Anyone else rocking Sandy Bridge still happy with their CPU?


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Just about 6 years ago on the dot, I was walking through Fry's headed towards the Components section.  I was having the same thought I that occupied my mind for the past month.  "Do I get the Core i5 2500k or just go for the i7 2600k?"  The difference was about a hundred dollars before tax.  Not much in the grand scheme of things but that hundred bucks could go towards an SSD (not as cheap 6 years ago) or a better GPU/MB/RAM.  I went for it.  Got the 2600k.

 

I can sit here and tell you that was the best computer purchase I've ever made.  WORTH.  EVERY.  PENNY.  This CPU has been out for just over 6 years!  Maybe I'm just getting old and feeling the early-mid 90's tech boom where it seemed things were advancing much more quickly but I never thought a CPU would last me six years and I'd still be content with the performance.  If I didn't game as much as I do or run BOINC (MORE CORES!), I think I could get another six years out of this CPU and still be fine.  I have to point out I've been running at a nice and cool 4.0GHz @ 1.168 Volts for just about six years now.  RAM is at 2133 MHz.  So yeah, not the stock clocks.

 

Aside from all the cool stuff a Z270 motherboard would bring to the the table, I just don't see myself upgrading my Z77 MB and Core i7 2600k just yet.  The i7 7700k is... lackluster.  Not worth the 700 bucks or so for the platform upgrade from where I'm sitting.  I'd rather use that 700 dollars and buy a GTX 1080. 

Coffee Lake might bring 6 core to the mainstream, but that's later this year and is still only going to be a small improvement over Kaby lake IPC wise.  Guess we'll just wait and see what happens with Ryzen here in a few weeks.

 

What do you guys think?  Anyone else still using a Sandy Bridge and content with their CPU?  Or if anyone has upgraded from SB to Kaby Lake I'd love to read your opinions!  Especially if you think it is worth the upgrade.

 

 

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I have a system with Intel Core i7-920.

 

I am probably going to upgrade soon, though.

 

The motherboard (MSI x58 Platinum SLI) was initially buggy and has gotten even worse as it aged and replacement x58 motherboard is insanely expensive.

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36 minutes ago, Open Minded said:

Mockingbird, the 920 was a great CPU.  If your system wasn't giving you issues, would you still feel the need to upgrade?

Probably not.

 

The only thing that I am "missing" is SATA 3.0 6Gbit/s.

 

The motherboard is really buggy.

 

Ever since I've had it, it would randomly not power on. The only way to get it to turn back on is to unplug the computer and wait until the Power LED on the motherboard is off, then plug the computer back in and turn on the computer.

 

The more recent problem is that the SATA controller is failing.

 

Hard drives are only detected in IDE mode. In AHCI/RAID model, not of the hard drives are detected.

 

A used x58 motherboard is ~$250 USED and I am not going to pay $250 for a 8 years old motherboard with no warranty.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Anyway, I am looking to buy an AMD Ryzen 7 1700X (assuming the performance is as good as the leaked benchmarks) along with either a B350 or a X370 motherboard.

Edited by Mockingbird
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i was still rocking a 2600k until last week, only upgraded due to a deal i was offered, dropping overall cost by £300.

 

bagged a 7700k, 16Gb ddr4 3200 and an Asus Strix mobo. 

 

a bit quicker than my clocked 2600k but not much tbvh.

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Still rocking the i5-2500k 5.5 years after building my current system :D

 

Haven't changed the system specs at all in that time (still on 16GB DDR3 at stock timings, XFX 6870 1GB GPU, 120GB SSD (yes yes I know, its tiny etc..)) and will be looking to update this year now with Ryzen looking tempting, or maybe waiting for Coffee Lake at the end of the year.

 

I don't game much (clearly), but I would love to build a rather nice future proofed system that will last at least another 5 years or so and be ready for 4k gaming, VR and advances in SSD tech (M.2).

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I'm using an Intel Core i7-2600K in my gaming PC that I've had since late 2011. I've recently upgraded my graphics card from a GTX 580 to GTX 1070 and hoping to increase the RAM from 8GB to 16GB when/if the prices drop. I've no need to upgrade my CPU as the PC is only really used for gaming, and the i7-2600K is still going strong in that respect - only a few FPS difference comparing to the current Kaby Lake version.

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Hello,

 

I recently did a system upgrade, too.  I hadn't planned on it, but was having some problems and this was the quickest way to get me back up and running.

