Intel Sandy Bridge E and LGA2011 Discussion

*i.zdnet.com/blogs/intel-x79-express-chipset.jpg

A Chinese Web site has posted a slide showing a new Intel chipset that’s designed to work with the company’s forthcoming Sandy Bridge E processors (”E” standing for “enthusiast”). The X79 Express will replace the X58 as the top desktop chipset when the new high-performance CPUs are launched in the fourth quarter of this year.

Along with the new processors and chipsets, Intel will roll out a new socket, the LGA2011. The X79 fully supports two PCIe x16 lanes, has 14 SATA ports — including 10 of the 6Gbps flavor — and possesses 8 ports that support SAS. There are 14 USB 2.0 ports, but no mention of USB 3.0 connections — or Thunderbolt ports, for that matter. PCI x1 support is eliminated.

Sandy Bridge E processors will replace the Gulftown-based Extreme six-core CPUs as the top performers in Intel’s desktop lineup. Needless to say, one of the new processors, along with an X79 Express motherboard, will set you back a pretty penny or two (or, more accurately, thousands and thousands of pennies). Start saving.

Source 1

Source 2

That is one enthusiast platform with a vast range of cpu support. Ideal for multigpu setups. It will also have support for socket 2011 based ivybridge cpu's.

^^yup...m wondering overclocking capabilities of x79...

As most of you know by now, Intel has decided to limit the overclocking potential of their Sandy Bridge based proccys by locking the base clock frequency of their chip, striking terror in the harts of enthusiasts everywhere, but the news suggest that Intel planned to release a new series of Sandy Bridge processors that'll come completely unlocked i.e. E.

According to the one website, these new processors will be based on the Sandy Bridge E core that moves the clock generator back onto the motherboard allowing base clock frequency to be changed once again.

In the current Sandy Bridge architecture, the clock generator is placed inside the CPU, Intel locking it so that it limits the overclocking potential of their chips, in order not to cannibalize Nehalem sales, this core remaining Intel's top of the line offering even after Sandy Bridge launches.

Thanks to the locked clock generator, overclocking is severely limited on Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs, only K models being more overclocking friendly since they come with an unlocked multiplier.

This latest development regarding Sandy Bridge comes just a few days after we reported about a chipset called Intel Z68 that came with what was referred as “Performance Over Clocking” support.

Since the Sandy Bridge E processor is destined to come as a replacement for current Nehelem based chips, enabling full overclocking support would make sense, since Nehalem would probably be phased out as soon as Sandy Bridge E comes to market.

^^ Yes the bclk can be altered in x79 chipset. Sandybridge-e when overclocked are going to be scorchers.

A recently leaked Intel roadmp has come to detail the company's upcoming high-performance Sandy Bridge-E processors. The first CPU batch will be comprised of three models which pack four or six cores and work at speeds ranging from 3.2GHz to 3.6GHz.

The fastest Sandy Bridge-E chip in Intel's lineup is destined to replace the current Core i7-990X, as well as the future iterations of this processor (Core i7-995X), and packs six processing cores seconded by 15MB of L3 cache memory.

The yet unnamed processor will be clocked at 3.3GHz and Intel's roadmap stated that it would feature a fully unlocked design.

Right below this CPU, in the so-called premium performance category, Intel will release another six-core chip that also packs a fully unlocked design, but, this time, the processor has to make do with 12MB of L3 cache and with a slightly reduced core frequency (3.2GHz).

Finally, the slowest Sandy Bridge-E CPU, uses a quad-core design, 10MB of Level 3 cache memory and has a clock speed of 3.6GHz.

*i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/Intel-Sandy-Bridge-E-Desktop-Processors-Get-Detailed-Reach-Speeds-Up-to-3-6GHz-3.jpg

Source

[Donanimhaber] No 8-core Intel Processor for 2011

*img.donanimhaber.com//images/haber/26136/intelno8core11_a_dh_fx57.jpg

Translated Source

^^ yup, ivybridge will have 8 core processors and maybe more.

lacking of 2 cores doesn't affect the extreme performance which intel has been keeping since couple of years...intel still leads..

@gaurav how did u undertand that translated english too?? Lol

maybe 8 core for desktop (as 6 core is max you can get currently) & more cores for the server side.

IMO...any home *enthusiast pc having more than 4 cores is just a marketing gimmick....what the comapnies like intel &amd are doing is they are supposedly creating the need for it, so then they could sell their products....for example take any game on this* platform having a good gpu. At higher resolution there is minimal impact from the cpu side as gpu takes in charge.
a good quad core with good frequency say about 3.1~3.6ghz is sufficient for enthusiast platform. IMO
And if we are thinking of the future it will be helpful then think again till that time these companies will have more better architecture in place....these comapnies sell you the gear ment for todays use not for the future keep that in mind
Think of it.

^^ Pc's are not meant for gaming only. There are lot of apps that will support superscalar architecture and take advantage of it. Technology should and always will have room for improvement and that's how it is.

Yes good quadcores will suffice for current applications but things change rather quickly and soon multicore computing will see more than quadcores as standard. Parallelism is the advent of next gen computing and will go in that direction.

^^ you tell me on this forum how many people buy pc any budget...did mention that he/she doesnt want gaming (high-mid-low)...very less man.
when u want overall computaion power u need to think of gaming as well
see example quads intel vs hex amd (not taking any company's side just an example)
And i gave gaming as an example,would you buy hex-core intel that cost for rs.50k just to support raw computing power(as i think u are a end user as me).
all companies have been projecting that more cores better performance...but still they are far still their goal.
we'll see that next year but now-a-days its just fooling their customers....half baked rice
BTW came around comparision between hex 990x VS 2600k...SB had a quite good edge on the review......and majority reviewers stress on win rar test,video playback,and gaming to test the product now a days...it has become a norm.
Bro.

even i don't understand..extreme edition i7 and sandy bridge i7 perform same or little bit less or more when we see the benchmarks..still extreme edition costs thrice of sandy bridge..who will dare to buy 50k proccy if u r getting same performance in 1/3rd price..lol..i previously thought it is totally based on the technology and the material used for implementations..but question still arises..now sandy bridge enthusiast proccy will also be costlier than current sandy bridge and may be ivy bridge will be in budget like SNBs

Intel Sandy Bridge-E CPUs Can Turbo Up to 3.9GHz

Latest information available confirms the fact that the CPUs can reach speeds up to 3.9GHz when Turbo Boost is enabled.

The Sandy Bridge-E processors are targeting enthusiast users who demand the best from the systems and are destined to replace the current 900-series Core i7 CPUs.

