Best Intel Socket Right Now?

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SylarPowers

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 9, 2009
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I may need to buy sooner than later, but I know stuff is coming. Which ways are the forward thinking sockets, and which will be dead ends again? I stopped paying attention after my Intel 930 i7 CPU and Asus Rampage III Extreme days.
 
1155 is the current mainstream socket. It is used for current sandy bridge mainstream chips and will be used for ivy bridge mainstream chips next year. Beyond ivy bridge intel hasn't said anything about their mainstream socket intentions.

1366 is still the current high end socket but it's a generation behind LGA1155 and it's about to be replaced by LGA2011. So I would only get it if you REALLY need the third ram channel, the extra PCIe lanes or the dual socket support.
 
1366 is going out soon; 1155 is limited when compared to 1366 capabilities (but it does get native SATA 6Gbps support.)
 
rampantandroid said:
1366 is going out soon; 1155 is limited when compared to 1366 capabilities (but it does get native SATA 6Gbps support.)
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Yes, but it depends on your definition of limited and what other hardware you are using. It is less limited because newer CPU's will make an appearance on 1155 while they will not on 1366, which can be very noticeable depending on the application. The value of a third RAM channel in real world applications is debatable for 99% of users out there. Extra PCIe lanes...maybe 95% of the people out there.

I stand by the recommendation that 1155 if you have to buy now. The OP already has a 1366 system, and I wouldn't replace it at this point with another one.
 
Well the only thing and I do mean only thing that can max SATA III is a higher end ssd. Other than that and overclocking 1366 still remains the best platform for multigpu gaming.
 
kirbyrj said:
Yes, but it depends on your definition of limited and what other hardware you are using. It is less limited because newer CPU's will make an appearance on 1155 while they will not on 1366, which can be very noticeable depending on the application. The value of a third RAM channel in real world applications is debatable for 99% of users out there. Extra PCIe lanes...maybe 95% of the people out there.

I stand by the recommendation that 1155 if you have to buy now. The OP already has a 1366 system, and I wouldn't replace it at this point with another one.
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Except my understanding is that IB processors will need a new motherboard ANYWAY.

As for replacing -yes. A 920 is more than enough, so a 930 should be fine.
 
If you are buying now, LGA1155 is your only real option.

Fortunately, you don't have to buy high-end right away.

Even with Ivy Bridge due in 2012, Ivy and Sandy will cross over for most (if not all) of 2012, which can't be said for either LGA775 or LGA1366.

If you are thinking long-term, you won't want to skimp on either motherboard or chipset (especially if you plan on getting at least two CPUs worth of use out of the motherboard in question).

1. Chipset - Unless you're a super-cheapskate, think P67 or Z68; there are some decently-priced motherboards with both chipsets available.

2. CPU - That depends on your needs, your budget - and where you buy. While most e-tailers have been pushing Pentium-G as the low-end option, MicroCenter's $40 bundle savings on motherboard paired with LGA1155 doesn't include the G series, but does include i3, making the i3, in fact, $10 cheaper.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone, I will add it all to my research. Also, I sold that old 1366 system, so this would be my only build. The one build... TO RULE THEM A... nevermind :)

I'm also after native Sata 3 and USB 3, but that last one might not happen till later huh.

As far as PCI lanes, I may do dual GPUS, but I almost always choose one. I just like having one big card instead of two medium cards, and I can never afford two big cards like. I can take or leave tri ram slots. Can't see a big difference really. I do like me some unlocked multipliers even though I rarely overclock, but I like having the option for later when it gets older. I tend to upgrade rather than not though, so I plan on replacing the CPU/GPU/Mobo/RAM every two-three years anyway.

I'll be doing an Intel 510 Series SSD and I'll be rocking the Silverstone TJ11 Enclosure.
 
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SylarPowers said:
Thanks for all the advice everyone, I will add it all to my research. Also, I sold that old 1366 system, so this would be my only build. The one build... TO RULE THEM A... nevermind :)

I'm also after native Sata 3 and USB 3, but that last one might not happen till later huh.

As far as PCI lanes, I may do dual GPUS, but I almost always choose one. I just like having one big card instead of two medium cards, and I can never afford two big cards like. I can take or leave tri ram slots. Can't see a big difference really. I do like me some unlocked multipliers even though I rarely overclock, but I like having the option for later when it gets older. I tend to upgrade rather than not though, so I plan on replacing the CPU/GPU/Mobo/RAM every two-three years anyway.

I'll be doing an Intel 510 Series SSD and I'll be rocking the Silverstone TJ11 Enclosure.
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LGA1155 includes native SATA-3 support (the extra chipset is to add additional SATA-3 ports, as the SATA-3 on-chipset support is limited to two ports). As far as USB 3, until and unless more *devices* call for USB-3, the lack of native support is far from critical. (As it is, most LGA1155 boards do support USB-3 via controllers from Rennesas.)
 
I wouldn’t select any other socket beside 1155 and the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. Depending on what you are doing one of the better all around processors that we have ever released based on performance and value is the Intel Core i5-2500K. Right off the bat it is hard to beat the normal performance of this processor and when matched up with a good P67 or Z68 series board, this unlocked processor will allow you to get a major performance boost with overclocking it.
 
