Core i7 870 Tested

[Chri$ch]

my result with air cooling (ac freezer xtreme) and a GB P55-UD5

[Chickenfeed]

I'm really liking the look of the power usage of P55 and a I7 860, substantially less than x58 / 920. Now other than a few specialized workloads I don't see x58 / triple channel as being worth it. My concerns with having only 16 PCIE 2.0 lanes aren't too worrisome as I'll more than likely end up using another dual gpu card ( and since they communicate between each other on board that reduces the bandwidth required over 2 separate pcbs ) Even so I'd be shocked if this upcoming batch of cards (5xxx / GT300 ) will see any tangible benefits with 2x 16 vs 2x 8 let alone the following generation. Honestly the only thing I can see x58 being good for is tri and quad configurations and particular server applications.

Now all this said my only remaining concern is launch pricing. If I can't get a P55 mobo ( I have my eye on the MSI it looks impressive ) a 860 and 8gb of DDR3 for at least $200 less than a 920 / x58 / 6GB setup then I won't bother. I like the 3.46 turbo on the 860 along with its lower platform power usage and I don't intend to overclock this system ( I want a quiet air system using what I have available to me atm ) much if at all, so all this in mind I'm personally leaning towards P55. I'd sooner use the saved money towards a SSD as that will probably do more for overall performance (my real world usage at least ) than x58 and tri channel ever would.

Do you figure my logic is sound or am I insane?

[geo]

I'm really liking the look of the power usage of P55 and a I7 860, substantially less than x58 / 920. Now other than a few specialized workloads I don't see x58 / triple channel as being worth it. My concerns with having only 16 PCIE 2.0 lanes aren't too worrisome as I'll more than likely end up using another dual gpu card ( and since they communicate between each other on board that reduces the bandwidth required over 2 separate pcbs ) Even so I'd be shocked if this upcoming batch of cards (5xxx / GT300 ) will see any tangible benefits with 2x 16 vs 2x 8 let alone the following generation. Honestly the only thing I can see x58 being good for is tri and quad configurations and particular server applications.

Now all this said my only remaining concern is launch pricing. If I can't get a P55 mobo ( I have my eye on the MSI it looks impressive ) a 860 and 8gb of DDR3 for at least $200 less than a 920 / x58 / 6GB setup then I won't bother. I like the 3.46 turbo on the 860 along with its lower platform power usage and I don't intend to overclock this system ( I want a quiet air system using what I have available to me atm ) much if at all, so all this in mind I'm personally leaning towards P55. I'd sooner use the saved money towards a SSD as that will probably do more for overall performance (my real world usage at least ) than x58 and tri channel ever would.

Do you figure my logic is sound or am I insane?

i'm in the same boat as you are and i'm looking build a workstation to run sql server/pentaho. I'm going in for p55 as well, because of power characteristics.
i just dont think it'll be 200 less compared x58 more like 70-100. considering you can just save on the motherboard and hardly anything else.

[Chickenfeed]

i'm in the same boat as you are and i'm looking build a workstation to run sql server/pentaho. I'm going in for p55 as well, because of power characteristics.
i just dont think it'll be 200 less compared x58 more like 70-100. considering you can just save on the motherboard and hardly anything else.

It boils down to what a well rounded board will cost I suppose. If they really will be 200ish it will help but still your probably right. Most of the x58 boards I've considered are around 330-380 CND and since I do want to ge a 4x2GB kit I expect them to cost a tad more than a 3x2 closing that gap even further. I hope to see the 860 selling for 320-330cnd similar to the 920 right now so your 75-100 figure is probably more realistic. My previous motherboards have been high end chipsets / packages and although they've been solid for the amount I ever overclocked, its been alot of extra money wasted for no good reason so that again makes a cheaper P55 more attractive (I've spent 350-400cnd on my last 3 boards ; 200 is more like it if it still gets the job done )

Still, for a faster turbo and less power draw (thus heat ; I was concerned about x58 cooling and psu requirements using my current case and psu ) I won't feel the need to have to upgrade anything other than the mobo ram and cpu. Now if only those OCZ Collosus drives would show up (not quite ready to settle on the Intel X25M G2 in spite of these )

[FlanK3r]

my result with air cooling (ac freezer xtreme) and a GB P55-UD5

omg, very nice 4100 and 3200 MHz at NB ! Whats some benchmarks with this? (il looking for comparsion 4100 MHz and default NB vs 4100 MHz and 3200 MHz NB, can u do it? )

[ajaidev]

my result with air cooling (ac freezer xtreme) and a GB P55-UD5

Also Chri$ch can u add the scores of 955 for the games, and as FlanK3r said stock NB vs 3200Mhz NB