Initially, Intel will launch only three models, an Extreme Edition chip that packs six processing cores, 15MB of Level 3 cache and has a stock frequency of 3.3GHz, a second six-core model with 12MB of L3 cache and 3.2GHz base clock and a quad-core model that features 10MB of L3 cache and a 3.6GHz clock speed.

The latter will also feature a “limited unlocked” design, which means that it has a partially locked multiplier that goes only six bins higher than the maximum Turbo frequencies.

Speaking of Turbo, the Extreme Edition CPU and the quad-core model both can reach speeds up to 3.9GHz when a single processor core is loaded, while the 3.2GHz six-core chip is limited at 3.8GHz in Turbo mode.

Softpedia

looks like speed competition is once again going to heat up between two rivals ;-)

Here we got 3.9 GHz and there amd has 4.9 Ghz in TB mode ut one thing is very clear - these will the top of the line cpu from these manufacturers and will have premium price tag for sure.

BTW, take a look at this link as it has more details ;-)

Additional Details on Sandy Bridge-E Processors, X79, and LGA2011 - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

Some update:-

Intel Sandy Bridge-E Will Not Receive Tangible Clock-Speed Boost - Documents - X-bit labs

Intel Could Still Launch Sandy Bridge-E in 2011

Not so long ago, we reported that Intel decided to postpone the launch of it upcoming Sandy Bridge-E processors to the start of 2012, but recent information has come to suggest there is still a possibility that the LGA-2011 platform will be released by the end of the year.

Softpedia

M

Hi guys i had a quick question. Though technology keep on improving architecture. Why the base frequency itself be over 4ghz. As all lying in less than 4. Is that shrinking the die size making the processor limiting to frequency multiplier. Intel has to work on frequency. Though the architecture do the need full. Why people risk and invest a lot on coolers while the internal and base design itself host a power full clocked one. Overclockable processor means it can handle the frequency but we need to invest a good cooler. Instead if the design support that speed enhancement. then it would be better. Even turbo boost is just 500mhz jump not much. Its fine but future design of 22 nm and so on with 3d diode design still going to limit the frequency allowing 3rd party manufactures to earn money but just adding an accessory to cpu.

if intel very well handle this instead of just keep on changing the architecture and increasing the cores in it. it need to find a way to maximize the clock.

Some not so good news:-

Sandy Bridge-E launching with reduced platform feature set? - TechSpot News

And some good:-

First Sandy Bridge-E models detailed

The guys from Donanimhaber.com managed to score some details regarding first three Sandy Bridge-E models, the Core i7-3960X, Core i7-3930X and the Core i7-3820.

The first one, Core i7-3960X will feature six cores clocked at 3.30GHz with Turbo set at 3.9GHz. It will have 15MB of cache and since this one bears Intel's Extreme Edition badge, the multiplier will be unlocked.
The second one, Core i7-3930 is also part of the Extreme Edition lineup and will also have an unlocked multiplier. This hexa-core works at 3.2GHz with Turbo set at 3.8GHz. It has 12MB of cache while the TDP should be rated at 130W, same as the Core i7-3960X.

The final one detailed is the non-EE quad-core Core i7-3820. Clocked at 3.6GHz (Turbo at 3.9GHz) this one will not feature unlocked multiplier, will have 10MB of cache and should have the same 130W TDP. According to the same post, all three models should feature support for quad-channel memory.

But don't believe these Donanimhaber guys, apparently they are also claiming BD would perform on par with SNB.

hmm...apart from believing, the news is great for enthusiasts...even quad core is enough..

Time to start saving again, damn, systems get outdated so fast.

^^ Planning to get SB-E ;-)

coming to the topic - I'm really amazed to see the quad-channel memory support but TDP of 130W looks a bit higher - I know it's a hexa core cpu but 130W with some new tech is still higher - new cpus have to be more power saving IMO and Intel should really think about bundling some decent cpu cooler this time ;-)

And priced the CPU at $999 with no competition.

^^ That would be max unlocked edition(Extreme edition), something like a 950 would cost about 20k, good thing is that I am gonna get a job next year.

^^congo..so dream pc right??

bhushan05d251 said:
^^congo..so dream pc right??

Already have a dream pc, first thing will be a dream smartphone, then a dream slr, then upgrade the pc.

^^ By that time you might get a GTX 780 or HD8990 and some 4/8x 2100 Mhz DDR3 ( quad channel mem support ) ram modules to use with the SB-E rig ;-)

Skud said:
And priced the CPU at $999 with no competition.

Yep, lack of competing AMD cpu and delay of Bulldozer makes Intel play monopoly with the price but no one can deny the extreme level of performance they offer and this is going to set a new example with SB-E extreme edition cpus anyway ;-)

topgear said:
^^ By that time you might get a GTX 780 or HD8990 and some 4/8x 2100 Mhz DDR3 ( quad channel mem support ) ram modules to use with the SB-E rig

Yep, lack of competing AMD cpu and delay of Bulldozer makes Intel play monopoly with the price but no one can deny the extreme level of performance they offer and this is going to set a new example with SB-E extreme edition cpus anyway

Think about 6 cores/12 threads with the sandy architecture, it will be priced @ 400-500$ probably, the 8core/16thread will go for $1k I think.

^^ If a 6 core sandybridge -e will be 400-500$, then it will be an instant hit just like the previous x58 based nehalems.

Defeating this will really be something for competitors and that is highly unlikely as well. Intel's cpu performance is intense and so is their technology. I wonder their 3d trigate transisors will totally fabricate new rules and ideas in the world of microprocessor.

There is a reason why they are the no. 1 chip maker in the world. :smile:

vickybat said:
^^ If a 6 core sandybridge -e will be 400-500$, then it will be an instant hit just like the previous x58 based nehalems.

Defeating this will really be something for competitors and that is highly unlikely as well. Intel's cpu performance is intense and so is their technology. I wonder their 3d trigate transisors will totally fabricate new rules and ideas in the world of microprocessor.

There is a reason why they are the no. 1 chip maker in the world.

Just like 870 was, but this will only materialize if BD is a significant threat, if not then it won't come, its actually AMD that's holding us back :-?

SNB-E expected to come before Christmas in November, and Intel is apparently cutting corners to push it out early. Read more:

Exclusive: Sandy Bridge-E now expected to launch in November, X79 chipset getting further feature cuts by VR-Zone.com

looks like intel know something about the performance of upcoming rival cpu from AMD and that's why they are releasing it a bit earlier IMO ;-)

^^ it is pure competition in marketing strategies..

