i7 870 vs i7 950: Thoughts?

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I3eyond

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I remember seeing somewhere on this forum a thread titled "Is the i7 950 really that bad?"

Main application is gaming.

Thoughts?
 
Biggest difference is LGA 1156 versus LGA 1366. IIRC, the processors themselves are very similar.

1156 has dual channel RAM and a limited number of PCIe lanes.

1366 has triple channel RAM and more PCIe lanes.

For SLI/Xfire, 1366 is probably the better choice due to more PCIe lanes. For single card gaming, 1156 has better bang for the buck
 
Seems 1366 has more potential life as well, or as far as I've read, it seems that it will be around longer.

The next question becomes: Do we wait on Sandy Bridge?
 
I3eyond said:
Seems 1366 has more potential life as well, or as far as I've read, it seems that it will be around longer.
Click to expand...

Meh, not really. I don't think they are planning any new CPUs for either 1156 or 1366.

The only difference in longevity is the fact that 1155 will arrive about 6 months before 2011. So it's not like either 1156 or 1366 has any life left, it's just that it will take longer for the replacement to arrive.

For six months, LGA 1155 is going to be faster than LGA 1366 but not offer enough PCIe lanes for big multiple-GPU setups (There are still going to be SLI/Xfire 1155 boards with two x8 slots)

I'm waiting for Sandy. Five weeks to go.
 
It will probably be another two years or so before I even think about upgrading my i5 750. I don't see how that would be any different if I was on LGA1336.
 
Nehalem D0 overclocks considerably better than Lynnfield because it doesn't have the on board PCIe controller. With cheap ram now days I'd also go for the triple channel ram. Theres also the option to pick up a hex core in a year if you want it.
 
i7 950:
Higher overall cost of entry
Triple-channel RAM
Triple-GPU and Quad-GPU if the MB supports it
Future upgrade path? Yes

i7 870:
Cheaper cost of entry
Dual-Channel RAM
SLI or CF, PhysX with reduced performance if aforementioned is being used.
Future upgrade path? No
 
bore_u2_death said:
i7 950:
Higher overall cost of entry
Triple-channel RAM
Triple-GPU and Quad-GPU if the MB supports it
Future upgrade path? Yes

i7 870:
Cheaper cost of entry
Dual-Channel RAM
SLI or CF, PhysX with reduced performance if aforementioned is being used.
Future upgrade path? No
Click to expand...

I'd disagree somewhat with your future upgrade path.

In one manner, yes, the 950 does have more of an upgrade path. The 870 is the second fastest LGA 1156 chip there is, or ever will be (IIRC there's a 875K, which is the same core but unlocked). The 950 is a long ways away from being the fastest 1366 chip (there are several Extreme Editions, as well as 32nm hex cores), so if you go that way there are higher end chips you can upgrade to.

However, it's important to note that both are EOL sockets with no new chips scheduled. It's not like 1366 will give you an upgrade path with new chips that will come out in the next year or two. It just gives you an upgrade path to existing chips that are already available, but are more expensive, and may not necessarily benefit you.
 
I went i7 870 myself since I plan on using 1 video card, 8GB of Ram is fine, and it fit the budget I had to work with.
 
bore_u2_death said:
i7 950:
Higher overall cost of entry
Triple-channel RAM
Triple-GPU and Quad-GPU if the MB supports it
Future upgrade path? Yes

i7 870:
Cheaper cost of entry
Dual-Channel RAM
SLI or CF, PhysX with reduced performance if aforementioned is being used.
Future upgrade path? No
Click to expand...

Actually, the i7-950 has no future upgrade path, as well: Other than the recently introduced but not-yet-shipping i7-995X, there will be no new CPUs introduced for LGA 1366 as far as the "consumer/enthusiast" i7s are concerned for the remainder of the socket's production life. The next upper-class "consumer/enthusiast" CPU from Intel will use LGA 2011, which is slated for production and release in the second half of 2011.

In other words, the i7-995X will be the very last LGA 1366 CPU released.
 
