i7 2600K X4 or 970 X6

[TheGreatSatan]

I need to make a decision.

If you had to choose, which would you get?

[slaveofconvention]

2600k, without a doubt. the 970 is end of line really - the socket won't be around a lot longer IMO, whereas the 2600k is based on the newest socket so more likely to be upgradeable - and it'll overclock to at least 4.2/4.3 with nothing more than clicking the "auto-overclock" feature in windows assuming the motherboard supports it, If you aren't planning to overclock, getting a K processor is a total waste though - just get the 2600

[Fuganater]

Ya my ASUS board auto-overclocks to 4.4GHz.

[Blibbax]

What are you going to do with it?

For gaming, pick the 2600k. Or even the 2500k - there'd be little or no difference.

For applications where six cores would be able to show their muscle - media encoding, perhaps - pick the 970.

For an all round machine, I'd probably choose the 2600k - it'd be faster in 90% of applications even while multitasking.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/157?vs=287

[RogueOpportunist]

2600k, without a doubt. the 970 is end of line really - the socket won't be around a lot longer IMO, whereas the 2600k is based on the newest socket so more likely to be upgradeable


I could find quite literally thousands of posts on the web saying this exact same thing about 1156/1366... Intel + future friendly socket = dreaming in technicolor.


I'd still go for the I7 if you simply can't wait for bulldozer though, as mentioned the 970 is EOL and just not worth the investment plus the idea that current AM3 motherboards are going to be supporting anything more than the first generation BD chips is a pipe dream... AMD has had just as many socket revisions as Intel, they've just gone about it with a certain level of backward compatibility but despite the "picture" AMD people love to paint you still ain't runnin a BD chip on a "white" AM3 socket, you need to have the black "AM3+" version on the board because there is 1 extra pin on the BD chips that don't fit into AM3 sockets... Call it what you want and revise it how you will that's still a socket change.

http://geekgold.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/compaream3sockets.png

AMD changes sockets just as often as Intel, the only difference being that unlike Intel, AMD hides their socket changes better and keeps modern motherboards compatible with last-gen chips, the reverse is not true however, old motherboards are not compatible with new-gen chips UNLESS the motherboard was manufactured in the period of time leading up to AMD's newest socket revision, in which case AMD "hides" their socket revision by giving the motherboard manufactures a REALLY big head start in pumping out motherboards with the next gen socket already on it labeled as whatever"+" OR the new gen chip isn't actually new but rather a repackaged, higher binned version of an existing processor.

[slaveofconvention]

I could find quite literally thousands of posts on the web saying this exact same thing about 1156/1366... Intel + future friendly socket = dreaming in technicolor.


Which is precisely why I said "more likely to be" :P

[RogueOpportunist]

This is how I see the next couple of years going...

-AMD releases BD

-Intel releases higher binned revised sandy bridge

-AMD releases second gen BD

-Intel releases Ivy Bridge

-AMD craps pants as all they have left are higher binned BD chips and they are in the exact same place they was with the Phenom's... AMD starts talking about an all new architecture

-Intel releases some other bridge

-AMD keeps talking about an all new architecture while releasing the same old chips with more cache and higher clocks

-Intel announces something smaller than 22nm and pushes out the last of their latest revision

-AMD keeps talking about ground breaking stuff coming

-Intel shrinks their process yet again and moves from the bridge naming theme to titles of Chevy Chase movies, Fletch Core due out 2nd quarter 2013

Blah blah blah, you get the idea... And you wanna know how I "know" this? It's because I'm not prophesizing the future... I'm just reciting the past and changing the names... It's the same flow that has been going on since AMD and Intel first started swapping punches... Bottom line is, buy whatever you want, in 3 months it will be "obsolete".

[TheGreatSatan]

I already know about all the technologies involved. I work in retail and can get the 2600K or the 970 as part of the Summer deal, that's all. I don't need either chip except for build photos. I will make a new mod, add the parts, take pics, and then gut it. I'm not keeping the system for use. Maybe in time I'll give it away here.

[Twigsoffury]

Blah blah blah, you get the idea... And you wanna know how I "know" this? It's because I'm not prophesizing the future... I'm just reciting the past and changing the names... It's the same flow that has been going on since AMD and Intel first started swapping punches... Bottom line is, buy whatever you want, in 3 months it will be "obsolete".

lol that is true.

I'd just say get the best possible processor for your budget and your needs.

[Fuganater]

Maybe in time I'll give it away here.

Dibs? :D

[msmrx57]

I will make a new mod, add the parts, take pics, and then gut it. I'm not keeping the system for use.

