News - Intel to axe X58 chipset, replaced with Sandy Bridge-based X79?

[aidanjt]

I really need it for work. Work however will continue to just buy the wrong spec entirely, and then wonder why things take so long.

They keep buying celly's to compute the last digit of PI, eh?

[PowerPie5000]

I'm getting bored with Intels excessive updates. A new kind of processor each year that also requires a new socket type... Which in turn leads to an expensive upgrade path. I'm pretty sure most 1156 adopters must feel a bit p*ssed off. Also, is IvyBridge really going to work with existing 1155 boards? Knowing Intel lately, i doubt it (will probably need a new chipset that will most likely use a new socket...*sigh*). I must admit the X58 platform has had a good run... although at a premium price making it out of reach for many people (or just not worth it to some).

I've decided to stick with AMD for now. The performance of their CPU's doesn't quite compare to Intel's, but the prices are good and their chipsets are usually backward and forward compatible. A few companies such as MSI, Asus and Gigabyte claim some of their current AM3 motherboards will have Bulldozer support through a simple bios update... Thats great news for many AMD users!

[kalniel]

I'm getting bored with Intels excessive updates. A new kind of processor each year that also requires a new socket type... Which in turn leads to an expensive upgrade path. I'm pretty sure most 1156 adopters must feel a bit p*ssed off. Also, is IvyBridge really going to work with existing 1155 boards? Knowing Intel lately, i doubt it (will probably need a new chipset that will most likely use a new socket...*sigh*). I must admit the X58 platform has had a good run... although at a premium price making it out of reach for many people (or just not worth it to some).

This quote may come back to haunt you.

Also X58 isn't really any premium over p67. A good X58 costs around £150, a good p67 costs around £130. That's not making it out of reach for the enthusiast/workstation crowd that it's aimed at. Yes, you can get budget boards for less, but they drop features - but quite rightly, 1155 is also designed for budget users as well, 1366 isn't.

Completely agree about the 1156 though, albeit that's actually AMD's fault

[ik9000]

well, when x58 launched it was significantly more expensive than 1156. It's only cos 1155 chips perform so well that x58 has nosedived in price. If they were worse then x58 would still fetch is old premium prices. Remember when an i7-950 cost £450? I can. So when x79 launches, I think we all know what to expect the pricing to be.

[Terbinator]

well, when x58 launched it was significantly more expensive than 1156. It's only cos 1155 chips perform so well that x58 has nosedived in price. If they were worse then x58 would still fetch is old premium prices. Remember when an i7-950 cost £450? I can. So when x79 launches, I think we all know what to expect the pricing to be.

But the i7 920 was a bargain at it's launch price - it was the motherboards and RAM that made it dear.

[PowerPie5000]

But the i7 920 was a bargain at it's launch price - it was the motherboards and RAM that made it dear.

I'm sure the i7 920 CPU was around £250 when launched, which is not really a bargain considering it was meant to be the low-end of the i7 range (at the time, before the 1156 variants). Then there's the i7 980X that was priced around £800-£1000 and it gets it's ass handed to itself by the new "quad core" Sandy Bridge with most tasks.... I've also still yet to see real world benefits when using tri-channel RAM too!

Anyway it seems Intel are on the ball when it comes to price/performance ratio with the 1155 Sandy Bridge platform... lets just hope it lasts longer than a year before it's successor arrives (I'll wait and see if Ivy Bridge will truly be compatible with current 1155 boards/sockets). In the meantime i'm keeping a close eye on AMD's Bulldozer and completely skipping this generation of Intel hardware

[aidanjt]

I've also still yet to see real world benefits when using tri-channel RAM too!

If your 'real world' is watching video, browsing the internet, and playing CoD, I'm sure you wouldn't. Never the less, I/O bound real computing applications exist.

[Terbinator]

I'm sure the i7 920 CPU was around £250 when launched, which is not really a bargain considering it was meant to be the low-end of the i7 range

Low end of the fastest kit around. Given it was only £100 more than the Q9550 or whatever, yet fundamentally faster it was a decent price, IMO.

[mapesdhs]

I'd been hoping there might some time be an 8-core for X58, but I assume this news means that
will never happen. Pity, would have been nice, though given the pricing that has prevailed for 6-core
options, such a product would probably have been too expensive anyway (not because it has to be of
course, but because it can and still be successful).

So who knows? An 8-core SBE for X79 perhaps?

Ian.

[Platinum]

Ivy Bridge isn't a replacement for Sandy Bridge E (skt 2011), it's a replacement for mainstream Sandy Bridge (ie on skt 1155)

True but with Sandy bridge outperforming Nehalem on X58 whats to say Ivy bridge wont bring performance close to Sandy Bridge E and a much lower price point?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

True but with Sandy bridge outperforming Nehalem on X58 whats to say Ivy bridge wont bring performance close to Sandy Bridge E and a much lower price point?

I don't think it will be as big a performance improvement as many people think it will bring TBH. I have mentioned before that Intel will simply improve the IGP,raise clock speeds a bit more and reduce die size even further.

It seems the die size is indeed smaller:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4386/a...y-bridge-wafer

The IGP will have 16 EU AFAIK.

[Platinum]

Ill probably go Sandy Bridge E anyhow if they bring out a reasonably priced 6 / 8 core CPU, Gotta keep my epeen

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I also think that Sandy Bridge E will be not be much of an improvement clock for clock over Sandy Bridge.

Intel will simply use the space saved from not including an IGP to add the two additional RAM channels and extra cores.

[Terbinator]

I also think that Sandy Bridge E will be not be much of an improvement clock for clock over Sandy Bridge.

Intel will simply use the space saved from not including an IGP to add the two additional RAM channels and extra cores.

PCI-e 3.0 as well don't forget, although I'm not sure if the controller is on-die or from the X79 itself.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

PCI-e 3.0 as well don't forget, although I'm not sure if the controller is on-die or from the X79 itself.

Sandy Bridge E is also going to be the basis of the custom Xeon processors too. I assume this is the main reason it has a quad channel memory controller as it will have more cores than Sandy Bridge.