4-core Haswell i7 - Worth getting now?

[echineko]

Hi guys,

A bit of background:

Currently my aging rig (which I've been using for some light gaming, multimedia, browsing, documents, etc) running on Core 2 Duo E6700 is about due for a refresh.

Since the beginning, I've relied on my work notebook or workstation for anything more robust (running multiple VMs, etc). But now that I'm going for a new build, there's a few things I need:

1. Power to run multiple clustered VMs - This is a must for my work, so i'll definitely need VT (or whatever its called now) enabled on the CPU

2. Minimum of 4 cores, so I'll have room to run 3-4 VMs (on Solaris/Linux/Windows) at a time, preferably 6.

3. Something that will work well with large RAM allocations and potentially dual GPUs down the line

I'm planning to go for some gaming-focused hardware this time round (HD 7970/GTX 680 minimum, decent ASUS ROG mobo, several SSDs, 32Gb performance RAM, etc), so I'll be able to have fun as well as work, and hopefully be set for at least the next 3 years or so.

I've been hoping that there would be a consumer 6-core desktop Haswell out by now, but it doesn't seem to be happening. I ask about the cores specifically because of the demands of running multiple clustered VMs at once.

My question is: Is it worth taking the plunge and getting a 4-core Haswell that supports virtualization now, or should I wait a few months?

Btw, I'm not anything near a build expert, feel free to point out any misconceptions I may have

 

[ShintaiDK]

I dont see a reason why not to buy Haswell now. I guess you might want the 4770 to support 8 threads. Just remember you are limited to 32GB memory on the LGA11xx platform.

Haswell also got lower virtualization overhead than any other CPU.

Only alternative would be the more expensive LGA2011 platform with older technology.

Server/workstation versions of Haswell will first come in H2 2014 and use DDR4.

 

[echineko]

I dont see a reason why not to buy Haswell now. I guess you might want the 4770 to support 8 threads....

Only alternative would be the more expensive LGA2011 platform with older technology....

Server/workstation versions of Haswell will first come in H2 2014 and use DDR4....

Interesting points there, as for the older platform, not really keen on it, as I'm looking to future proof this build to some extent.

Server versions of the processor would be great for work (could even spring for a dual CPU mobo), but somehow I doubt the gaming portion of it would work as well?

 

[ShintaiDK]

Interesting points there, as for the older platform, not really keen on it, as I'm looking to future proof this build to some extent.

Server versions of the processor would be great for work (could even spring for a dual CPU mobo), but somehow I doubt the gaming portion of it would work as well?

If you can find server versions with the same clockspeed. Then they work just as well.

But until H2 2014, you will only find Haswell on the LGA11xx platform.

 

[echineko]

If you can find server versions with the same clockspeed. Then they work just as well.

But until H2 2014, you will only find Haswell on the LGA11xx platform.

Well, I'm going to take some time to put my rig together, especially since I'm waiting on some good deals on GPU and RAM. I'd go with the 4770 right now, unless something else is released within the next month or so.

Cheers for the info, eh?

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Just make sure you get the 4770, not the 4770k!

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Just make sure you get the 4770, not the 4770k!

Why not get the K?

 

[NTMBK]

Why not get the K?

The K has certain features disabled, such as TSX.

 

[echineko]

The K has certain features disabled, such as TSX.

Yeap, and also virtualization (VT-d). For me specifically that's a deal breaker, because of my work.

 

[zephyrprime]

I would get a 6 core Sandy E or a dual socket Xeon machine. A 4 core Haswell isn't powerful enough for your needs. To have 3-4VM is just too taxing for a 4 core machine that has to be responsive too. Hardware is cheap and labor is MUCH more expensive so it is worth it to buy a more powerful platform.

 

[crashtech]

Some of us are interested in what Ivy-E and the X79 refresh will bring to the table in a few months. Some say old technology, but I might say mature and more aligned with your stated needs, with more CPU core capacity and quad channel memory.

Current X79 boards have a few limitations, like only 2 SATA 3 ports, but make up for it with 40 PCIe lanes, which means an add-on card can easily supply more high-speed storage capacity if needed, even in systems with multiple GPUs.

A new crop of X79 boards might be released with Ivy-E that will address some of the minor shortcomings, we'll need to see.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Yeap, and also virtualization (VT-d). For me specifically that's a deal breaker, because of my work.

Remember to make sure then you get a board with actual VT-D support then.

 

[mlody]

I would get a 6 core Sandy E or a dual socket Xeon machine. A 4 core Haswell isn't powerful enough for your needs. To have 3-4VM is just too taxing for a 4 core machine that has to be responsive too. Hardware is cheap and labor is MUCH more expensive so it is worth it to buy a more powerful platform.

Sandy E CPU might be an overkill and a bit of money waste. I have been succesfully running VMware Workstation on i7-2600k, then on i7-3770k with only 16 GB of Ram and things were snappy. I usually had at least 6-8 vm's including two esxi with nested win xp vm's without any issues.
All the i7 CPU's provide hyper threading which in theory brings the total core count to 8 and even though they cant be treated as true cores, they help up dramatically with scheduling cpu cycles and providing additional resources when needed.

I think in the OP case the storage is the key. If it was my build, i would defenitelly go for haswell i7 (k is also fine - vt-d is seldom used and not needed, vt-x is what is required and that is included on all i7's) so i could have at least 6 native sata 3 ports and get at least 3-4 ssd's instead of the Sandy E mobo/cpu.
Just my 2c

 

[Kougar]

Your best choices are:

Haswell now (4 cores)
Ivy Bridge E at the end of this year (6 cores)
Haswell E around Jan 2015 (Between 6 and 8 cores)

You shouldn't buy SB-E this close to IB-E, and there's no real point to waiting for Haswell-refresh or broadwell in 2014.

You don't need a six-core chip to run 6 VMs, I can run 12 XP machines off my 4770k under load even though it lacks VT-d support. But I would agree with the others in that you should only get a 4770, the K is a waste of money and in hindsight I would've found VT-d more useful than just a crappy overclock.

 

[Zoeff]

Haswell E around Jan 2015 (Between 6 and 8 cores)

Source? To me it seems that -E chips don't come until the next generation is already released.

EDIT: nvm, I read that as 2014, not 2015.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Ivy Bridge E at the end of this year (6 cores)

Saw a slide somewhere, where IVY-E release was scheduled for mid-September.

EDIT: here.