^^ yep, it's pure competition in marketing but some time manufacturers do take the unfair route ;-)

btw, check these out :
Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E said to slip again | SemiAccurate

*news.softpedia.com/news/Intel-Sandy-Bridge-E-Performance-Unveiled-212946.shtml

A "not so cool" update:-

Exclusive: Sandy Bridge-E to ship without cooler by VR-Zone.com

On top of this, we're hearing that although the rated TDP is 130W these beasts are consuming closer to 180W and that's without even overclocking them. In fact, according to PSU design guidance we've seen, Intel is telling power supply makers to make sure their Sandy Bridge-E PSUs can cope with a peak current of 23A on the 12V2 rail and based on an 80 percent or better efficiency rating of the PSU.

As such it might be a very good idea to invest in a water cooling kit if you're planning on going Sandy Bridge-E, especially if you're planning on pushing the boat out and overclock. The bad news for LN2 crowd is that at least early samples of Sandy Bridge-E is suffering from the dreaded cold bug, although this might have been fixed in later revisions of the processor.

^^ nice find.

take a look at here ;-)

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/1476147-post20.html

Intel is going to sell their own cooler to start their cpu cooling business I guess.

Now if Intel is going to ship SB-E cpus without coolers it's great in one way as Enthusiast PC user don't care about the stock HSF comes with cpu and always buy a aftermarket cooler - so they don't have to pay a penny more for which they don't use.

But I'm really surprised to see the gigantic power TDP of and power consumption requirements of SB-E cpus - what will be their efficiency level with such high requirements ?

checked. prices of the SNB-E CPUs revealed, an exact replacement of Socket 1366 i7 price points.

Source:
AnandTech - Info on Sandy Bridge-E Pricing

Can't understand the point of i7-3820.

^^ Why?? It pretty makes sense to me.

Am i missing something?

i7-2600K will be better as it has unlocked multiplier. I still can't see any point of getting i7-3820 with X79. If you want to get X79, then better get i7-3930K.

Read the comments in that page. ^ They share the same view.

^^ Ok but afaik, sandybridge-E does not feature a locked bclk like current sandybridge offerings.

So baseclock and bus speeds can be incremented to assist overclocking similar to nehalem based cpu's like i7 960 , 970. They didn't had unlocked multiplier but still were overclockable by tinkering with bclk.

I don't even think i7 2600k will be able to beat i7 3820. Larger cache, quad channel memory and some undisclosed facts are the reason. Its a highend part whereas 2600k is midrange.

If these rumors are true, then i7-3820 looks like a pretty strong offering. Intel won't even ship a cooler with it which means it needs a better cooler and can be overclocked.

vickybat said:
^^ Ok but afaik, sandybridge-E does not feature a locked bclk like current sandybridge offerings.

Then it is okay.

ico said:
Can't understand the point of i7-3820.

Business.

Intel's Sandy Bridge-E Benchmarks Unveiled, Core i7 3930K (ES) gets pitted against Core i7 980X

Jaskanwar Singh said:
Intel's Sandy Bridge-E Benchmarks Unveiled, Core i7 3930K (ES) gets pitted against Core i7 980X

Looks good, but what about price? $500? :shock:

Aren't Intel competing with AMD? :unsure:

Nah, at present, Intel is competing with themselves, AMD is nowhere in the scene. And with the Bulldozer delayed for another month, Intel should have a smooth ride till at least next year.

^^ Then its bad for users(price wise).

That benchmark is false.

^^ How can you say that?

This is so gonna become the new KING of processors.

d6bmg said:
^^ How can you say that?

Read the link properly including user comments. Besides that site isn't good in providing leaks.

Apply a bit of common sense. If i7 2600k can compete evenly with 990x, imagine how sandybridge-E will perform.
That guy in wccf has just put side by side numbers and they don't really mean anything. Wait for proper reviewers to post legitimate results.

Report: Intel Sandy Bridge-E on November 15th by VR-Zone.com

Despite all the troubles Intel has had with Sandy Bridge-E and the X79 chipset, DonanimHaber reports that it is set to release as early as November. The Platform Launch is specified as Weeks 46-47, which covers November 14th to November 27th. However DonanimHaber inisist that the final release date is November 15th.

The three SKUs are Core i7 3820, Core i7 3930K and Core i7 3960X, priced at $294, $583 and $999 respectively. The new flagship, Core i7 3960X, is expected to be 15% faster than the Core i7 990X on average. However, the 3960X is much faster in applications that rely heavily on memory bandwidth (thanks to X79's quad-channel memory) or AVX.

Meanwhile, AMD's Bulldozer continues to slip. What was once expected to be a 2 quarters lead with Bulldozer expected to release in June and Sandy Bridge-E in end 2011, is now likely to be a couple of months, at most.

^^hmmm looks promising. I think even the quad core i7 3820 will beat i7 990x comfortably.

Lets see what bulldozer brings to the performance table.

vickybat said:
^^hmmm looks promising. I think even the quad core i7 3820 will beat i7 990x comfortably.

It should do that.. But can we expect price of 3820 to be lesser than that of 990x? :unsure:

^^ Read carefully again. The price of i7 3820 will be around $294 and that's far far cheaper than 990x which is retailing around $999.

^^ so SB-e will be priced around SB core i7 2600k - any idea about the price of SB-E mobos ? can we expect SB-E mobos prices simillar to Z68 mobos - it would be an awesome deal then ;-)

^^ No buddy , no idea on x79 motherboard pricing yet. But i think some boards will be around the 10k mark albeit the rog's, sabertooth's,big bangs , snipers etc.

These boards hopefully will start from 10k and go up depending on features and design.

^^ Ok buddy - let's wait and see ;-)

Intel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E) And X79 Platform benchmarked (Tomshardware)

Guys i7 3960x is compared with i7990x,i72600k and amd x6 1100t. Check it out asap.

Its an engineering sample and not the final product. Its nearly killing the competition in memory bandwidth and apps employing newer instruction sets for eg- AES-NI.

Expect higher performance in the actual released cpu.

^^ thanks for the link ;-)

vickybat said:
Intel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E) And X79 Platform benchmarked (Tomshardware)

Guys i7 3960x is compared with i7990x,i72600k and amd x6 1100t. Check it out asap.

Its an engineering sample and not the final product. Its nearly killing the competition in memory bandwidth and apps employing newer instruction sets for eg- AES-NI.

Expect higher performance in the actual released cpu.

Gaming performance is a big let down though.

I'm unimpressed by the entire platform and it's validity to spend so much to gain so little out of it.

