Ivy Bridge 22nm Will Require New Motherboard

[Mizzou]

Even though Ivy Bridge will utilize Socket 1155 it appears that you will still need a new motherboard, isn't that just peachy news.

The Ivy Bridge 22nm story gets even better. The new chip is socket LGA 1155 and it is socket compatible with the existing Sandy Bridge processors and Sugar Bay 2011 platform. Unfortunately we are quite sure that Cougar point PCH chipset of Sandy Bridge won’t support the new 22nm Ivy Bridge.

We are afraid that you will still need a new board. Even the Panther point PCH chipset is pin compatible with Cougar Point chipset of Sandy Bridge, but again this might help board manufactures to make boards faster, but end users will need to buy a new board.

Source Fudzilla

 

[dividebyzero]

Peachy...
Bummer if you're the type of person that simply has to upgrade with every new architecture AND every process node shrink....but then, if you're that kind of person then shelling out for a new board is probably not a big deal. Who in their right mind would want a shiny new CPU and be stuck with yesterdays PCIe 2.0 spec board? (The closest definite for PCI-Express 3.0 is for early 2012 when Ivy Bridge hits.)

...not that any of this probably matters to you since you seem to running AMD kit (quelle surprise!). <sad trombone>Good luck getting that Bulldozer upgrade running on your 790FX.</sad trombone>

 

[DokkRokken]

Par for the course in this hobby. I'm surprised anyone would complain, given that someone with an 1156 or 1155 will likely be satisfied for quite a few years.

Also, AMD's backwards compatibility is nice, yet that ends with 990, so it's a moot point as far as I'm concerned. Sure you can stick 955 in one, but why would you unless you were that hard-up for coin?

 

[Codisha]

i highly doubt that the new chipset and 22nm processor will have 1155 socket configuration.

lynnfield could have easily used 1155 pins and sandy bridge could have easily used 1156 pins. there is not a whole lot to adding or subtracting 1 or 2 pins.
power and ground lines make up over a dozened of those pins and could easily be combined or split.

i could imagine it be 1154 or 1157, something like that.
i think it is much more important to separate the platforms with different socket configurations so end user can identify comparability.

 

[Mizzou]

Peachy...
Bummer if you're the type of person that simply has to upgrade with every new architecture AND every process node shrink....but then, if you're that kind of person then shelling out for a new board is probably not a big deal. Who in their right mind would want a shiny new CPU and be stuck with yesterdays PCIe 2.0 spec board? (The closest definite for PCI-Express 3.0 is for early 2012 when Ivy Bridge hits.)

...not that any of this probably matters to you since you seem to running AMD kit (quelle surprise!). <sad trombone>Good luck getting that Bulldozer upgrade running on your 790FX.</sad trombone>

I've also got an Intel 965EE/X58 rig - but when I joined Techspot I entered it in the second system specs field, not knowing only one would show up ... never got around to flipping 'em

 

[dividebyzero]

Great.
I think my point stands regardless.

My stance is that for all the b1tching and moaning about Intel's socket changes (in general terms across mainstream tech sites-not aimed at any one person in particular) real world scenario's don't have much in common with the argument.

Take the Four sockets in four years argument for instance...
LGA 775 -> LGA 1366 -> LGA 1156 -> LGA 1155
How many people do you know that would migrate from X58 to P55 (or P67 for that matter) ?
Would you recommend someone do this? Is this something you would consider for yourself as a performance upgrade?

Some might argue that the advent of LGA 1155 means that LGA 1156 users are now, somehow, being left out in the cold. I would argue that P67/Z68 doesn't offer a "must have" feature set over its predecessor, and P55 board owners- as is the case with LGA 775 owners now- will have access to fairly highly performing CPU's at a fraction of their original cost ( Core i7 860/870/875K), in much the same way that Q/QX9650 et al can be had for relative peanuts now. Better overclocking (on two SKU's only) and a slightly quicker SuperPi calculation I wouldn't consider a dealbreaker for P55 mainstream systems...or earlier LGA775 either for that matter (my secondary system is P45 based btw).
Your view on OS's would seemingly mirror my view on hardware upgrading for all but the chronic enthusiast...

...perfectly happy with Windows 7 and will be in no rush to upgrade unless there are some really compelling new features that I just can't live without ... not likely.

Lastly, note that the Ivy Bridge spec was released before Sandy Bridge launched. Anyone contemplating buying Sandy Bridge now is (or should be) well aware that if they plan on jumping on the Ivy Bridge bandwagon they'll also need a new board. It's not as though Intel are selling SB under false pretences

 

[Leeky]

I'm still more than happy with the performance of my LGA775 Q8300 quad! :haha:

All these continual upgrades make me wonder if I'm actually better missing the LGA1156 completely tbh, and waiting for the next generation of CPUs. I rarely see this CPU hit 100% load as it is, seems pointless to me to upgrade something that works good enough now. Sure LGA 1156 CPUs are no doubt much faster, but my Q8300 is hardly struggling as it is.

 

[Mizzou]

Great. I think my point stands regardless.
My stance is that for all the b1tching and moaning about Intel's socket changes (in general terms across mainstream tech sites-not aimed at any one person in particular) real world scenario's don't have much in common with the argument.

In the brief time that I've been a member of Techspot have found your posts to be on topic, well considered and informative ... so yes IMHO your point stands. Fortunately, there are at least a few tech sites that do have down to earth real reviews (Techspot being one of them), but most are locked into the synthetic benchmarks, frames per second and this processor can only overclock to 4.1GHz so it su*ks type of reviews.