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rampantandroid said:
Do you encode videos and do things that take advantage of hyperthreading?

If no, then get the 2500k...same proc, just no HT support.
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I see very little reason to get a 2600k over a 2500k. You lose a little cache, but this is the same argument from 3-4 years ago with the Athlon X2's. You very likely wouldn't notice the difference between the two in real world usage as there is negligible difference (2-3% tops). Even HT is of questionable value. There are many benchmarks to show this, and it limits OC's. You're better off with the 2500k, OC it to 4.5Ghz and enjoy the extra $100 and put it to something that would really speed up your system like a better video card or SSD.
 
I plan on ripping my blu rays for a home based movie jukebox, so anyone else think I should go with the i5 over the i7?
 
Been reading this section of the forums, seems ur right, better to save the money unless... does Adobe software make use of hyper threading? I do like playing with Adobe Master Suite, but only for fun.
 
If it's only for fun, I'm not sure it's going to make THAT big of a difference, and can actually make different effects run slower. Seems like a YMMV situation. I don't think it's worth $100.

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/cpu/ci7-turbo-ht-p1.html

I found that article and one of the benchmarks was Photoshop. It is with an older i7 920 for reference. Most hyperthreading articles deal with the older P4 HT which would make a difference since it was a single core CPU.
 
SylarPowers said:
I plan on ripping my blu rays for a home based movie jukebox, so anyone else think I should go with the i5 over the i7?
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If by ripping you mean transcoding into x264 or something, then I would think seriously about getting the 2600K, since encoding can benefit from HT. If you just mean ripping and storing the raw file, then I wouldn't bother.
 
Forceman said:
If by ripping you mean transcoding into x264 or something, then I would think seriously about getting the 2600K, since encoding can benefit from HT. If you just mean ripping and storing the raw file, then I wouldn't bother.
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But it can also just benefit from something like using the GPU. I honestly have done zero testing on HT with my PC - I transcode a bit, and I use lightroom a lot.
 
rampantandroid said:
But it can also just benefit from something like using the GPU. I honestly have done zero testing on HT with my PC - I transcode a bit, and I use lightroom a lot.
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True, but unless something has changed recently, GPU encoding is lousy quality. That Xbit link from above showed a ~25% improvement in x264 using HT, so that's pretty noticeable, but I've never tested it myself either.
 
Unless the software is coded for "virtual" cores, it doesn't appear to make much difference. Even the conclusion in the article states:

Hyper-Threading is still as controversial as in times of NetBurst. This technology yields zero performance gains according to our overall score (rounded), even though some tests demonstrate significant performance gains or drops. The reasons are lying on the surface: it's not easy to optimize software for virtual multiprocessing.
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Even if there is a slight difference, it very likely is not $100 worth of difference, plus HT enabled will hinder your OC. I bet an extra 100-200mhz will more than make up the difference of having HT enabled.
 
Harry1969 said:
That's what I'm doing unless Bulldozer kicks ass.
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Third.

Although I'm trying to decide if i want to go with LGA 2011, or some 6/8 core non HT 22nm proc (if intel makes one that is). Ideally if i could get a six core non HT processor at 22nm, hopefully that would come at around 3.6 GHZ stock.
 
kirbyrj said:
Even if there is a slight difference, it very likely is not $100 worth of difference, plus HT enabled will hinder your OC. I bet an extra 100-200mhz will more than make up the difference of having HT enabled.
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I haven't seen too many people complaining about HT holding back their 2600K overclocks, unless you are talking about extreme overclocking, or seen people with 2500Ks hitting higher overclocks than 2600Ks either. Plenty of 5+ overclocks on 2600Ks with HT on.
 
I gave it some thought, 4 cores is enough for this upgrade cycle I think. No need for virtual cores. The TJ11 case is very expensive, no way to really justify it for my budget, but I'm getting that case anyway cus I'm in love and I can help make up for it via the i5-2500K CPU.

A quick look and it seems that the mobo I fancy is the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68, which is also expensive, but I am a huge fan of the ROG motherboards, and they sell good used. I have to read up on reviews, but it is the closest thing to my old Rampage III Extreme for LGA 1155.
 
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SylarPowers said:
I gave it some thought, 4 cores is enough for this upgrade cycle I think. No need for virtual cores. The TJ11 case is very expensive, no way to really justify it for my budget, but I'm getting that case anyway cus I'm in love and I can help make up for it via the i5-2500K CPU.

A quick look and it seems that the mobo I fancy is the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z LGA 1155 Intel Z68, which is also expensive, but I am a huge fan of the ROG motherboards, and they sell good used. I have to read up on reviews, but it is the closest thing to my old Rampage III Extreme for LGA 1155.
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Good luck with the build.
 
I'm on the 1366 socket.

go witht he 1155 socket....1366 is a dieing socket :/
 
Just ordered up the 2500k and the Maximus IV Extreme Z. Also got an Asus matrix 580 and some mushkin red line RAM to match.
 
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