. 3 DDR3 sticks when seeking an 1156 board (should you choose to sell the board on its own). By this account it will also be easier to sell 2 DDR3 sticks to all 1156 motherboard users (say to upgrade to 8GB). While you'll have a very niche market selling 6GB (plus you are overpaying for 2GBs today you don't need).

4) It will likely be also a lot easier to sell the 1156 motherboard to someone with a dual core Westmere for example. However, how many people will have the expensive Core i7 920/940/950s? I realize now the platform is cheap but 12 months ago it was very expensive, which implies very few people will have X58 CPUs.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[The Sneaker]

Okay it sounds like you would choose the 860. Concerning the graphics I would just say that I'm borrowing a 8800 GT until the new graphics are comming out later this month. I'm still a bit unsecure on making the choise don't know If you any more guidance eventhough you have made some good point, and thanks for that.
I read the tomshardware and anandtech review especially concerning the PCI speed issue but can't get any clearance out of them seems that it is only sometimes that 8x is the underdog but that makes just more unclear for me to make the choise. Plus I have a hard time deciding if I at some point want to SLI / CF

Hope you have som more help

 

[RussianSensation]

If you are not sure about SLI/CF and you want to have those options just in case (16x/16x), you can always get the 920 system since the price difference is small. This way you got yourself covered. Also, the X58 platform does support full 24 gigs of ram, but only few P55 boards will.

 

[Compddd]

If you're going to be overclocking, get the i7 920. Mine does 4.0GHz at stock voltage.

I'm seeing pics of 1.35 -1.40+ vcore needed for 4GHz on 1156

Barf!

 

[daw123]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: taltamir

How much will the new 6 cores cost??

The current estimation is 1000$, aka, an "Extreme" chip

Well, when they are first released of course.

I'd imagine there will be non-extreme editions out within a few months after the extremes at worst. Non-extremes will most likely start around $250 and go up from there.

I think I'll give it a few months after they are released and then buy some 6-core goodness. I would be willing to spend £500ish on a new chip, provided it works in my MB (with a BIOS update).

 

[JAG87]

The Sneaker, if money is no option go with 1366. That's the high end platform, no hidden catches.

IMO, the saving's are not enough to justify the cut corners on 1156. If you want a good P55 motherboard you still have to spend north of $200. Go with 1366 and call it a day.

Originally posted by: taltamir

How much will the new 6 cores cost??

The current estimation is 1000$, aka, an "Extreme" chip

I don't think that's true bro, i9 will have a full range of products, most likely a $300, $600, and $999 part, just like i7 did.

 

[DefRef]

I came here looking to ask about the same question because I was planning on building an OCed (w/Corsair Hydro water cooler) i7 920 rig. I'm not a HARDCORE OCer and I'm looking for a mixed purpose rig that can handle the usual eye-porn games as well as media creation, particularly HD video editing. I've been gasping at the $300 price tags of X58 mobos - I thought the $200 my last two DFIs cost was harsh - and I'd rather OC than give Intel an extra $300 for the same speeds. I'd like the most bang for my buck, but I'm not as constrained as some folks here who seem like poor students with meager means. Money is an object, but I've got the $$$ if I need to spend them; I just don't want to spend foolishly.

I was burned by the premature killing of S939 and don't want an X58 build to leave me with no decent CPU upgrades to extend the service life of the build in 12-18 months. I'm going to carry over my SLIed 8800GTs because I want to see what the next gen of cards has to offer in a couple of months. Will I still need SLI to run 1920x1200 with all sliders to the right? Just about everything I play (but Crysis) blazes at 1680x1050 and above, so perhaps only one card will be needed.

Where is the most power-price-value to be found? X58 or P55? As far as I can tell, X58 looks to be the more power-player platform for the future.

 

[Axon]

Originally posted by: DefRefWhere is the most power-price-value to be found? X58 or P55? As far as I can tell, X58 looks to be the more power-player platform for the future.

I also got stung by the 939 fiasco. However, X58/1366 doesn't look like its going anywhere if Intel's current roadmap is to be believed.

