Intel Core i7: Dual-Channel vs. Triple-Channel Memory Mode

[grimREEFER]

whats the love affair with core i5 about?
imo, its gonna face some tough competition from cheap yorkfields in the mainstream market

[Donnie27]

This isn't any different than when AMD did 4x4 (in a sense at least). Releasing a platform that can command a higher price only to have the "midrange" catch up isn't anything new. Sure, it would be nice to have lower prices, but then you have to consider margins. x58 motherboards already are hitting the $200 range, which is reasonable considering the complexity of the components. I guess I just don't see the point of constantly demanding lower prices. The pricing will come down soon enough, and the economy is bad, but the volume of processors sold is good enough for the moment (for Intel). Realize, Intel could lower prices enough such that people would buy more mid-range, but then they are simply buying less of the atom-based processors/systems. Another words, they are going to buy volume x of something; lowering prices changes the percentage of product y in total volume x, but not volume x itself (for the most part). If the atom gets them better margins, then they are more likely to keep things as is than lower prices elsewhere too much.

In terms of feeling bad you bought i7, if your sad that you paid a lot of money to have the most powerful system available (for the last 6 months at least), then you wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Should the people who bought the E6800 be pissed that the E8400 creams it for less a little over a year later? I don't see any clear brightline as to when we should feel "good" about our purchases based on your analysis. Making a decision based on needs/desires, in conjunction with the current pricing and a little future-perusing ought to be enough. If we can't ever be satisfied (to a point, I'm as much a hardware junky as anyone else ) then we have bigger problems than just Intel's pricing to be concerned with...

EDIT: Just to clarify, this is in no way a personal attack. I love to argue (in a constructive sense), and fully expect people to disagree with me.

No offense taken and I never thought your post was any kind of attack on me.

I liked your reply in fact. My problem isn't just pricing here, all I'm saying is that the Platform ISN'T that complex enough to demand current prices IMHO. I don't see anything on the board that drives up the costs. Someone please point out why X58 costs what it does? In fact, it has LESS than the X48 that has to have a Memory Controller. Oh wait, the Extra PCI-E lanes are worth what? As I asked the other Intel employee, what if I want a 940 i7 Nehalem on a none-gaming motherboard for a workstation? I was asked to build at least two rigs like that. See, it has NOTHING to do with what I can afford or not. I never liked it when Intel or AMD Pigeon Holed me.

No, we are supposed to be Geeks, we're supposed to be a little smarter when it comes to hardware. What happened? We got Geeks paying $250 for Killer NIC's, $200 for CPU based sound cards that are nothing more than Mobo sound chip sets with $5 DAC's (my DAC's $6.75 shipped). As long as we tell them raping us is OK, you think they'll stop? We don't need 3 channels of RAM in most cases. i5 would hold up well against i7 and i7 sure as hell doesn't need X58 to shine.

I got NOTHING against 1K Top models or even the $500 mid-ranged versions. In fact, I think the i940 at its current price is a great deal What would Donnie27 want? A frakkin' Motherboard with 1 PCI-E X16 slot 4 1X PCI-E and maybe two PCI slots. I'd like NO built in sound and at least a real Intel NIC, not Marvel or Realtech crap shipping on current $200 motherboards I DON'T like paying for crap I'm not going to use. Instead of an i920, I'd love to used the 40 to $70 saved on the motherboard and get an i940.

whats the love affair with core i5 about?
imo, its gonna face some tough competition from cheap yorkfields in the mainstream market

Not at Yorfield's current prices. X58 Motherboards are one of the reasons Yorkfield can hold their value.

[kaskuli]

Good post.

Personally, I've found little benefit in the jump from Wolfie to i7. Fell for the excessive cheerleading going on here.

[Hornet331]

I liked your reply in fact. My problem isn't just pricing here, all I'm saying is that the Platform ISN'T that complex enough to demand current prices IMHO. I don't see anything on the board that drives up the costs. Someone please point out why X58 costs what it does? In fact, it has LESS than the X48 that has to have a Memory Controller. Oh wait, the Extra PCI-E lanes are worth what? As I asked the other Intel employee, what if I want a 940 i7 Nehalem on a none-gaming motherboard for a workstation? I was asked to build at least two rigs like that. See, it has NOTHING to do with what I can afford or not. I never liked it when Intel or AMD Pigeon Holed me.

Wowowo .. wo... stop right there.

You know that X58 mobos are all 8-layer boards while the X38/X48 where 6 layer and dont talk about the P3x/P4x boards that where 4 layers only (remember the bug why intel delayed the mainstream yorkfields, of course there where a few exceptions).

You have the double ammount of layers compared to the cheap mainstream boards. It has to be more expensive, cause with any additional layer you increase the complexity.

Another factor is the X58 chipset itself, yeah maybe its less complex then the former MCH, but it has far higher quality requierments then the former nonserver chipsets, and thats cause its a server chipset.
Tylersburg (X58) is the same chipset you'll find on servergrade hardware, thought it don't needs to pass server validaition (if its sold as X58), its build to pass it. That don't come for free either, development costs/validition costs are also a part of the price for a product.

Now add the additional traces the come with the 2 additional memory slots.

Add the developments costs from the manufacturers cause its a whole new plattform, cause for the old S775 there where already all basics designs done, what quirkes the platform had and which way it worked best. With S1336 they had to start form square one.

Plus add the additional bling bling and you have your 250€ plus motherboard.