Looks like a lower priced i7 2600k is going to be the CPU to buy for the next couple of quarters, but then this was an engineering sample.

^^ Exactly mate, it was an engineering sample. Expect the final product to be much better. Did you check the memory bandwith and AES performance? It simply demolished its predecessor i.e the 990x even in the ES mould.

Games are not yet optimized to use 6 cores yet.

Guide to SNB-E OCing, Would be handy in future:-

How to Overclock Sandy Bridge E | bit-tech.net

Here's Anandtech's summary, in case you just want a quick shot:-

AnandTech - A Look Into Sandy Bridge-E Overclocking

^^ Thanks for the links ;-)

Intel Confirmed to Bundle Liquid Coolers with Sandy Bridge-E | Maximum-Tech
Intel Confirms Bundling LGA 2011 CPUs with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - Softpedia
Intel Confirms Plan to Bundle LGA2011 Chips with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - X-bit labs

Jaskanwar Singh said:
Intel Confirmed to Bundle Liquid Coolers with Sandy Bridge-E | Maximum-Tech
Intel Confirms Bundling LGA 2011 CPUs with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - Softpedia
Intel Confirms Plan to Bundle LGA2011 Chips with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - X-bit labs

Again with the stupid decision, a leak will be disastrous, I think intel should release 2 versions of these processors, one with cooler and one without the cooler.

exactly tkin.

if they have to bundle a cooler why can't they bundle some good air coolers from Noctua/CM/Thermaltake or any other company which have plenty of knowledge in air coolers - the liquid coolers they will provide won't be good as compared to those available on market and there's always chance of leakage.

either they should provide some good air cooler or sell the cpus without any coolers which will be great for enthusiasts ;-)

T

Idea of Anything liquid within cabinet scares me

Air Coolers ftw.

Jaskanwar Singh said:
Intel Confirmed to Bundle Liquid Coolers with Sandy Bridge-E | Maximum-Tech
Intel Confirms Bundling LGA 2011 CPUs with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - Softpedia
Intel Confirms Plan to Bundle LGA2011 Chips with Own-Brand Liquid Coolers - X-bit labs

It's a very good decision made by Intel. Provided that their stock coolers are of good quality, they won't leak.

d6bmg said:
It's a very good decision made by Intel. Provided that their stock coolers are of good quality, they won't leak.

The coolers are from ~~coolit~~ Asetek used by corsair earlier and they DO leak on occasions, want to take the risk?

Way too bad decision by intel. Better provide nice air cooler rather than WC.

a better air cooling is more than enough....may be that 980x stock cooler will do.
WC is a risk.....you never know when it will start raining inside your cabinet!!!!!!
And in India we dont have replacement policies like the ones in America for damage due to water cooling kits.
Badmove both by Intel & AMD to include WC for their new proccys.

tkin said:
The coolers are from coolit, used by corsair earlier and they DO leak on occasions, want to take the risk?

thanks for the real manufacturer info of those liquid coolers

but still I don't believe in quality of such products as the risk is just too much and they have not clearly said what will they do if those coolers leak inside of the cabby - only corsair has good warranty policy regarding such incident but still it's too costly.

How about they bundle coolers like NOCTUA NH-D14 with cpus ;-)

I know it won't ( most of the chances ) compatible with SB-E sockets but Noctua ( and many others ) will release some High end product for that platform for sure - so instead of $100 Liquid cooling kit they should provide high end $100 air coolers ;-)

Exactly. Air cooling is better because if WC leaks and damage other parts and intel don't replace that then they are just ruining their reputation also not to mention would the local "assempler" be comfortable with that ??

topgear said:
thanks for the real manufacturer info of those liquid coolers

but still I don't believe in quality of such products as the risk is just too much and they have not clearly said what will they do if those coolers leak inside of the cabby - only corsair has good warranty policy regarding such incident but still it's too costly.

How about they bundle coolers like NOCTUA NH-D14 with cpus

I know it won't ( most of the chances ) compatible with SB-E sockets but Noctua ( and many others ) will release some High end product for that platform for sure - so instead of $100 Liquid cooling kit they should provide high end $100 air coolers

I agree, and companies like Noctua and Corsair have good support policy, when socket 1156 came out Noctua developed a new mounting system for it and shipped it free of cost to Noctua owners worldwide, so people owning older Noctua coolers(Noctua U12P /not SE2) could use it with the new system, so I can bet when Sandy-E comes out Noctua will again do the same for old generation cooler owners and ship mounting systems to us for free.

Noctua.at - sound-optimised premium components "Designed in Austria"!

We provide mounting upgrades for Noctua CPU coolers free of charge, so if you would like to continue using your Noctua cooler on a new socket, we will send you a new mounting kit at no additional cost. For ordering our mounting kits, a proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both a Noctua CPU cooler and hardware components corresponding to the specific kit are required.

The following kits are currently available:

NM-I3 Mounting-Kit: Upgrades older Noctua CPU coolers to LGA1156/1155 & LGA1366.
NM-A90 Upgrade-Kit: Makes it possible to install NH-U12P SE2 and NH-U9B SE2 CPU coolers turned by 90° on AMD motherboards.

Update: I fumbled up, the coolers from Intel are cooled by Asetek, but they are also used by Corsair and they also Leak, so my stance on this still holds.

good move by Noctua for providing mounting upgrades for free - if they do the same for SB-E buyers then it will be really great.

Thanks for the info on Intel Liquid cooler - even AMD Liquid Cooling Kits ( comes with some FX cpus ) is made by Asetek ;-)

Check this

Intel's Ivy Bridge Processors to Reduce Power Consumption to 77W - X-bit labs

MSI's Upcoming X79 Motherboard Teased
EVGA X79 Classified E779 Motherboard Pictured At GeForce LAN 6 - The EVGA X79 Clasified Motherboard - Legit Reviews
Gigabyte Also Demos G1.Assassin 2 X79 Motherboard at IDF 2011 - Softpedia

^^ Wow jas these really look nice. X79 is going to be one heck of an enthusiast platform. A true replacement of the legendary X58.

A

seriously i dont understand why would anyone buy a locked processor at the same price of 2600k.

3000 series is looking gloomy right now and the fact the included wc might leak.

i think 2600k is the way to go right now , ill intently wait for haswell for a respectable intell upgrade or just go the BD way for just bragging 4.2 ghz turbo

That will be another first in tech world: Locked Enthusiast CPU!

Seriously though, this is what happens, when there's no competition.

See Wiki Their Price Is InSane...999$ and More....??

aby geek said:
seriously i dont understand why would anyone buy a locked processor at the same price of 2600k.