Must be nice. ;) I'm sure working in the retail end helps, and there are worse hobbies to have.


Maybe in time I'll give it away here.

Oooooo a TGS contest maybe?

[Fuganater]

Actually... Intel Retail Edge?

[AmEv]

Dull Edge?

[x88x]

Blah blah blah, you get the idea...

IDK, if AMD ends up settling even further into the 'best bang for the buck' territory that they have completely dominated the last few years, I'm actually perfectly fine with that. I never buy the cutting edge anyway, so that doesn't really matter to me, and with CPU usage mostly plateauing in the last few years, and more and more of the high-computational-need things moving over to GPUs...I don't really see the middle of the road performance difference mattering that much, tbh....especially if the Intel chips stay so expensive. I know it's been said before, and I might have my face rubbed in this in a few years, but I don't really see CPU processing power needs for probably at least 90% of the market (consumer and commercial) increasing much in the next decade. ...and considering that even a mid-end Athlon II X2 is overkill for probably 30-40% of the consumer market and a Phenom II X4 is overkill for probably another 30-40% of the consumer market.... IDK, I'm not saying Intel and AMD should stop making more powerful processors, but there comes a point where it's superfluous. Take my last two systems, for example. My previous system had a C2Q Q9450. I did a lot of heavy gaming and virtualization and occasional encoding and compiling, and I don't remember ever seeing usage top 60-70%. Now I have a 1090T, and except when I'm folding I have yet to see usage top 50%....and I'm almost definitely in the top 10-20% CPU usage need range of the consumer market. So even though I know, say, the 2600K pretty much slaughters my 1090T, I rather fail to see the point of it.



...oh, and on topic, I would go with the 2600, for the reasons other have already stated. :P

[RogueOpportunist]

If you're gonna give it away then I say get a 980x with one of those Asus supercomputer mobo's. :whistler:

[AmEv]

NOT the THUMBNAILS AGAIN!
Unfair disadvantage for me :(

[OvRiDe]

Since you are giving it away and with the price difference.. I would have to say..

2600K ..

If you look at the Passmark CPU benmarks ... They are pretty close.

i7 970 @ 3.2Ghz ... 9,944 pts
i7 2600K @ 3.4Ghz ... 9,461 pts.

Plus the 1155 is going to be a bit more future proof.

I know you have an inside track but retail difference is around 280 bucks!

You are very generous my friend.

[Twigsoffury]

i7 970 @ 3.2Ghz ... 9,944 pts
i7 2600K @ 3.4Ghz ... 9,461 pts.
.

oh dang well my 3.7Ghz 955X4 ought to dump on that 2600k then.


By the way just to throw this in here,


I've got absolutely no complaints about my Phenom II. It overclocks like a gangster on friday night. i've hit 4.0Ghz on this 955 with alright stability. 3.7Ghz is perfect though. it'll run for days and days and days without a crash or hang.


Performance is simply astounding and i routinely kick majorbuds a@# with his i7-920 in video games that are really CPU dependent (BattleGroundEurope)

we've gotta get jays computer up and going 100% and i'll tell yall how a 2500k stacks up against our i7-920 and X4 955

[RogueOpportunist]

oh dang well my 3.7Ghz 955X4 ought to dump on that 2600k then.

So long as you don't let anyone overclock that 2600k to 5ghz anyways. :lick:

[OvRiDe]

I dunno its got a pretty big gap to make up.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Phenom+II+X4+955

As you can see in the charts its just over 5500 points behind the 2600K.

Even OCed at 3.7Ghz, the 955 might be tough keep up with the 2600K. The hyperthreading gives it a 4 thread advantage, and when the 2600K isn't using all of its cores, it will clock itself up to almost 3.8Ghz. (Turbo boost). For OCing there are many that hit 4.5+Ghz with the 2600K as well.

On the flip side the 955 is about 200 bucks less then the 2600K.

[Fuganater]

2600K is only $300. 955 is $100?

[RogueOpportunist]

If this is indeed going to be something that is just going to be given away or sold I think the 2600K would have more appeal. The 970 while technically a "superior" chip doesn't clock as high and for gamers clock speed matters more than cores at this point in time... Either chip would receive a lot of attention in a contest though but the 2600K is a bit more "gamer" friendly IMO.

[TheGreatSatan]

Well go figure how the world works, but my R2-M5 is having problems all of a sudden. I think I'll have to use the 2600K for a rebuild instead.

[OvRiDe]

2600K is only $300. 955 is $100?