Im not saying that expensive motherboards are a good thing to happen, but just getting angry that the boards are more expensive, cause of there nature (server), then mainstream boards makes you look like an amature.
(nothing personal)

P55 on the other hand make quite a few things more affordable (4 layers, only 4 dimm slots, less validation costs for the chipset, etc.).

[Donnie27]

Good post.

Personally, I've found little benefit in the jump from Wolfie to i7. Fell for the excessive cheerleading going on here.

Thank you!

Wowowo .. wo... stop right there.

You know that X58 mobos are all 8-layer boards while the X38/X48 where 6 layer and dont talk about the P3x/P4x boards that where 4 layers only (remember the bug why intel delayed the mainstream yorkfields, of course there where a few exceptions).

You have the double ammount of layers compared to the cheap mainstream boards. It has to be more expensive, cause with any additional layer you increase the complexity.

Another factor is the X58 chipset itself, yeah maybe its less complex then the former MCH, but it has far higher quality requierments then the former nonserver chipsets, and thats cause its a server chipset.
Tylersburg (X58) is the same chipset you'll find on servergrade hardware, thought it don't needs to pass server validaition (if its sold as X58), its build to pass it. That don't come for free either, development costs/validition costs are also a part of the price for a product.

Now add the additional traces the come with the 2 additional memory slots.

Add the developments costs from the manufacturers cause its a whole new plattform, cause for the old S775 there where already all basics designs done, what quirkes the platform had and which way it worked best. With S1336 they had to start form square one.

Plus add the additional bling bling and you have your 250€ plus motherboard.

Im not saying that expensive motherboards are a good thing to happen, but just getting angry that the boards are more expensive, cause of there nature (server), then mainstream boards makes you look like an amature.
(nothing personal)

P55 on the other hand make quite a few things more affordable (4 layers, only 4 dimm slots, less validation costs for the chipset, etc.).

First, I saw where P55 was supposed to be 6 layers and only i3 or whatever they're calling it was supposed to be 4. Heck must have read bad info.

No offense taken As the old wise tale goes, I was jut pointing out that the emperor had no clothes on and was in fact Naked. I'm not bitter or angry, I'm more amazed than anything. Maybe add to that a little tickled I mean no offense either when I say I'd rather be an amateur than a sucker or beta tester.

What next? Should we also run out and buy Killer NIC's? Maybe their sales would have increased had they renamed it Blood Rage, Maximus, Rampage or etc...

The growing trend is for Manufacturers to call it a Gamer Version and stick a high price tag on it. It's as if "Enthusiast" has become a code word for Geeks with more money than common sense or brains! No, that stripped drown Gigabyte X58 has no "Bling" to speak of. check this Open Box?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813128375R

No thanks Hornet, I already got at least two bud's resold their rigs on EBay and hell, one made a profit. I'm sure that was a seasoned enthusiast and not an Amateur either Again, if i5 isn't held back, i7 is clearly seen for the virtual Gimmick it is for MOST USERS.

Let me say this one more time-->If X58 is a Server Processor Motherboard chip set, please pull all of that crap off off and sell as a Server board. I'd be first in line! I'm not complaining about 8 layers, NEVER said that. We don't need 6 RAM slots or 3 or 4 PCI-E 16X slots. Even it were $200, I'd consider buying one. I'm not cheap or broke just don't want crap I'll never use

[Shintai]

Thank you!



First, I saw where P55 was supposed to be 6 layers and only i3 or whatever they're calling it was supposed to be 4. Heck must have read bad info.

No offense taken As the old wise tale goes, I was jut pointing out that the emperor had no clothes on and was in fact Naked. I'm not bitter or angry, I'm more amazed than anything. Maybe add to that a little tickled I mean no offense either when I say I'd rather be an amateur than a sucker or beta tester.

What next? Should we also run out and buy Killer NIC's? Maybe their sales would have increased had they renamed it Blood Rage, Maximus, Rampage or etc...

The growing trend is for Manufacturers to call it a Gamer Version and stick a high price tag on it. It's as if "Enthusiast" has become a code word for Geeks with more money than common sense or brains! No, that stripped drown Gigabyte X58 has no "Bling" to speak of. check this Open Box?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813128375R

No thanks Hornet, I already got at least two bud's resold their rigs on EBay and hell, one made a profit. I'm sure that was a seasoned enthusiast and not an Amateur either Again, if i5 isn't held back, i7 is clearly seen for the virtual Gimmick it is for MOST USERS.

Let me say this one more time-->If X58 is a Server Processor Motherboard chip set, please pull all of that crap off off and sell as a Server board. I'd be first in line! I'm not complaining about 8 layers, NEVER said that. We don't need 6 RAM slots or 3 or 4 PCI-E 16X slots. Even it were $200, I'd consider buying one. I'm not cheap or broke just don't want crap I'll never use

i3 and i5 uses the exact same mobo.

And dont try and play an enthutiast if you aint one. i7/x58 is obviously out of your league. Its like whining to Ferrari about their cars is too expensive for the regular family man.

[geo]

regardless of what reasons you have to not like i7, what makes you think i5 will be different? i5 will be the same, cut down, and cheaper...

who said i don't like i7? my Q6600 is good enough for the tasks that i use it for.Virtualization and sql server.
i just think triple channel, onboard sas and other server features are near useless for most desktop/workstation users. so no need to waste money on such things... kinda like Killer Nic lol
having said that, i dont mind spending money on things i need and/or useful like the Auzentech xfi-forte or Logitech dinovo edge (htpc)