I can't decide. I got a decent deal on a 2600K/P8P67-X combo (somewhere around $450+CA tax) and it's tempting.
Pros of 2600K
-available now
- upgradable to 22nm IBridge
- Motherboard includes 6 SATA cables and a front USB 3 hub, which Asus was too cheap to include on the Sabertooth 990fx.
- I know that it is already fast, and overclcoked it is faster still
- Bluetooth on the motherboard
- 16 phase versus 12 phase(not that it matters)
Pros of Bulldozer
- I'd get a motherboard now and a CPU later, so I get to spread the money pain over a few months
- Dual x16 PCIe (the P67-X has extra lanes to do dual x8)
- More (though apparently slower) SATA III ports
- 8 cores
- seems like it could be more fun to mess around with
- It comes in a metal box
Cons of 2600K
-A pretty expensive chip to be getting now to replace with IB
- Socket 1155 is pretty crappy, and it will probably be overshadowed by S2011.
- Is IB actaully going to be that much faster? It seems like Intel is just going to use it to build the same thing for cheaper, at least for S1155.
- Lack of memory bandwidth, PCIe bandwidth. Not sure how long such a system can last. It's pretty ridiculous that without extra PCIe controllers, Intel boards have to shut off USB 3 so you can do Crossfire.
Cons of Bulldozer
- I have no idea when it is coming out
- I have no idea how fast it will be
hmm....
I kind of want a new computer to use over the summer, but I really won't need one until Battlefield 3 comes out.
Right now I wish I could afford to get a S2011, because it really does seem like the best option. You get all the memory bandwidth and PCIe bandwidth in the world, and I'm sure hte performance will be pretty incredible. It just isn't worth the money though.
Anyone have any thoughts? I think the decision is just a lot harder because quite frankly my Phenom II X3 already does everything I need, but I do want a new motherboard so I can buy up a ton of cheap DDR3 ram for Lightroom and VMs, and I want SLI for Battlefield 3.
Pros of 2600K
-available now
- upgradable to 22nm IBridge
- Motherboard includes 6 SATA cables and a front USB 3 hub, which Asus was too cheap to include on the Sabertooth 990fx.
- I know that it is already fast, and overclcoked it is faster still
- Bluetooth on the motherboard
- 16 phase versus 12 phase(not that it matters)
Pros of Bulldozer
- I'd get a motherboard now and a CPU later, so I get to spread the money pain over a few months
- Dual x16 PCIe (the P67-X has extra lanes to do dual x8)
- More (though apparently slower) SATA III ports
- 8 cores
- seems like it could be more fun to mess around with
- It comes in a metal box
Cons of 2600K
-A pretty expensive chip to be getting now to replace with IB
- Socket 1155 is pretty crappy, and it will probably be overshadowed by S2011.
- Is IB actaully going to be that much faster? It seems like Intel is just going to use it to build the same thing for cheaper, at least for S1155.
- Lack of memory bandwidth, PCIe bandwidth. Not sure how long such a system can last. It's pretty ridiculous that without extra PCIe controllers, Intel boards have to shut off USB 3 so you can do Crossfire.
Cons of Bulldozer
- I have no idea when it is coming out
- I have no idea how fast it will be
hmm....
I kind of want a new computer to use over the summer, but I really won't need one until Battlefield 3 comes out.
Right now I wish I could afford to get a S2011, because it really does seem like the best option. You get all the memory bandwidth and PCIe bandwidth in the world, and I'm sure hte performance will be pretty incredible. It just isn't worth the money though.
Anyone have any thoughts? I think the decision is just a lot harder because quite frankly my Phenom II X3 already does everything I need, but I do want a new motherboard so I can buy up a ton of cheap DDR3 ram for Lightroom and VMs, and I want SLI for Battlefield 3.