Well I was going with Newegg prices..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=955_x4-_-19-103-808-_-Product

955 X4 -- $120

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070&cm_re=2600K-_-19-115-070-_-Product

i7 2600K -- $315

[Fuganater]

Ah. I didn't look and didn't know it was so cheap.

[TheGreatSatan]

Who cares, the 955 doesn't come close to either Intel chip. They barely beat the i3's

[RogueOpportunist]

Who cares, the 955 doesn't come close to either Intel chip. They barely beat the i3's

Way to go, you just made like 10 AMD fanbois cry you cruel heartless person you.

[Okele]

I would say save yourself $100.00 and get the 2500K. It does marginally less than a 2600K, which is really just for the e-peen folks that want to say mine's bigger than yours! I have been an AMD faithful user since my first PC back in 1997, and due to price points I have always used AMD. But, if Intel is going to make chips like the Sandy Bridge, and price them so everyone can buy them, then I have jumped on that bandwagon. I am now the proud owner of a 2500K, although I won't say I won't jump back, it just won't be today.

[Fuganater]

Way to go, you just made like 10 AMD fanbois cry you cruel heartless person you.

:up:

[Twigsoffury]

So long as you don't let anyone overclock that 2600k to 5ghz anyways. :lick:

what sort of elaborate cooling situation do you need to have to achieve this?

[Fuganater]

what sort of elaborate cooling situation do you need to have to achieve this?

Well the 2600K OC's itself to 4.4GHz so 5 is easy. I'm running at 4.9 right now with a WC setup and the water temp is a nice 31C.

[TheGreatSatan]

I would say save yourself $100.00 and get the 2500K.

I guess no one is reading the posts. It's not about money, it's about getting one of these chips because they're the only options.

Anyway, I'm getting the 2600K. I'll also be picking up the MSI P67A-GD55, 8GB DDR3, the Gigabyte 560Ti, a Corsair H60 and a new PSU that I'm still considering

[Fuganater]

TGS, let me know how that cooler works. I've been thinking about one for my server.

[RogueOpportunist]

Well the 2600K OC's itself to 4.4GHz so 5 is easy. I'm running at 4.9 right now with a WC setup and the water temp is a nice 31C.

Yeah, there are a bunch of examples on other techie forums of 2600K's hitting 5ghz on air, the highest I've heard of so far is 5.7ghz on air (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=4712082#post4712082) but it was unstable...

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m267/CraigNeilson/Gigabyte%20GA-P67A-UD5/F5x%20Bios/i7%202600K/57GHz.png

I think the highest on liquid is somewhere in the 5.8-5.9 range... Either way, if Ivy Bridge is supposed to be 20% faster AMD better pull a rabbit out of their hat this time...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uXEMQ17wHRQ/TMg402_aUJI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/k0eu4HUScko/s400/bullwinkle_magic-hat.jpg




Anyway, I'm getting the 2600K. I'll also be picking up the MSI P67A-GD55, 8GB DDR3, the Gigabyte 560Ti, a Corsair H60 and a new PSU that I'm still considering

Nice little combo, you gonna "mod" the H60 too?

[Okele]

I guess no one is reading the posts. It's not about money, it's about getting one of these chips because they're the only options.

Anyway, I'm getting the 2600K. I'll also be picking up the MSI P67A-GD55, 8GB DDR3, the Gigabyte 560Ti, a Corsair H60 and a new PSU that I'm still considering

Good choices TGS, but can I suggest a different mobo? I have the Gigabyte
P67A-Ud4-B3. It's a great board, and in a good price range, with lots of options, and Im hearing that they are going to try and introduce their new Bios UI for the Z boards to the P boards.

[TheGreatSatan]

I'm kind of sold on MSI. Both my AMD rigs have been flawless with MSI. Plus it just needs to be full size and use DDR3. I really don't play with my stuff at all.

[billygoat333]

I also have to make this decision. hmm... I have the i7-960 and a lga 1366 board already... thinking about selling the 960 for cheap on here and picking up the 970 since I already have a board for it. tough though, since the 2600k is cheaper and basically a better buy. lol

[Blibbax]

Surely the answer is do neither? A 960 is already an awesome CPU. Definitely not worth the upgrade to 1155 imo.

[diluzio91]

if you're looking for a 560 ti i can help you out... i want to switch to AMD for eyefinity.

[billygoat333]

Hmm. Anyone want a 2600k for cheap? I think I will keep my 960 since the 970s sold out already.

[Fuganater]

Hmm. Anyone want a 2600k for cheap? I think I will keep my 960 since the 970s sold out already.

PM Sent :D

[TheGreatSatan]

I went with the Gigabyte Z68X-UD3 instead