Where to go from here. CPU/Mobo Upgrade

fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
edited April 2012 in Hardware
What I have:

i7-950 @ 4GHz
Asus X58 Motherboard
3x4GB DDR3-1600


What I want:
PCIE 3.0
SATA III (as many as possible)

Since Ivy Bridge is pew pew instead of FRICKIN' LASER BEAMS!, where do I go from here?

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    Ivy Bridge and a motherboard with a PLX chip for dual PCIe 3.0 x16, and know that your overclocks would've been better on Sandy Bridge, but without PCIe3.

    Sandy Bridge-E, will give you dual 3.0 x16, but Sandy Bridge clocks faster and is an all-round better performer.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    Overclocking the CPU seems kinda moot these days when I feel SATA III SSD's and PCIE 3.0 GPU can give me a better performance.

    Unless I'm wrong that games use quad core cpu's to their potential

    also, don't need dual x16. I won't be doing XF or SLi anytime soon again
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    *moot

    to make this useful:

    Some games are using more threads, and I think that trend will only continue to increase. Whether or not that makes OC'ing worth it for you is another question. I think that having the option is always a good thing to extend the potential lifespan of a build.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    If dual PCIe3 x16 doesn't matter, I honestly think Sandy Bridge with a new z77 board is the best combination.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    thanks shwaip, you know me and typos.
    So you believe games are going more towards using cpu power and not towards using more gpu power. I assumed games would eventually completely run from the gpu, and the cpu would just compute pie all day. I think I've seen maybe two games that use more than two cores.

    Thrax. dual 16x does not matter as long as: When I put an x4 card in the PCIE slot it doesn't kick my 16x down to 8x. example: GPU and Revodrive 3 (x4)

    Sandy Bridge or Sandy Bridge E? Or, what Socket?

    I guess bottom line is I haven't run across anything that needs more than quad 4GHz, which any CPU we would be talking about, hits easily.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    Z77 only has enough bandwidth for ONE x16 card. If you install ANY other PCIe device, you will go to x8, because you'll run out of lanes. SNB-E is needed to avoid this.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    Z77 only has enough bandwidth for ONE x16 card. If you install ANY other PCIe device, you will go to x8, because you'll run out of lanes. SNB-E is needed to avoid this.
    noted. what other improvements did SNB-E bring to the table?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    Dual CPUs, PCIe3, triple-channel RAM (meh), six cores, 40x PCIe lanes.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    Dual CPUs, PCIe3, triple-channel RAM (meh), six cores, 40x PCIe lanes.
    interesting.

    I already run triple-channel RAM so that is a plus, however meh it might be

    but, I see ONE SNB-E CPU on newegg, socket 2011.

    so I'm guessing SND-E doesn't come in 1155 or support 2500/2600k CPUs either?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    No. Sandy Bridge-E is a 6-core, socket 2011 CPU. x79 is its corresponding chipset. It's a workstation platform in disguise for ultra-enthusiasts.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    The more I research and take in the info you guys give me, the more I realize I should wait.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    Everything is awkward if you want to buy Intel. Here's the most concise way I can put it:

    1) Sandy Bridge+Z77 is the best overclocker, and the best performer. However, it doesn't have PCIe3. Maybe that doesn't matter much right now, but it might matter later, and that's not something people probably want to get left out of the cold on. It also only offers dual x8 to SLI/CF users, which does have an impact these days. It has USB3, and SATA3.

    2) Ivy Bridge+Z77 is the newest platform. It has PCIe3, USB3, SATA3. But if you have CrossFire/SLI, it'll also only give you dual x8. However, Ivy Bridge is no faster than Sandy Bridge clock for clock, and it has inferior overclocking. This means Ivy Bridge is slower than a Sandy Bridge platform.

    3) Sandy Bridge-E+x79 is the most comprehensive platform for enthusiasts. Six cores, triple channel RAM, PCIe3, dual x16 slots, SATA3... but no USB3. It's also twice the price of Sandy Bridge (or more), and the performance isn't any better. Feature-wise, SNB-E+x79 is a clear win, but on price it's the loseriest loser that ever lost a loss.

    I'd wait for Haswell. Anyone on a well-clocked Nehalem or Bloomfield (1st-gen LGA1366) and an x58 board has no need of an upgrade at this time. And, if we're being perfectly honest, Nehalem/Bloomfield+x58 was the last platform that made any damn sense.

    Long story short:

    1 GPU user: Sandy Bridge+z77. It's a no-brainer.
    2 GPU user: SNB-E+x79 is your best choice, but it's a total ripoff. Then your choice is SNB vs. IVB. What's more important? CPU performance or PCIe3.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    but, but my Vertex2 is sooo slow...

    thanks for the breakdown Thrax
  • VicarVicar Icrontian
    sooo slow compared to what, other SSD's,Hd's or hybrids.

    No matter how fast it is, it will eventually seem slow, live with it and save your money. my 2p worth.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    sooo slow compared to what, other SSD's,Hd's or hybrids.

    No matter how fast it is, it will eventually seem slow, live with it and save your money. my 2p worth.
    I'm guessing he means either slow due to SATA 3Gbps port or was being facetious.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    sooo slow compared to what, other SSD's,Hd's or hybrids.
    slow compared to a Vertex3 (SATA III)

    285/275 vs. 550/520. Even a SSD is still the slowest component of a PC
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    sooo slow compared to what, other SSD's,Hd's or hybrids.
    slow compared to a Vertex3 (SATA III)

    285/275 vs. 550/520. Even a SSD is still the slowest component of a PC
    I went from a Crucial C300 to Vertex 3. Seriously killer. Installed windows in 4:16 and reboots like a monster out of hell.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    SSD's really aren't the slowest, it is the SATA interface that is slow. Can't wait for an upgrade in that dept. Nand controller straight to PCI-e ftw :)
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited May 2012
    SSD's really aren't the slowest, it is the SATA interface that is slow. Can't wait for an upgrade in that dept. Nand controller straight to PCI-e ftw :)
    Why not just make cost efficient bootable PCIE SSD's and leave the SATA to mechanical drives?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    Booting from PCIe is not universal to PC BIOS.
  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    SSD's really aren't the slowest, it is the SATA interface that is slow. Can't wait for an upgrade in that dept. Nand controller straight to PCI-e ftw :)
    Why not just make cost efficient bootable PCIE SSD's and leave the SATA to mechanical drives?
    Current PCIe SSD's are still a PCI-e "RAID" controller with SATA SSD's attached to it. After all, the SSD controller outputs SATA bus signals. I am talking a PCI-e interface port of some kind right out the back of the SSD. Whole new architecture/protocol ;) Then you RAID from there, etc.

  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    Booting from PCIe is not universal to PC BIOS.
    Fix UEFI

    :P
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