i7 860 vs i7 920

If you're upgrading your CPU again next year and/or you want dual video cards = 920

If you're a single video card guy = 860
 
I thought it was if you're going more than 2 cards go 920(X58), but for 2 cards or less go 860(P55)? Seems there was less than a 5% difference when they ran 2 5870's over at Anandtech.
 
The CPU's are pretty much equivalent. The issue really is the platform, X58 vs P55.
 
heatlesssun said:
The CPU's are pretty much equivalent. The issue really is the platform, X58 vs P55.
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Yeah that's what I want to know I can afford both but not sure which will be better! Only about 100 Euros between both. I like the Idea that the x58 has dual x16 for GPU, But the P55 is newer technology.
 
tollickd said:
Yeah that's what I want to know I can afford both but not sure which will be better! Only about 100 Euros between both. I like the Idea that the x58 has dual x16 for GPU, But the P55 is newer technology.
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The P55 is newer but is the mid-range platform. The question is do you want the option to go with Intel's highest end CPU next year, the i7-980x. This is why I got the 920 as I plan to get a 980 at launch. If not then the P55 is a little cheaper for the same perfoamance. There are P55s with 3x way GPU support.
 
If you can afford both and the price difference between them isn't too great, then certainly go with the i7 920 / 1366.
 
Motherboard makers now offer nearly identical features. Prices are nearly identical. It comes down to triple channel DDR3 vs. dual-channel. And the argument could be made that even that is irrelevant. I would say that the 1366 socket seems to offer slightly better manual overclocking (better temps, and slightly higher clocks), while the 1156 socket offers slightly improved auto-overclocking (i.e. Turbo Mode). But honestly, after reading pages of threads and articles about this, I see no real difference. Aside from marketing spin—Why offer $250+ motherboards on a "mainstream" platform?—and public opinion, what differences make 1366 an "enthusiast" platform? Does P55 cost less? Not necessarily. Is X58 realistically more future-proof? Not really. If you go P55 and you are interested in SLI/CF, just make sure to select a board with at least two PCI-e 2.0 X16 slots.

Edit: That said, if you are interested in the upcoming $1000 Gulftown processors, it seems they will only be supported on X58.
 
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The Gulftown processors will actually sell for less than $1000, and the X58 platform is considered the upper tier enthusiast platform, while the P55 is the mainstream. And the higher bandwidth of DDR3 in triple channel does help in memory intensive applications such as Photoshop.
 
TheQuestian said:
Oh, I hadn't heard about a price cut. How much less?


For what quantifiable reason, though?
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Gulftown is going to around $1k, I don't think that's change. And the reason for X58? Gulftown. And why Gulftown? Around 10% faster than Nehalem per clock and the SAME power consumption as Nehalem with 50% more cores. And it overclocks like nothing else. I've read reports that are saying that at its stock speed of 3.3 reaching 4.3 at stock voltages. This thing is just going to be a beast.

It will be the first Extreme Edition CPU in a LONG time that you won't be able to duplicate with overclocking its lesser siblings. I'll be getting as soon as it releases and is available for sale.
 
TheQuestian said:
Oh, I hadn't heard about a price cut. How much less?


For what quantifiable reason, though?
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Not a price cut. As with the release of every major CPU line or architecture, Intel will usually release a $1000 Extreme Edition CPU. Usually 3 to 6 months later, thats when Intel will release the mainstream versions of that CPU line. Just take a look at Intel's CPU releases for the past 3 years or so.

Two main reasons why the X58 is the upper tier enthusiast platform:
- X58 chipset has enough PCI-E lanes for x16/x16 CF/SLI. The P55 chipset, at best, supports a max of x8/x8 CF/SLI.
- The X58 chipset has support for 6 RAM slots which means more RAM for those who need it, like an enthusiast :)
- Compatibility with Gulftown CPUs
 
Danny Bui said:
Not a price cut. As with the release of every major CPU line or architecture, Intel will usually release a $1000 Extreme Edition CPU. Usually 3 to 6 months later, thats when Intel will release the mainstream versions of that CPU line. Just take a look at Intel's CPU releases for the past 3 years or so.

Two main reasons why the X58 is the upper tier enthusiast platform:
- X58 chipset has enough PCI-E lanes for x16/x16 CF/SLI. The P55 chipset, at best, supports a max of x8/x8 CF/SLI.
- The X58 chipset has support for 6 RAM slots which means more RAM for those who need it, like an enthusiast :)
- Compatibility with Gulftown CPUs
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Totally forgot about these reasons!:)
 
I am looking at the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 with a h50 but i see that the Asus already support the new 32nm chips maybe a ASUS RAMPAGE 2 EXTREME
 
tollickd said:
I am looking at the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 with a h50 but i see that the Asus already support the new 32nm chips maybe a ASUS RAMPAGE 2 EXTREME
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Actually the only Asus motherboard that currently has official support for Gulftown is the P6X58D, thus why its in my new rig. Great motherboard thus far. I think I finally got my 920 to 4Ghz. I'll be updating my P6Z58D latter today with some numbers. And the H50 seems to be a good choice as well.
 
tollickd said:
http://www.asus.com/News.aspx?N_ID=kolMcWopQ5KqVKht
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Thanks for the info, my bad. Pretty much all X58 boards will support Gulftown so I didn't think it was an issue. What's a little odd is that the initial BIOS listed for the P6X58D with i7-980x support is actually older than the initial BIOS released for the board.

