CPU question (i7-920 vs i7-860) 6 core support

Mike M. wrote on 12/13/2009, 11:15 AM

I'm struggling to make up my mind on the cpu for a new system I'm building. It's come down to either the Intel i7-920 or i7-860. Besides the extra heat issue of the 920, the specs are a bit more favored toward the 860. But all things considered, both are great CPU's. Pricing on the CPU's are pretty much the same and the motherboards are more for the 920 platform.

The couple of questions that linger are:

1. The 1366 socket motherboard for the 920 will (?) support a 6 core in the future, and if that is a big deal or not?

2. The 1366 socket motherboards are triple channel memory and is that a factor in RAM or speed?

I don't know if "future proofing" is a myth with the way things change, and I'm sure there are more pros and cons on either, so if anyone can help me sort this out it would be appreciated.

Comments

xberk wrote on 12/13/2009, 4:22 PM

The i7-860 is the value. i5-750 (which I use) is even more of a value. Certainly the 860 should get you "close" to the performance of the 920 in regards to Vegas, run cooler and save you money. I thought the i5-750 was close enough for me and it's worked out great. I paid $200 for the Motherboard AND CHIP! .. So if the 6 core proves to be super great for Vegas, I have not invested much in i5-750 system and can replace Motherboard and chip easily.

Regards upgradable motherboard for 6 core, personally I have never upgraded a chip and kept the same motherboard so I don't consider that a plus. New chip. New motherboard. New main drive. Fresh install of OS and all software. To me, this is the quality way to build a new system. If you think 6 cores will greatly improve Vegas preview and render, wait for the 6 cores to come out to do the new build. I'm not sure that 6 cores will do much. An i7-860 overclocked might work just as well.

LSHorwitz wrote on 12/13/2009, 8:15 PM

FYI -

It's worth noting that the i9's have begun to show up (for benchmarking and on eBay!) and a really good article published recently describes the extra speed advantages. It is titled:

"Early Core i9 benchmarks promising, make you wonder why you even bothered with Core i7"

and the review is at:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/24/early-core-i9-benchmarks-promising-make-you-wonder-why-you-even/

Some of the early benchmarks look like as much as a 50% speed increase over the top i7's.

I am not suggesting this as a substitute for the choices you are comparing, but wanted to make you aware of this development since the next desktops coming out in January are expected to offer this option. Therefore, price reductions on the choices you are now considering should be worth waiting for and are quite imminent.

Larry

Mike M. wrote on 12/13/2009, 9:41 PM

Thanks "xberk" for your ideas. The way you think about the "upgrade" path is the way I've always done it too. After all, to some degree....everything is improved.

The real issue for me is the bit of additional money for the MB and the extra heat (85w vs 115w) for the CPU, which is a big increase.

Larry: Thanks for the link, I'll take a look at the comments and tests.

OdieInAz wrote on 12/13/2009, 9:47 PM

i9 50% Speedup over i7 - If everything scales perfectly efficiently, one would expect 6 cores to be 50% faster than 4 cores, and 6x faster than a single core. But everything is not totally effiicient, so the verbage of "up to 50% faster" provides the wiggle room. 8 cores should be "up to 100% faster than 4 cores" Real cores that is.

apit34356 wrote on 12/13/2009, 10:07 PM

i9 50% Speedup over i7---- this could be real if the L1-L2-L3 cache management and wight of the cache has been double. There has been hints that Intel has improve the L1 cache for better performance of threads and cleanup some of the internal ALU overhead and storing the results quicker, ->L1->l2. But technical write-ups suggest this new design addresses many old issues with better / smarter solutions, I like the heat management of the cores ,etc,,,

This chip if its mass production matches its prototypes, it will be a great chip for most heavy tasks users. ;-)

Tinle wrote on 12/14/2009, 7:09 AM

Both the i7 860 & the i7 920 are excellent & more or less affordable -right now.

I have heard only "expensive" things about the coming six-core products.

You might look at 920 & 860 build packages and go with the cheapest combination that also provides the amount of RAM you wish to have.