So I've been looking in the market to buy a new setup for a while now. For the longest time, I had my sights set on a i7 950. But then Intel decides to release their new second generation Sandy Bridge i7 processors, which has left me with other choices aside from the 950 I've been wanting for so long.
I've done some searching on the interwebs, and I've read up on some things, such as comparisons and benchmarks between the two processors. But the results seem skewed for certain sites, so I'm left in the dust with no viable benchmarking results or comparisons.
I know that the 1155 processors are meant to replace the 1156s and aren't really meant to replace the 1336 CPUs. I also realize that the Sandy Bridge series is meant to be a mainstream consumer product, whereas the Bloomfield/Gulftown series is meant to be an enthusiast consumer product. However, from what I've gathered, the 2600ks are very much comparable to a lot of the 1336s. Some even state that the 2600ks are comparable to the i7 980x due to its advanced overclocking capabilities. Although I'm finding this hard to believe since the Gulftown 980xs are six-core processors, as opposed to the four-core Sandy Bridge processors.
Other things I've gathered is that the performance of the 2600ks vary greatly on the motherboards that are coupled with it (more so than your standard CPU/Mobo coupling). Such as the integrated graphics not working, the CPU multiplier not working, etc. Making research for the motherboards that much more tedious.
The new 2011 (socket type) Ivy Bridge series will surely knock the last gen enthusiast i7s out of the ball park, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to wait a whole year for them to release.
tl;dr: So, for those of you familiar with all the latest and greatest computer technology has to offer, I ask you: Should I buy a 1336 Bloomfield setup (Core i7 950) and then upgrade to a Gulftown processor later down the road (Core i7 Extreme) or should I get a 1155 2600k setup? Or should I really wait a whole year for the new Ivy Bridges?
Note: I'll mostly use it for high-end gaming and some simple video/photo editing. I have a Radeon 6870 that I plan on SLi'ng sometime in the near future, if that makes any difference.
I've done some searching on the interwebs, and I've read up on some things, such as comparisons and benchmarks between the two processors. But the results seem skewed for certain sites, so I'm left in the dust with no viable benchmarking results or comparisons.
I know that the 1155 processors are meant to replace the 1156s and aren't really meant to replace the 1336 CPUs. I also realize that the Sandy Bridge series is meant to be a mainstream consumer product, whereas the Bloomfield/Gulftown series is meant to be an enthusiast consumer product. However, from what I've gathered, the 2600ks are very much comparable to a lot of the 1336s. Some even state that the 2600ks are comparable to the i7 980x due to its advanced overclocking capabilities. Although I'm finding this hard to believe since the Gulftown 980xs are six-core processors, as opposed to the four-core Sandy Bridge processors.
Other things I've gathered is that the performance of the 2600ks vary greatly on the motherboards that are coupled with it (more so than your standard CPU/Mobo coupling). Such as the integrated graphics not working, the CPU multiplier not working, etc. Making research for the motherboards that much more tedious.
The new 2011 (socket type) Ivy Bridge series will surely knock the last gen enthusiast i7s out of the ball park, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to wait a whole year for them to release.
tl;dr: So, for those of you familiar with all the latest and greatest computer technology has to offer, I ask you: Should I buy a 1336 Bloomfield setup (Core i7 950) and then upgrade to a Gulftown processor later down the road (Core i7 Extreme) or should I get a 1155 2600k setup? Or should I really wait a whole year for the new Ivy Bridges?
Note: I'll mostly use it for high-end gaming and some simple video/photo editing. I have a Radeon 6870 that I plan on SLi'ng sometime in the near future, if that makes any difference.