i7 950 vs. i7 2600

[Nesters]

Go for a 2600k, you will be able to sell it higher than 2600 later.

 

[PaulieG]

4 cores with HT =/= 8 cores without

Newegg says that the megas will fit 1156, and I heard from somewhere that if it fits 1156 it fits 1155
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler

Any cooler that fits 1156 will fit 1155.

 

[20mmrain]

Basically I'm about to blow 500$ on a new cpu and mobo as you can see in my specs I currently use a heavily oced e7400 at 4.2ghz and a PII 965 Black Edition in the other rig, well, I want a beast of a CPU and I'm not really going to overclock as of yet, since 8 cores should run fine (not going with 2600k w/ unlocked). So both are the same price.

i7 950 or the i7 2600? $330 each

and Pro and Cons of each?

Thanks

I hope my Megahalems Rev 2 can fit on a 2600?

The i7 950 gives you more overclocking control. If your a traditional overclocker that might be something you would be into. Also... it has the X58 Chipset behind. Which is still Intel's current enthusiast chipset. You also get better Video card support on the lower end boards... than you would compared with the P67 boards.
The bad news about it... compared to the i7 2600k it will loose when it comes to a overclocking and performance contest. As well as the X58 Chipset is a dead end technology. You will not be able to upgrade to the X79 or what ever the hell it is when it comes out. It is also very power hungry and they run very warm in comparison to the new SB CPU's.

The i7 2600k is easy to overclock. It doesn't take very much messing around to get a stable overclock from 4.5 Ghz to over 5 Ghz. It can compete (when overclocked) with Intel's Extreme i7 CPU's. Also runs very cool in comparison to last gen's i7s (i7 900 series or i7 800 series) it uses allot less power compared as well. From what everyone has heard the P67 Chipset seems that it will allow to upgrade to Ivy bridges when they release next year. So it seems it will not be a dead end technology.
Bad news Intel has castrated the overclocking options on SB. If you were one (Like me) Who loved sitting for hours tweaking your overclock...SB might not be for you. It also is still a fairly new technology so there will be allot of little bugs. Also the limited PCI express lanes unless you go for the Higher end P67 Motherboards.

But after reviewing both options before I made my choice. I went with SB. While Intel did castrate the overclocking options on the Bclck.... they also allowed a unlocked Multiplier. They also are allowing a upgrade option for Ivy Bridge in the future. Those reasons and the cool temps the CPU runs made me decide on Sandy Bridges.

My Suggestions would be to go for a i7 2600k and a high end p67 motherboard. Just my opinion though... of course others will argue with me most likely.

 

[Fishymachine]

2600K no dough ... i only wonder how will Bulldozer fair

 

[yogurt_21]

teh yogurt has an i7 950 and loves it, but an i7 2600K would be a much better choice.

 

[ebolamonkey3]

OP, strictly between the two choices, i7 950.

But honestly, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't go for the unlocked version since the price difference is minimal, and you can't OC much w/ locked processors on Sandy Bridge.

But to be perfectly honest, I'd go w/ an i5 2500K unless you absolutely need the hyperthreading. In games, it won't make any difference (unless you play FSX or something) and you can save $100 by forgoing HT.

 

[Fourstaff]

Wonders what the price difference between the 2600 and the 2600K is, in Australia anyway. Judging by your E7400, I don't think resale is going to be much of an issue, since that you will be using it till the rig becomes obsolete. (Anyone in the market for FX-57? I thought so). If the price difference is minimal (ie less than 10% or so), given that you can overclock it from 3.6 to over 4ghz easy, I think the price difference is well worth it, as long as its less than 20%.

 

[Kast]

Definately the 2600K. I bought the 2600 Friday and exchange it for the K Saturday. If you have a microcenter around you there going for $280.

 

[Fourstaff]

If you have a microcenter around you there going for $280.

Would be nice if you actually consider OP's position, he is in Australia

 

[Kast]

Would be nice if you actually consider OP's position, he is in Australia

Ah my bad didn't see that.

 

[1nf3rn0x]

Ok, I'll put some some money and buy a 2600k and a nice 1555 motherboard

 

[InnocentCriminal]

Wonders what the price difference between the 2600 and the 2600K is, in Australia anyway. Judging by your E7400, I don't think resale is going to be much of an issue, since that you will be using it till the rig becomes obsolete. (Anyone in the market for FX-57? I thought so). If the price difference is minimal (ie less than 10% or so), given that you can overclock it from 3.6 to over 4ghz easy, I think the price difference is well worth it, as long as its less than 20%.

I swear Infernox said that the 2600K is $50 more expensive over the standard 2600.

 

[Fourstaff]

I swear Infernox said that the 2600K is $50 more expensive over the standard 2600.

Ah, yes, found it

 

[1nf3rn0x]

I must say, my e7400 has chomped through anygame I've put it through XD. It'll be a shame to put her to rest! I would go to say it outperforms my PII 965!

2600k it is

 

[cheesy999]

4 cores with HT =/= 8 cores without

Newegg says that the megas will fit 1156, and I heard from somewhere that if it fits 1156 it fits 1155

no 4 cores with hyperthreading = 1-2% increase in apps with less then four threads and around 30% increase in apps that will use all 8 threads, adding threads inproves resourse managment but it dosn't generate anywhere near the proccesing power 8 physical cores would

 

[Pestilence]

2500K Why?

32nm > 45nm
4.5Ghz Overclocks
95W TDP > 130W TDP
Unlocked > Locked

 

[xenocide]

2500K Why?

Because unless you do something that actually benefits from Hyperthreading (pretty much Video\Audio Editting) you will only see a slight performance difference between the 2600k and the 2500k, so why spend $100+ to get a barely noticable performance gain? The 2500k OC'd to like 4.2GHz outperforms the i7-980x, and teh 2600k OC'd murders it. There really is no reason to get a non-SB CPU at this point, it's just a matter of choosing between the 2500k and 2600k really.

 

[Pestilence]

Because unless you do something that actually benefits from Hyperthreading (pretty much Video\Audio Editting) you will only see a slight performance difference between the 2600k and the 2500k, so why spend $100+ to get a barely noticable performance gain? The 2500k OC'd to like 4.2GHz outperforms the i7-980x, and teh 2600k OC'd murders it. There really is no reason to get a non-SB CPU at this point, it's just a matter of choosing between the 2500k and 2600k really.

I was recommendeding the 2500K