But there were a couple of other reasons I got the P6X58D. I didn't want a daughter sound card board as I plan to put a CableCard tuner in the rig when they become available in the next few months and I also wanted something that supported 3 GPU's with the CableCard tuner. Plus I wanted USB 3.0 and SATA III 6Gbps support. So with those criteria the P6X58D is about the only game in town for the moment.
 
rocketr2 said:
eventually p55 will also get 32nm cpus like gulftown
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Of course as they are cheaper to make but probably not 6 core chips, not sure if that would fit on the smaller 1136 die. I think that Intel is trying add some product differentiation to their lineup as there's not be a very compelling reason buy their high end products for sometime. The 980x changes that for the first time in a long well.
 
Danny Bui said:
Not a price cut. As with the release of every major CPU line or architecture, Intel will usually release a $1000 Extreme Edition CPU. Usually 3 to 6 months later, thats when Intel will release the mainstream versions of that CPU line. Just take a look at Intel's CPU releases for the past 3 years or so.
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Hmm, I thought the i7-965, i7-940 and i7-920 were released in unison? That's the reason I was thinking Gulftown would remain Extreme for a year or so. If that were so, it didn't seem reasonable to buy a current motherboard/CPU setup for a supposed "drop-in" upgrade two years from now. Of course, I might be totally wrong, here.

TechSpot said:
The Core i7 965 Extreme Edition runs at 3.20GHz and features a QPI (QuickPath Interface) throughput of 6.4GT/s, which is the key difference here. The mainstream versions of the processor include the Core i7 920 and 940, clocked at 2.66GHz and 2.93GHz, respectively.
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Unless TechSpot is mistaken, it appears the i7-920 and 940 were considered "mainstream" parts by Intel, also. Just thought it worth mentioning.

Danny Bui said:
Three main reasons why the X58 is the upper tier enthusiast platform:
- X58 chipset has enough PCI-E lanes for x16/x16 CF/SLI. The P55 chipset, at best, supports a max of x8/x8 CF/SLI.
- The X58 chipset has support for 6 RAM slots which means more RAM for those who need it, like an enthusiast :)
- Compatibility with Gulftown CPUs
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Yes, these are the reasons I have seen. Edited for counting errors. :p

- Is X8/X8 CF really less "enthusiastic" than X16/X16? LOL. Reviews seem to indicate that it matters very little. It seems a little remniscent of the older X48 vs. P45 discussions. Again, I could be wrong.
- Now, the 6 RAM slots is actually a really good point. But you don't see most 1366/920 users running more than 8GB of RAM, and if not for the stigma of being "mainstream", I think many of these users would have been fine with 1156. It just comes down to what's important to you, I guess.
- I guess I will deflect this until I know for sure what happened with the i7-965 release. I honestly might be mistaken, there. If the three processors were released together, I don't think we should expect to see another cheaper 6-core for some time. And by then, as they say, we will all be in the same boat.
 
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TheQuestian said:
Hmm, I thought the i7-965, i7-940 and i7-920 were released in unison? That's the reason I was thinking Gulftown would remain Extreme for a year or so. If that were so, it didn't seem reasonable to buy a current motherboard/CPU setup for a supposed "drop-in" upgrade two years from now. Of course, I might be totally wrong, here.
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No, I was wrong here. Could have sworn that the i7 series were released in Intel's normal fashion. I was thinking of Intel's Core 2 lines. My mistake.

TheQuestian said:
- Is X8/X8 CF really less "enthusiastic" than X16/X16? LOL. Reviews seem to indicate that it matters very little. It seems a little remniscent of the older X48 vs. P45 discussions. Again, I could be wrong.
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While yes, there is little real world difference between those two setups, if that enthusiast is gonna spend the cash for two video cards, more than likely he'll want the best option that'll make sure he's getting the most amount of performance from those cards. And that option will be the X58. It is a bit similar to the X48 VS P45 debate but the debates are still different enough.

TheQuestian said:
- Now, the 6 RAM slots is actually a really good point. But you don't see most 1366/920 users running more than 8GB of RAM, and if not for the stigma of being "mainstream", I think many of these users would have been fine with 1156. It just comes down to what's important to you, I guess.
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Well the main reason why many i7 920/LGA 1366 don't have more than 6GB of RAM is that current RAM prices are somewhat high. More than likely they'll wait until DDR3 prices lower before upgrading to 12GB or even 24GB of RAM. If just gaming with a single GPU, yes more than likely a LGA 1156 setup would be enough. However, at least in the General Hardware subforum, you do see a ton of guys who spend waay too much on a I7 860/P55 setup that costs about the same as a Core i7 920/X58 setup or a small price difference of $50 or so. At that point, there's very very little reason to go with a i7 860/P55 setup when a Core i7/X58 is roughly the same price or not that much more but offers more RAM, more PCI-E bandwidth, and the possibility of six-core CPU support.