3000 series is looking gloomy right now and the fact the included wc might leak.

i think 2600k is the way to go right now , ill intently wait for haswell for a respectable intell upgrade or just go the BD way for just bragging 4.2 ghz turbo

Buddy i7 920 was also locked. Did it not sell well? Not all nehalem cpu's were unlocked. My i5 750 is also locked.

But all can be overclocked because the bclk is not locked. Its a tedious method but gives results neverthless. Similarly all non BE amd cpu's are also locked. But all can be overclocked.

i7 3820 @ $294 might be a serious threat for 2600k. Has hyperthreading , QPI , quad channel memory and a large cache including core level improvements. These are enough to propel it past 2600k. Their 6 core cpu's are highly priced and in a class of their own. Not for common men like most of us.

Bulldozer is finished. :evil:

Although personally i never wanted this to happen.

R

If the prices are cheap, I may upgrade my system to SB-E series. Otherwise not really worth it, all I really do is game.

sumesara said:
Check this

Intel's Ivy Bridge Processors to Reduce Power Consumption to 77W - X-bit labs

this is really great - but the low power consuming SB-E cpus will come with some great performance and of-course with a steep price tag as x79 mobos won't be cheap and same goes for the cpu ;-)

Hmm, i've out of this h/w scene for a long time and I know little now.
So my n00b question is that where Ivy Bridge another name for SB-E ?

No, they are separate processors going in separate socket. There may be a Ivy Bridge-E some time later.

JojoTheDragon said:
So my n00b question is that where Ivy Bridge another name for SB-E ?

SB-E = LGA 2011
SB & Ivy bridge = LGA 1155

SB-E is the enthusiast version of SB..
Ivy bridge is the next gen. to SB...

Ivybridge simply is a die shrink of sandybridge with improved cache and better integrated gpu.

Sandybridge-E are top of the line enthusiast grade lineup with core level improvements and better peripheral interconnects.

Sandy-E for socket 2011 will also get 22nm treatment similar to ivybridge next year. Currently, it uses 32nm fabrication.

Man people here have a i7 2600k and still ready for upgrade for ivy bridge..... And I am without a PC.......... Computing is for lakhpatis....

^^ In a word- 'wrong'.

M

great news.. just got an email from noctua saying they will be providing free 2011 mounting upgrade kits. you just have to give them proof of purchase of noctua heatsink and a 2011 mobo or cpu..

i got the nm-90 upgrade kit this way only..

also bclk overclocking in sb-e seems limited, not as much as sandy but still quite complicated going by the anandtech article summary..

^^ noctua is continuing a great trend so that the buyers of of them don't feel the product they have just bought is just outdated with a new cpu socket release - every other cpu cooler manufacturers should do the same for SB-E cpus ;-)

Intel Sandy Bridge-E Core i7-3930K & i7-3960X Get Listed | Maximum-Tech
MSI X79A-GD65 8D Motherboard Pictured by VR-Zone.com

Related product FX8150, really? :lol:

*www.maximum-tech.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/intel-core-i7-3930k-listed.png

EVGA SR3 (Super Record 3) Cometh by VR-Zone.com

@skud
i think they mean processors.

Get the joke.

^got it

Expecting sandy bridge price to reduce one E and ivy bridge are released....

So at least I can think about i7......

vickybat said:
Ivybridge simply is a die shrink of sandybridge with improved cache and better integrated gpu.

Sandybridge-E are top of the line enthusiast grade lineup with core level improvements and better peripheral interconnects.

Sandy-E for socket 2011 will also get 22nm treatment similar to ivybridge next year. Currently, it uses 32nm fabrication.

MegaMind said:
SB-E = LGA 2011
SB & Ivy bridge = LGA 1155

SB-E is the enthusiast version of SB..
Ivy bridge is the next gen. to SB...

Thanks for the info. Checkout out some news about it and I'm very excited for the 1st time since c2q release.

/noob out

Preview of MSI X79A-GD65 mobo:-

MSI X79A-GD65 (Intel X79) Motherboard Preview :: TweakTown USA Edition

*cdn5.tweaktown.com/content/4/3/4374_09_msi_x79a_gd65_intel_x79_motherboard_preview_full.jpg

Nice to see the AMD logo on an Intel board, particularly in these times.

^^ There's also the nvidia logo. :wink:

Good to see both sli and cf support just like the legendary x58. This will be one heck of a platform for sure.

yep, looks good to me and nice to see three rival logos

side by side ;-)

BTW, here' something from gigabyte :

*www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1711/gigabyte-x79-ud5.jpg

IDF 2011: GIGABYTE Intel X79 Motherboard Preview - GIGABYTE GA-X79-UD3 and GA-X79-UD5 Previews - Legit Reviews

*www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1711/gigabyte-x79-ud7a.jpg

*www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1711/g1-assassin2-x79.jpg

IDF 2011: GIGABYTE Intel X79 Motherboard Preview - GIGABYTE GA-X79-UD7 and G1.ASSASSIN Preview - Legit Reviews

*www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1711/bios2.jpg

IDF 2011: GIGABYTE Intel X79 Motherboard Preview - GIGABYTE UEFI BIOS Pictures - Legit Reviews

EVGA_JacobF - A blog for all things EVGA!

*evga.com/jacobf/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/E777_Angled.jpg

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HARDOCP =

HARDOCP - GIGABYTE X79 Motherboard Spy Pics

8 ram slots!!! wonderful. :w00t:

It has to be standard. This is a quad channel platform.

among all of the above I liked Angled 24 pin power connector of EVGA X79 FTW and the layout of Gigabyte X79-UD7 most ;-)

Here are few screenshots from my end when I attended Asus' x79 showcase:
*s1115.photobucket.com/albums/k560/HWBBQ2/x79%20asus/th_IMG_2450.jpg

*s1115.photobucket.com/albums/k560/HWBBQ2/x79%20asus/th_IMG_2516.jpg

*s1115.photobucket.com/albums/k560/HWBBQ2/x79%20asus/th_IMG_2593.jpg

does this mean AMD will sell more proccys?

First results shared of Sandy Bridge-E overclocking on air :: TweakTown USA Edition

Final GIGABYTE X79 Boards with Digital PWM's Pictured!

ASUS Rampage IV Extreme (Intel X79) Motherboard Preview :: TweakTown USA Edition

Nice links Jas. Is the Vcore of 1.51v OK?

skud thanks. no idea.

more -

Foxconn Quantum Force X79 Final Version Pictured | techPowerUp

*www.techpowerup.com/img/11-11-01/foxconn_quantum_force_front.jpg

^^ nice find - the smallest heatsink I've seen so far on any X79 mobo ;-)

FoxConn should really think about make it a bit large.