There is an upgrade path from the i7 950 though, if anything you use benefits from hex core you can go that route. The socket is essentually dead but there is an upgrade path from what he is planning on building now.

edit: Path is to strong a word, he has one more step he can take with that system.
 
Go i7 950. Price difference is no longer that big, if there is any price difference at all.
 
Direfox said:
There is an upgrade path from the i7 950 though, if anything you use benefits from hex core you can go that route. The socket is essentually dead but there is an upgrade path from what he is planning on building now.

edit: Path is to strong a word, he has one more step he can take with that system.
Click to expand...

Technically true. But the least-expensive hex-core Intel processor remains astronomically expensive at $900+. And there is one more quad-core i7-9xx priced in between the 950 and the cheapest hex-core.

So in other words, there is no cost-effective upgrade path for LGA 1366, as far as the CPU is concerned.
 
I think he meant like a year down the road when the hex core will undoubtedly be cheaper second hand.
 
lixuelai said:
I think he meant like a year down the road when the hex core will undoubtedly be cheaper second hand.
Click to expand...

IMHO, second-hand does not count. In fact, many of the motherboards for this socket will become EOL support-wise by that time (this means that there will be no new drivers and no support or incomplete, crippled support for operating systems that are newer than the one that's currently in distribution).
 
Direfox said:
There is an upgrade path from the i7 950 though, if anything you use benefits from hex core you can go that route. The socket is essentually dead but there is an upgrade path from what he is planning on building now.

edit: Path is to strong a word, he has one more step he can take with that system.
Click to expand...

This is basically what I'm thinking. Additionally, I've generally found the X58 chipset to be a better overclocking platform than P55. Though I have to admit I've spent a lot more time with X58. Also the extra PCI-Express lanes give you options for upgrading should you decide SLI or Crossfire is for you at some point. You tend to get more PCI-Express slots on X58 boards but your mileage varies a bit there. It may not even be an issue for you especially if SLI or Crossfire aren't on the menu.
 
this is the question that a lot of people who are looking at sandy bridge are asking now. I have not seen a great increase in performance between a 2600k and a 875k. It sounds like any CPU that you can OC to around 3.4 is a win.

Sorry for that being a bit off topic, but back on. the 870 does use less power, so i think it still depend on what you want. The 950 system will cost more and eat more power, but will deliver better performance.

Socket 1366 is getting a little bit of love, but not enough to call it an upgrade path. It will be EOL in a year. Hex price are a big question, but I dont think that they will be under $350 so if you call that an upgrade, then ok, i don't.

An upgrade path, is what AMD typically has. Intel has typically been lousy with upgrade paths. Not to say you can't do it, but an intel upgrade usually costs as much as a low-end next generation system.

Last bit: It's anyone's guess where the prices will be in January, but i think we can agree that the 950 and 870 prices will go down a bit then.
 
Megalomaniac said:
this is the question that a lot of people who are looking at sandy bridge are asking now. I have not seen a great increase in performance between a 2600k and a 875k. It sounds like any CPU that you can OC to around 3.4 is a win.

Sorry for that being a bit off topic, but back on. the 870 does use less power, so i think it still depend on what you want. The 950 system will cost more and eat more power, but will deliver better performance.

Socket 1366 is getting a little bit of love, but not enough to call it an upgrade path. It will be EOL in a year. Hex price are a big question, but I dont think that they will be under $350 so if you call that an upgrade, then ok, i don't.

An upgrade path, is what AMD typically has. Intel has typically been lousy with upgrade paths. Not to say you can't do it, but an intel upgrade usually costs as much as a low-end next generation system.

Last bit: It's anyone's guess where the prices will be in January, but i think we can agree that the 950 and 870 prices will go down a bit then.
Click to expand...

a 950 is better than a 870 with a lil push can do wonders , that when a sandy comes you be equipped to take care of business
 
I'd go for the 950 or wait to see how sandy bridge is priced first. The nehalem i7s will probably go down in price after sandy bridge.
 
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