Take the Four sockets in four years argument for instance...
LGA 775 -> LGA 1366 -> LGA 1156 -> LGA 1155
How many people do you know that would migrate from X58 to P55 (or P67 for that matter) ?
Would you recommend someone do this? Is this something you would consider for yourself as a performance upgrade?

Really can't see why anyone would feel an urgent need to make the jump from X58 to P55 or P67, won't even know for a while if LGA 2011 will be worth considering. This is not an upgrade that I am considering for myself, going to put the 965EE under water this winter to see what it has left in the tank ... does a maximum 4.5GHz on air (4.0 GHz 24/7) which is plenty.

Some might argue that the advent of LGA 1155 means that LGA 1156 users are now, somehow, being left out in the cold. I would argue that P67/Z68 doesn't offer a "must have" feature set over its predecessor, and P55 board owners- as is the case with LGA 775 owners now- will have access to fairly highly performing CPU's at a fraction of their original cost ( Core i7 860/870/875K), in much the same way that Q/QX9650 et al can be had for relative peanuts now. Better overclocking (on two SKU's only) and a slightly quicker SuperPi calculation I wouldn't consider a dealbreaker for P55 mainstream systems...or earlier LGA775 either for that matter (my secondary system is P45 based btw).

So long as a good selection of processors remain available for a reasonable period of time this is also a valid point. That has certainly been the case for LGA 775 and at least until next year should be true for LGA 1366 as well.

Your view on OS's would seemingly mirror my view on hardware upgrading for all but the chronic enthusiast...

I expect to get many more years out of the Intel system, have a pair of Radeon 5870's Crossfired which still stand up to all but the very top end cards now available. The AMD systems have been more of a experiment (tend to pull for the underdog) so I built both Spider and Dragon platforms. My son now has the remains of Spider and although I'm tempted from time to time to drop in a Phenom II X6 1100T (still might) I'll almost certainly be on AM3 until AM4 is released.

Lastly, note that the Ivy Bridge spec was released before Sandy Bridge launched. Anyone contemplating buying Sandy Bridge now is (or should be) well aware that if they plan on jumping on the Ivy Bridge bandwagon they'll also need a new board. It's not as though Intel are selling SB under false pretences

The roadmaps are there if you choose to look for them, the folks I feel have a right to be a bit upset are the ones that just invested in socket 1155 ... that was the original and only point. That and perhaps Intel's branding is getting a bit confusing, the Core i7 being a good example as it now spans three sockets. Going forward we now have to deal with the socket 1155 (which motherboard is it?) scenario, that's all.

 

[dividebyzero]

The roadmaps are there if you choose to look for them, the folks I feel have a right to be a bit upset are the ones that just invested in socket 1155 ... that was the original and only point. That and perhaps Intel's branding is getting a bit confusing, the Core i7 being a good example as it now spans three sockets. Going forward we now have to deal with the socket 1155 (which motherboard is it?) scenario, that's all.

For the early adopters (around the first five months after the Sept. 2009 introduction) of the budget (Core i5 750) Lynnfield platform there was indeed ambiguity in whether Sandy Bridge would be socket compatible with the P55, so yes, I could also show a level of sympathy towards those users. From personal experience I cautioned my customers that in the face of no definitive proof, err on the side of non-compatibility since only a VRM specification change is needed to render the present board incompatible -the same scenario as befell the Yorkfield (Q/QX9xxx and Q8xxx) CPU lack of compatibility with the nvidia 680i chipset.
From experience I'd also not lump initial Core i7 860/870 buyers into the same bracket-simply because these are enthusiast priced CPU's on a mainstream platform. Enthusiasts generally view platform longevity with the same level of indifference that I reserve for televised Ice Dancing.

I think everyone agrees that Intel's CPU branding is a waking nightmare, and is a valid concern. The only positive to be had is that it provides a larger techsite forum traffic flow from posters enquiries over CPU, socket and board compatibility.

 

[Arris]

The roadmaps are there if you choose to look for them, the folks I feel have a right to be a bit upset are the ones that just invested in socket 1155 ... that was the original and only point. That and perhaps Intel's branding is getting a bit confusing, the Core i7 being a good example as it now spans three sockets. Going forward we now have to deal with the socket 1155 (which motherboard is it?) scenario, that's all.

Yeah, there will be a lot who have gone with 1155 and be feeling let down. I'm sure intel might be good enough to release a few more higher performance CPUs for the socket, but if the consumers read anything about Sandy bridge at all they should have seen information about the 2011 socket and how it was meant to be the "enthusiast" replacement for the 1366 socket. Pretty hard to miss that.

As Leeky said his Core2Quad is doing fine(my Q6600 was fine but I have seen reasonable boosts, benchmarks showed Sandy bridge to be about 50% faster at just about any task) so why upgrade to 2011 socket if 1155 socket is already more than anyone needs? General consumers that will buy premade systems off the high street are the ones who are most likely not to have known about Ivy Bridge and yet another socket coming out. Conversely they are also the ones least likely to have any need for the "enthusiast" level platform anyway or actually know enough to care.

 

[Leeky]

I'm going to hold out til the fall (my effort at American terminology!) I think, and wait for things to settle, before deciding what to do next. I can't help but think that any purchases now would be a waste when I could have something much better for a little more money, or time.

The deciding factor for me is the pure and simple fact my CPU handles everything thrown at it now. Sure most of the gaming enthusiasts here probably have much better CPUs than me, but since I had to purchase a new mobo thanks to screwing up my Dell one when I fitted the new cooler, I might as well get some mileage out of it before replacing it.

Besides, I'd like to start purchasing my LCDs, and the first of the three GPUs in the meantime, and it'll then cost me less when I come to getting a new CPU, RAM, and motherboard in the fall.