R

When is the Ivy Bridge chips going to release? Just flashed my BIOS, now I can run new cpus

thanks TP.

^^ you're welcome ;-)

rajnusker said:
When is the Ivy Bridge chips going to release? Just flashed my BIOS, now I can run new cpus

end of this year or Q1 2012 for sure ;-)

BTW, guys check this out ;-)

AnandTech - Intel's Ivy Bridge Architecture Exposed

New Biostar TPower X79 Pictured | Pt1t's Blog
*www.pt1t.eu/public/Pt1t_EU/01-11-2011-TpowerX79/TpowerX79.jpg
*www.pt1t.eu/public/Pt1t_EU/01-11-2011-TpowerX79/2.JPG

Noctua Presents NH-D14 Special Edition for LGA2011 | Maximum-Tech
*www.maximum-tech.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/noctua_nh_d14_se2011_1.jpg
Noctua Presents NH-D14 Special Edition for LGA2011 | Hardware Canucks

The new SE2011 model combines the proven NH-D14 heatsink with the latest SecuFirm2 mounting system for LGA2011 as well as novel PWM versions of Noctua’s much acclaimed NF-P12 and NF-P14 fans. Supporting fully automatic PWM speed control, the SE2011′s NF-P12 and NF-P14 fans use Noctua’s new, custom designed NE-FD1 PWM IC that integrates Smooth Commutation Drive (SCD) technology and thus makes them quieter at lower speeds.
Topped off with Noctua’s popular NT-H1 thermal compound and full 6 years manufacturer’s warranty, the NH-D14 SE2011 is an elite choice for an elite platform.

...............

MSI Big Bang XPower II X79 Monstrosity Smiles For The Camera | techPowerUp
*www.techpowerup.com/img/11-11-07/31b.jpg

^^ My god

What a board!!!! Tailor made for a $999 cpu. It has a whooping 24 phase vrm design. Will definitely break some overclocking records once 2011 cpu's start shipping.

Looks wicked!

I really liked the ammo belt shaped heatsink ;-)

topgear said:
I really liked the ammo belt shaped heatsink

me too and ofcourse those number of pcie slots :grin:

ASUS P9X79 Pro - VFM X79 mobo ;-)

*i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/ASUS-P9X79-Pro-Motherboard-Revealed-2.jpg

ASUS P9X79 Pro Motherboard Revealed - Softpedia

Poor placement of PCI-e slots.

Jaskanwar Singh said:
MSI Big Bang XPower II X79 Monstrosity Smiles For The Camera | techPowerUp

*www.techpowerup.com/img/11-11-07/31b.jpg

Real killer mobo..
But EVGA have the best looking mobo of x79.

d6bmg: you havent seen the Rampage IV Extreme yet have you?

Your opinion will then change.

@EG: yes, I saw that too. I think this board is superior due to the fact that it have 7 PCI-E slots whereas rampage iv have 5 slots....

so, one can opt for quad sli, physx & 2 more slots will be there for future use.. cool.

Arn't higher end cards have dual slot design so you can't fill consecutive ports right ??

Exactly. I couldn't get the point of boards like Gigabyte UD7 and MSI Bing Bang. How many of those 7 PCI-e slots are a user going to use? At least 3 of them will be wasted in any case.

Skud said:
Exactly. I couldn't get the point of boards like Gigabyte UD7 and MSI Bing Bang. How many of those 7 PCI-e slots are a user going to use? At least 3 of them will be wasted in any case.

Yup. I guess they want to look good on papers.

those slots can be filled with the help of watercooling.

The EVGA classified mobo has only 5 slots.

the SR2 has 7 slots, which will have bandwidth issues.

Point is, is 5-way or 7-way SLI/CFX even possible? Doesn't get the logic behind that many PCI-e slots. May be I am missing something.

R

Skud said:
Point is, is 5-way or 7-way SLI/CFX even possible? Doesn't get the logic behind that many PCI-e slots. May be I am missing something.

For position I guess. May be how far you want to keep the cards apart, some cards take up huge space, while others a little.

OK, suddenly remember some ASUS cards do eat away 3 slots. If someone want to put 3 of them together...

I do agree the mobo looks better and symmetrical with 7 equal length slots, rather than slots of various lengths.

5 slots,7 slots are for HPC/F@H/SETI@H/4-way+physx/multimonitor(over 3 monitors).

You can also put add-on PCIE cards like RAID controllers,sound cards, revodrives etc.

The possibilities are endless

I guess most soundcards come for x1 slot right ??

Extreme Gamer said:
those slots can be filled with the help of watercooling.

I was about to post this, but thanks to eg, I don't have to.

the SR2 has 7 slots, which will have bandwidth issues.

Good point. Then I think these 7 slots are only good for marketing.

Extreme Gamer said:
5 slots,7 slots are for HPC/F@H/SETI@H/4-way+physx/multimonitor(over 3 monitors).

You can also put add-on PCIE cards like RAID controllers,sound cards, revodrives etc.

The possibilities are endless

RAID controllers are very useful to use, as most of the on-board controllers are sh!t, specially when connected to SSDs.

Skud said:
Poor placement of PCI-e slots.

the placement is Kinda OK IMO - looks like the blue pci-e x16 will be used for gfx cards - so there's enough spacing between 2x gfx slots - it's suitable for those who will only use 2x gfx cards in SLI/CF without any other internal pci-e cards and so far this one look like the most cheapest and VFM X79 mobo ;-)

@gameranand: It doesnt matter. As long as the slot is bigger than the card's connector it is compatible.

This only applies to PCIE.

Means a x16 slot can also serve as x1, x4 or standard pcl slot ??

topgear said:
the placement is Kinda OK IMO - looks like the blue pci-e x16 will be used for gfx cards - so there's enough spacing between 2x gfx slots - it's suitable for those who will only use 2x gfx cards in SLI/CF without any other internal pci-e cards and so far this one look like the most cheapest and VFM X79 mobo

Blue slots may be OK for SLI, but no crossfire bridge is that long, unless the mobo manufacturer provides one, which is rare anyway.

And what about 3-card config?

gameranand said:
Means a x16 slot can also serve as x1, x4 or standard pcl slot ??

It will serve as x4, x1, x8 PCIe but not standard PCI slot. Those two are different.

Ok thanks for the info didn't knew about then. Then this much slots can be used for other purposes too.