Now, as to the bang for your buck option, I think there's little question that - if you can get to a Microcenter - that the i7 920 for $200 is the best choice. I've clocked it to 4.0ghz, and I doubt the i5 750 can match the performance I'm currently getting. In fact, I believe we will never see another chip of the i7 920's like; it's simply too good a deal. Further, there are now a handful of sub-$200 X58 motherboards; the ASROCK Extreme runs only $169, and does not lack any features that I've ever needed. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...3&Tpk=asrock%20extreme

Also keep in mind that, as far as I can see, you're paying virtually the same amount of money for a 4 gig DDR3 kit that you would for a 6 gig DDR3 kit. I don't know if manufacturers have decided that the Lynnfield release was a good time to raise DDR3 prices or what, but that's what seems to have happened.

 

[DefRef]

I've got a Micro Center 10 minutes away and the ASRock Exteme is the mobo I've been eyeing since it fills just about all the items on my checklist. If some sort of i9 will be coming in a year or two to stretch the life cycle of this build. If I can keep it rolling for several years with video card and CPU upgrades, I'd be a happy camper.

 

[jjmIII]

Originally posted by: DefRef
I've got a Micro Center 10 minutes away and the ASRock Exteme is the mobo I've been eyeing since it fills just about all the items on my checklist. If some sort of i9 will be coming in a year or two to stretch the life cycle of this build. If I can keep it rolling for several years with video card and CPU upgrades, I'd be a happy camper.

Just grabbed mine...in stock now! Just decided after the clarity of some jack & cokes....I'm going x58 and i7 920. I hope this mobe will run a 6 core and I get all $170 - 3% outta her .

Cheers

 

[theprodigalrebel]

I'm also planning an upgrade in the following month or two. I'm hoping for $350 for Core i5 750 + 'mid-high enthusiast board'; i7 920 seems more like $450-$475 when paired with a decent motherboard. $100 matters to me (might be the difference between a very good and great LCD display upgrade), it may not to you. Indifferent to no HT or minor performance differences. I'm also not the least bit worried about upgrade paths since I'm pretty sure by the time I need (not want) an upgrade, everything available right now would be obsolete and will likely need new-everything. Only plan on upgrading the GPU (if necessary) and adding hard drives.

When you have budgeted $2.5K, what's another $100-odd if it gives you the peace of mind knowing that you are on the bleeding edge, and have options available for a six-core CPU or no-compromise SLI/Crossfire setup? I think I'd vote for i7 920 for you.

Ed: Just looked at Newegg and looks like there's a ton of P55 boards on there (33 as of now). Pretty cheap too. This oughta be easy (for me).

 

[DefRef]

I'm in a good spot budget-wise because I've already got my next PS (a PCP&C 750W Silencer I got for $20 from Micro Center), a 24" LCD, surround system, video cards, etc. I just need to buy a mobo, RAM, CPU and a case along with a new C: drive and some SATA DVDs. $170+$200+$250+etc. makes for a respectable price tag. Yeah, DDR3 tri-channel kits have jumped in price, but I'm going to have SIX TIMES the RAM as my current rig for ~10% more than I paid four years ago.

BTW, what speed RAM should I spec for this considering the typical OC the i7 920 gives? 1600?

 

[The Sneaker]

Hmm I've been looking around some time now and I'm just getting more and more confused. I would like to see a review where the 920 is overclocked just to match the turbo mode of the 860 and then compare them. Have difficulties comparing them stock, as it is said that you will be stupid not to overclock the 920. And how easy is it really? sounds easy but have never overclocked before, maybe you can give or know where to find a noobie instruction to do it?

Hope to be sure of what to buy, just looking forward to putting to system together, that's almost to most exciting part of a entirely new comp.

 

[The Sneaker]

Hmm I've been looking around some time now and I'm just getting more and more confused. I would like to see a review where the 920 is overclocked just to match the turbo mode of the 860 and then compare them. Have difficulties comparing them stock, as it is said that you will be stupid not to overclock the 920. And how easy is it really? sounds easy but have never overclocked before, maybe you can give or know where to find a noobie instruction to do it?

Hope to be sure of what to buy, just looking forward to putting to system together, that's almost to most exciting part of a entirely new comp.

 

[The Sneaker]

Sry for the repost, was a mistake...