Would you take i7-920 or i7-870?

[err]

So, I can get either i7-920 (1366) or i7-870 (1156) from work.
I already have the DDR3 sticks and will be putting either 8 or 12GB of ram in the computer.
Already have video card and Hard Drive

However, I will need to purchase the motherboard for either CPU in order to complete the Rig.

Short question is which one would you take? and which one would you rather spend your money on (1366 vs 1156) Motherboard?


Little background about my computer as I am sure this question will come up
1. Yes I know i7-870 have better stock performance
2. Yes I know i7-920 is better overclocker, but most likely I am not planning on Overclocking. And no hex-core planned in the near future.
3. The heaviest task my computer will be used for is Video Encoding purposes, and editing large .RAW file using photoshop/lightroom. It will be used for a non-heavy task 95% of the time.
4. Yes I know the 1155 Sandybridge is here, but I don't fancy spending $$$ on CPU as I can get the 920 or 870 for free this time.

Let me know which you would take? I will need to purchase a mobo soon as I am now suffering with a temporary E8300

TIA!

 

[Morg.]

I will gladly take that e8300 out of your hands, I'm pretty sure it can do better than my e6600 @ 4ghz so ..

On the motherboard : face it intel hates you, if you buy a mobo now it will be useless when you change CPU, so just pick the most decent one between the two, and please consider overclocking, because Intel made those core chips just for that (you know, one free Ghz on stock cooler can't hurt you).

Other aspect could be : what's the price of a 1366 and 1156 board, I would guess one of these is much cheaper than the other as it's socket is completely vanishing already.

 

[err]

@Morg,

the 1156 boards are definitely cheaper compared to the 1366. I am seeing a saving of around $40-50 for the board that I like.

Yes it sux that Intel hates us and comes up with so much socket types with short lifespan. I love LGA775-like lifespan

yeah I guess a little overclocking wouldn't hurt.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Go with the i7-870.

1. Better power charateristics
2. Boards are cheaper.
3. Didn't list gaming, so multi-GPU advantage for X58 doesn't matter.
4. Should overclock just fine, probably better than the 920.
5. Has more aggressive Turbo modes on top of higher base speed.

For you the only significant advantage I can see for getting the 920 is having the two extra RAM slots. I think the 870's advantages outweigh this. You also said it won't be doing much 95% of the time, so you might as well save money and in the process get the faster chip.

 

[err]

@cusidealbelincoln, thanks! I think I am leaning towards the 870 at this point just because of the cheaper board. Hopefully i will be able to upgrade again in 12-18 months.

I think 4 ram slot should be enough. 16GB should be plenty for my home use.
Yep, no time for gaming nowadays. the most gaming I get out from nowadays is with my iPhone/iPad

 

[Termie]

Go with the i7-870.

1. Better power charateristics
2. Boards are cheaper.
3. Didn't list gaming, so multi-GPU advantage for X58 doesn't matter.
4. Should overclock just fine, probably better than the 920.
5. Has more aggressive Turbo modes on top of higher base speed.

For you the only significant advantage I can see for getting the 920 is having the two extra RAM slots. I think the 870's advantages outweigh this. You also said it won't be doing much 95% of the time, so you might as well save money and in the process get the faster chip.

This. He nailed it. You'll save nearly 50 watts with the 1156 platform. And 2X4Gb is about the same price as 3x2Gb. With two dead platforms, it isn't even a question which is better for you.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

One thing to note is that LGA1156 only has a 4x PCI-Express 2.0 connecting the south bridge and the north bridge -- if you do heavy video editing into a couple of raided disks, this could seriously become a bottleneck. While it has 2GB/s theoretical B/W per direction, in reality there is a lot of noise of all kinds on the bus, and you'd be lucky to get half that real performance.

If you only have a single hard drive, no SSD and a slow net connection, this is all moot.

 

[RedBeard]

If you are buying now, why not Sandy Bridge?

 

[Termie]

If you are buying now, why not Sandy Bridge?

Not reading first post, FTL!

 

[Makaveli]

3. The heaviest task my computer will be used for is Video Encoding purposes, and editing large .RAW file using photoshop/lightroom. It will be used for a non-heavy task 95% of the time.

This alone would push me the 920 route you will need lots of RAM when dealing with RAW files.

 

[Lepton87]

This alone would push me the 920 route you will need lots of RAM when dealing with RAW files.

That is only true if he really needs more that 4 slots worth of memory. If he does not want to OC then i870 is just a better choice. And even if he wanted to OC I still wouldn't recommend i920 without knowing its stepping.

 

[Makaveli]

I agree the i870 would be better stock.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/107?vs=47

 

[Gikaseixas]

Another vote for the 870.

1 - Higher stock performance (since you're not ocing)
2 - Cheaper motherboards
3 - Consumes less (whole system is more efficient)
4 - Both sockets will be fased out soon, so no advantage there for either one

 

[err]

Thanks all. I already got a i7-870 in my pocket now Will need to buy a motherboard and CPU fan!

Can't wait to get my i7 box setup.... but dread the application/file migration ... grrr

 

[bryanW1995]

no overclocking the 870 is the way to go.