Yes anand, they can

Like Skud said, PCI wont work in PCI-E or vice versa, because the underlying tech is very different, the slots are not of same size and their distance from expansion slot bay is different from PCI-E.

But dont think that an x1 slot can run x4 or x4 can run x8 etc. If the size of the slot is bigger than the connector, it is compatible.

Forget to mention it depends on the electrical connectors of the slot, not the length.

lol if there is a slot if x16 length even if it only runs at x1 speed, it will support an x16 card.

Case in point: MSI big bang marshall.

But that card will operate at X1 speed, ain't it?

That is correct. The number of connections remain the same but the bandwidth available is less due to less number of lanes.

A bit like two sticks of RAM in single channel mode.

Skud said:
Blue slots may be OK for SLI, but no crossfire bridge is that long, unless the mobo manufacturer provides one, which is rare anyway. And what about 3-card config?

that mobo is not made for 3 gfx card config for sure as I said before from the looks it seems like a cheap X79 mobo from Asus.

BTW. Here's something really BiG ;-)

Asus SaberTooth X79

*www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/news/news29934_8188-asus_x79_motherboard_details_revealed.jpg

ASUS X79 Motherboard Details Revealed - Industry News - Overclockers Club
Asus Sabertooth X79 Motherboard Preview - eTeknix
ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79) Motherboard Preview :: TweakTown USA Edition

looks great ;-)

Wow 8 RAM slots, 3 pcle slots, and the best part are those fans on mobo itself. Looks killing sexy.

^^ even I liked the heat sink fans on, the muscular, strong and well built looks and the coloring of the mobo ( read Sabertooth series ) is just great as always ;-)

Quite a bit costlier than initially predicted:-

Sandy Bridge-E Prices Leaked In Company Bulletin | PC Perspective

Too costly even for high end gaming rig. If 40k is invested on just mobo and cpu what about other components. Price needs to be lower.

Thanks for the share skud

You are welcome. Also include the cost of 4 memory modules instead of the normal 2. In this time, that seems like the only way to help RAM makers make some money.

Skud said:
You are welcome. Also include the cost of 4 memory modules instead of the normal 2. In this time, that seems like the only way to help RAM makers make some money.

Not necessary, X79 will run with 2,3 and 4 modules in dual, triple and quad channel modes respectively.

I know, but by doing so, you are losing on one of SB-E platform's unique features.

It will probably also run on single module, but that's not the point.

Skud said:
I know, but by doing so, you are losing on one of SB-E platform's unique features. It will probably also run on single module, but that's not the point.

No. You can always add another kit in future if you cant shell out ~5k on 16GB RAM now.

Since it has DIMM slots adjacent on both sides of the socket, it indicates that the available bandwidth can actually be used, and that there will be noticable gains even in dual-channel mode. Remember that vs X58, the bandwidth of the memory controller remains unchanged (6.4GT/s for 3930K/60X and 4.8GT/s for 3820).

PS. It will definitely run on a singe module

topgear said:
that mobo is not made for 3 gfx card config for sure as I said before from the looks it seems like a cheap X79 mobo from Asus.

BTW. Here's something really BiG

Asus SaberTooth X79

*www.overclockersclub.com/vimages/news/news29934_8188-asus_x79_motherboard_details_revealed.jpg

ASUS X79 Motherboard Details Revealed - Industry News - Overclockers Club
Asus Sabertooth X79 Motherboard Preview - eTeknix
ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79) Motherboard Preview :: TweakTown USA Edition

looks great

Looks like a good & solid motherboard to me.

HARDOCP - What's Inside - Intel Core i7-3960X - Sandy Bridge E Processor Review

Enjoy.

EDIT:

MOAR!!

AnandTech - Intel Core i7 3960X (Sandy Bridge E) Review: Keeping the High End Alive

Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Processor Review - Intel Sandy Bridge-E LGA 2011 CPUs Arrive - Legit Reviews

Intel’s new high-end Sandy Bridge-E 3960X review | ExtremeTech

Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition Sandy Bridge-E CPU Review - HotHardware

EDIT2:

Yet another link:

*www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4414/intel_core_i7_3960x_extreme_edition_lga_2011_cpu_review/index2.html

You forgot one important link:

Intel Core i7-3960X Review: Sandy Bridge-E And X79 Express

I am only human.

If i was to do everything who would do the rest?

ASUS Rampage IV Extreme review

Core i7 3960X processor & MSI X79A-GD65 review

Cheers.

Whats the price of that processor in India ??

Single threaded performance isn't much better than SB.

Well not a good VFM product.It gives little performance increase in most of all the tasks when compared to i7 2600k but costs almost 3x of a 2600k

Skud said:
Single threaded performance isn't much better than SB.

It won't be because they share almost the same core and execution units with minor tweaks. :wink:

sunny10 said:
Well not a good VFM product.It gives little performance increase in most of all the tasks when compared to i7 2600k but costs almost 3x of a 2600k

This platform isn't for value at all. Its not meant for budget buyers. See the multithreaded benchmarks. Its 50% ahead than 2600k and 19% ahead than 990x.

This one is a a bit ahead of time. Apps need to be more threaded in order to take full advantage of all six cores.

2600k or 2700k will suffice even more enthusiasts now. Sandybridge-E is meant for heavy workstation load and definitely not more general purpose use. In video encoding tasks, its much ahead of 2600k. Only if intel would have added the quicksync support.

Check this to have a glimpse of the amazing multithreaded performance of sandy-E.

It's only for who is in multi-threaded apps. For us Ivy Bridge is coming just it need to be 10-20% faster to humiliate Sandy Bridge-E. I've one question why doesn't Intel added quicksync support ?

I think the $550 i7 3930K will find some enthusiast buyers in the six core segment. Its performance shouldn't be much behind off 3960X.

MyGeekTips said:
It's only for who is in multi-threaded apps. For us Ivy Bridge is coming just it need to be 10-20% faster to humiliate Sandy Bridge-E. I've one question why doesn't Intel added quicksync support ?

Buddy this platform won't be humiliated anytime sooner. Its just not for common people like most of us. There's also going to be Ivybridge-e i.e sandybridge-E + 22nm die shrink+ 3d trigate transistors just like 1155 ivybridge.

Intel is simply outdoing itself. Amd should come up very strong with its piledriver or else intel will completely monopolize.

vickybat said:
I think the $550 i7 3930X will find some enthusiast buyers in the six core segment. Its performance shouldn't be much behind off 3960X.

You made a typo. :lol:

^^ Yup its should be 3930K.

Hey vicky when will be Ivy Bridge releasing ? I'm thinking of post-pone my Sandy Bridge to get my hands dirty on Ivy Bridge. Do you think it will be like the Same that happen to 990X after Sandy Bridge release? Is Intel Aiming the Same ?