We're just talking about gamers here. For those who do a ton of video editing, VM work, photoshop, etc, the ability to add a large amount of RAM for cheap is a very very good reason to go with the i7 920/X58 setup. For those who do run multiple MMORPG clients (believe me, it's more widespread than you think, especially among WOW and Eve Online players), the extra RAM is a significant boost.

TheQuestian said:
- I guess I will deflect this until I know for sure what happened with the i7-965 release. I honestly might be mistaken, there. If the three processors were released together, I don't think we should expect to see another cheaper 6-core for some time. And by then, as they say, we will all be in the same boat.
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I would expect a cheaper 6-core roughly 4-6 months after the initial Gulftown release judging from the past C2D/C2Q releases.
 
posted deleted, redundant information already posted in the thread. I missed the second page, my bad
 
tollickd said:
I am looking at the GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 with a h50 but i see that the Asus already support the new 32nm chips maybe a ASUS RAMPAGE 2 EXTREME
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Why do you need 32nm support now, when those CPUs aren't even out yet? The Gigabyte will have 32nm support via a BIOS update in the future (when the processors are released).
 
Some good info in this thread, as I'm currently trying to chose between the 860 and 920 myself...

This upgrade bug really sucks..:)
 
Danny Bui said:
I would expect a cheaper 6-core roughly 4-6 months after the initial Gulftown release judging from the past C2D/C2Q releases.
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We may see a cheaper version released on March 16th, depends on how much the X5650 or L5640 costs. And of course, your board would have to support them.
 
Well dammit I caved. Just picked up the 920 @ MC.

Now the buyer remorse is setting in. I'm thinking I should have grabbed the 860, as I don't see myself going with more than one GPU for a while ..... but it is nice to have the option.

My main goal is to be able to run one of these at 4GHz, with a Corsair H50 in push-pull config. I had thought the 920 was the better rout to 4GHz, but it looks like people aren't having too much issue getting the 860's to run at that level ...... and run a bit cooler to boot.

Should I flip the 920 and go grab an 860?
 
Besides a cheaper motherboard, what advantages does the i7 860 over the i7 920 that makes it worth it for you to flip the i7 920 you have now?

Note that in the end, the heat differences are minimal.
 
I agree with Danny. Now that you have the i7 920 in hand, go ahead with the build.
 
Thanks guys, I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with my decision.

That upgrade bug is a vicious beast, is it not? :eek:
 
Low Roller said:
Well dammit I caved. Just picked up the 920 @ MC.

Now the buyer remorse is setting in. I'm thinking I should have grabbed the 860, as I don't see myself going with more than one GPU for a while ..... but it is nice to have the option.

My main goal is to be able to run one of these at 4GHz, with a Corsair H50 in push-pull config. I had thought the 920 was the better rout to 4GHz, but it looks like people aren't having too much issue getting the 860's to run at that level ...... and run a bit cooler to boot.

Should I flip the 920 and go grab an 860?
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I was gonna do a 920 orig, but decided on the 860. Yes my system may be "Mainstream", it "only" does 8x for CF/SLI, but in the real world, unless you are doing some serious 3d maya stuff or heavyduty cad work. SLI/CF should be good for a standard display (1920x1080) in SLI for gaming. I love my 860.

While the 6 cored processor will be out on the gulftown platform, it will work its way down to the 1156 group eventually.

They are both brutes of a processor, and they serve equally well.
 
Low Roller said:
Should I flip the 920 and go grab an 860?
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No way. My point was just that the two processors (and chip sets) are different iterations of very similar parts; not that one is inherently better. It's definitely not worth the trouble of swapping, and I'd say there's no reason for remorse, either.

Time to enjoy! :D
 
verylostindeed said:
As others have said, no way. The 920 at Microcenter is about the best deal you can get. And the X58 boards are cheaper now as well, so enjoy.
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Not to mention that there are new revisions out (such as the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R) which are being sold at the same price points (~$200) but have very nice features such as USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s.
 
Low Roller said:
Thanks guys, I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with my decision.

That upgrade bug is a vicious beast, is it not? :eek:
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It is a vicious beast. Researching, spending money and just when you think you got it all figured out someone will say...."how about AMD?" lol.

Love for AMD though. :)
 
not much difference between the 860 and the 920. i just built a rig with the 860 as a cruncher because i only plan to have a mild overclock. 860's consume less power and the overall cost of the CPU, mobo, and memory is a little cheaper for almost no performance difference. however, if i plan on OC'ing above 4.0ghz, then i would have gotten the 920. the 860 could also get 4ghz, but not with reasonable voltages and power consumption would end up being higher than a 4ghz 920. any clocks below 3.6ghz, then 860 is more power efficient. overall, my reason for the 860 was value for the money, power consumption, and how much i planned on OC'ing. your reasons may vary, so if you're able to spend a little more for the overall platform, don't care much about electricity, or plan to have high clocks, then go with the 920.
 
I went through all this when upgrading from my phenom 965 c3...after much debate I went with 920 for peace of mind and better PCI-E performance for multi cards.
Regards
 
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