^^ No no mate you are getting it wrong. 990x and 2600k belonged to different architectures. The former was nehalem and later was sandybridge. 3960X is sandybridge and ivybridge is just a die-shrink from 32nm to 22nm as well as use a newly designed patented transistor called 3d trigate by intel.

Ivybridge will have its own chipset called panther point but all current cougar point chipsets support the upcoming ivybridge. So you can always upgrade in future.

SB-E is actually a bad server chip. It is an SB-EP chip with two cores disabled.

I wish this platform should be a super duper flop so Intel can learn not to steal people by selling overpriced stuff.

I think Toms have summed up nicely:-

However, compared to the Core i7-3960X, which is 212% more expensive, and only able to offer an average 17% performance improvement, the -2600K looks like a real winner. Don’t forget that you need a more expensive motherboard, more expensive memory kit, and an air or water cooler on top of the -3960X’s cost, as well.

Impressively, Core i7-3960X delivers a 28% average performance improvement over the i5-2500K—but at a 358% higher price (not including the pricier platform to go with it).

Then Ivy Bridge is to go.

I think if you are running particularly CPU intensive or heavily threaded apps, or if you want to show off, then this is OK, for normal desktop users and gamers, hard to justify.

for gamers this is a big waste of money. but if you want to build a budget workstation at home then this is a good option

I think the word "budget" doesn't apply to SB-E.

It does skud.

SB-E's strong pont is multi GPU scaling.

Skud said:
I think if you are running particularly CPU intensive or heavily threaded apps, or if you want to show off, then this is OK, for normal desktop users and gamers, hard to justify.

Correct

You are spot on in this comment.

Extreme Gamer said:
It does skud.

SB-E's strong pont is multi GPU scaling.

Yes, the additional lanes will work wonders for tri-sli or tri-fire. Multhreaded performance is terrific. I mean 50% more than 2600k. The gap will rise even more as the future is multithreading. Due to intels clock per clock IPC, we are seeing such a performance boost in the multithreaded scenario.

Had bulldozer's IPC would have been anywhere close, we would have definitely seen tremendous performance from the fx8150.

But AMD totally neglected IPC and only stressed on multicore performance. A big reason for bulldozer's failure.

Guys how does this config sound??

* Intel® Core™ i7-3960X Processor
* Ultimate Overclock 30% or more
* 16GB DDR3/1600MHz RAM
* 2 x NVIDIA GTX590 3GB Video
* Gigabyte X79 G1 Assassin 2 USB3 & SATA3 Motherboard
* 60GB x 2 Raid 0 OCZ SSD
* 2TB SATA3 7200 RPM HD
* LG 12X Blu-Ray Rewriter
* Corsair Obsidian Case

Its $5065 :wink:

I gave a damn about i7-990X. But can't give the same damn for i7-3960X.

Power consumption is off and Bulldozeresque. IPC remains the same as SB and multi-score performance scaling is linear which is excellent unlike Bulldozer. With 50% more threads you see 50% more performance.

But can't see the point of anyone needing this when you have i7-2600k unless you feel short of PCIe lanes.

Ico the additional lanes are worth it.

PCIE 3.0 lanes means excellent future proofing.

But no one should deny it being a lower binned server chip rather than a cream of crop desktop chip that the previous models were.

HARDOCP - What's Inside - Intel Core i7-3960X - Sandy Bridge E Processor Review - hilarious and the best review out there. Straight to the point.

one point worth mentioning that they are not providing native SATA 3.0 support. this means mobo makers have to use third party chips == increase cost

@vickybat you forgot the cpu cooler

It provides two SATA 6G ports...

ico said:
I gave a damn about i7-990X. But can't give the same damn for i7-3960X.

Power consumption is off and Bulldozeresque. IPC remains the same as SB and multi-score performance scaling is linear which is excellent unlike Bulldozer. With 50% more threads you see 50% more performance.

But can't see the point of anyone needing this when you have i7-2600k unless you feel short of PCIe lanes.

This. Sometimes AMD's platform seems better option to me rather than SB, although the CPUs tell a different story.

ico said:
HARDOCP - What's Inside - Intel Core i7-3960X - Sandy Bridge E Processor Review - hilarious and the best review out there. Straight to the point.

Intel debuts its $1000+ Extreme Edition 3960X processor parroting how great it is for the gamer and enthusiast. With 6 cores and 12 threads, a new motherboard and chipset platform, and quad channel DDR3, Intel has done the impossible, given us everything we don't want, and nothing we do want.

Just the intro is enough. :rofl:

In one of the reviews the intel mobo was sent and exact instructions for 4.8Ghz was given by the intel techies.

The reviewers were not even able to POST :rofl:

The 3930k is the hottest in the sandybridge-E lineup. It will provide atleast some value as one can buy a better motherboard or gpu with the money saved. Its unlocked and will have similar performance as 3960x albeit a wee bit lower.

Another thing worth mentioning is the memory bandwidth. Its a whooping 37.0gbps in sandra memory bench up from 21.2gbps of 2600k and 19.9gbps of 990x.

The quad core i7 3820 will come next year and will deserve more attention from budget buyers those are willing to invest in the sandy-E platform. But still 2600k and 2700k are the processors of choice currently even for enthusiasts.

Skud said:
Just the intro is enough.

There are more classics.

What I dislike about SB-E is that it is a lower binned chip rather than a quality chip.

ico said:
There are more classics.

Yeah, yeah. :lol:

Intel has done the impossible, given us everything we don't want, and nothing we do want

Nice find Skud!! :rofl:

..Hyterical!!

ico posted it first. I just quoted. Read the whole review for more.

ASUS Launches the Most Complete and Innovative X79 Motherboard Lineup | techPowerUp
GIGABYTE Launches X79 Series Motherboards | techPowerUp
ASRock Unveils Superb X79 Overclock ‘KING' Motherboard Series | techPowerUp
MSI Announces All-New X79 Motherboard Series Featuring Military Class III Components | techPowerUp
Introducing the EVGA X79 Motherboards | techPowerUp

Intel Core i7-3930K And Core i7-3820: Sandy Bridge-E, Cheaper

Looks like 3930k is the sandybridge-E to get. 3820 also offers consistent high perfromance than 2600k but overclocking is a bit tedious considering the lack of unlocked multipliers.

Best SB-E right now is the i7 3930k I guess.

Intel Core i7-3960X and i7-3930K CPUs Transitioning to C2 stepping in January | techPowerUp