 

When I looked at the replacements for my system, the major thing for me wasn't so much the CPU frequency as it was being able to gain access to some more modern technologies and to simplify things.  I replaced two small SATA SSDs running in RAID-0 with a single NVMe SSD that had better performance characteristics, which freed up a drive bay and associated cable clutter.  I also got rid of some PCIe expansion cards (USB 3.1, sound, Wi-Fi) since what was integrated into the motherboard was sufficient for my needs.  The new motherboard has a TPM module, which is nice for security features such as encryption and Secure Boot.

 

If you are doing fine with your current system right now and not having a problem which requires you to upgrade, I would suggest holding on until at least fall, when all of the Black Friday specials occur.  At that time, all of the new products will be on sale, and you'll likely be able to get some very nice upgrades for far less then they cost now--assuming they're even available today.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

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I had a Lynnfield build from 2009 that died in 4 years (damn PSU took out the whole build). I would've used that to this day had it been working. Had I been still using this build, I would've missed SATA3 and USB3 the most. I built a Haswell system right as they came out in 2013, and it's still going strong. I like having SATA3 and USB3, but missing M.2, which isn't a huge deal. I will likely not build for another 3-4 years, and when I do, it'll be a NUC most likely. 

 

CPU technology is pretty good, and the power from these chips even from years ago is still sufficient for 90%+ of consumers out there.

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10 hours ago, Mockingbird said:

 

The more recent problem is that the SATA controller is failing.

 

Hard drives are only detected in IDE mode. In AHCI/RAID model, not of the hard drives are detected.

 

A used x58 motherboard is ~$250 USED and I am not going to pay $250 for a 8 years old motherboard with no warranty.

 

I'd bet money that if you threw a new controller card in and disabled your on-board controller, your computer would be fine.  I think it's about 50 dollars or so for a SATA 3 PCI card.  I'd give it a shot if I were in your position.

 

 

6 hours ago, Mando said:

i was still rocking a 2600k until last week, only upgraded due to a deal i was offered, dropping overall cost by £300.

 

bagged a 7700k, 16Gb ddr4 3200 and an Asus Strix mobo. 

 

a bit quicker than my clocked 2600k but not much tbvh.

That's a good deal.  If the price were cut almost in half... I'd be more tempted to upgrade.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, ramesees said:

I don't game much (clearly), but I would love to build a rather nice future proofed system that will last at least another 5 years or so and be ready for 4k gaming, VR and advances in SSD tech (M.2).

 

That's what I want- M.2 drive. I know I can add a card to get, but don't have an open PCIe slot.

 

3 hours ago, goretsky said:

When I looked at the replacements for my system, the major thing for me wasn't so much the CPU frequency as it was being able to gain access to some more modern technologies and to simplify things.  I replaced two small SATA SSDs running in RAID-0 with a single NVMe SSD that had better performance characteristics, which freed up a drive bay and associated cable clutter.  I also got rid of some PCIe expansion cards (USB 3.1, sound, Wi-Fi) since what was integrated into the motherboard was sufficient for my needs.  The new motherboard has a TPM module, which is nice for security features such as encryption and Secure Boot.
 

 


See, you just pointed out the only reason I ant to upgrade- all the nice MB features.  That seems to be what everyone so far wants more than a new CPU.  I totally get that and feel the same way.  I wish I could plop my 2600k into a Z270 MB.

 

Late last month, I built my parents a new system as theirs was coming up on 7 years old (AMD Athlon II x4 635 w/6 gig DDR2 RAM, 120 gig SSD and 320 gig platter) and the WD Blue drive finally took a dump and was causing problems.  My mom told me to just build them a new PC with more SSD storage and a different case.  I chose the Pentium G4600 since the G4560 since it wasn't in stock at Newegg.  The Z270 ASRock MB I picked has the slot for WiFi and 2 NVMe drives.  NVMe is a little too pricey for my parents needs but it's nice to have as an option for the future.  As a side note, the little G4600 is a nice CPU for general use.  The HD 630 iGPU is a sight better than the GeForce GT 610 I added a while ago since the integrated video on their old PC was failing.  They're both really happy with the new rig so I'm happy.

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In retrospect, I should have stayed on my Sandy Bridge CPU and not upgrade to Haswell which was the most pointless upgrade I ever did. That said, Haswell has well (:shiftyninja:) served me since 2013 and I see no reason no upgrade in the near future. Had I stayed on Sandy Bridge, I'd probably be looking with more interest on Ryzen and current-gen Intel CPUs.

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11 hours ago, Mockingbird said:

I have a system with Intel Core i7-920.

 

I am probably going to upgrade soon, though.

 

The motherboard (MSI x58 Platinum SLI) was initially buggy and has gotten even worse as it aged and replacement x58 motherboard is insanely expensive.

 

Hey I have the MSI X58 Platinum too!! Haven't had much issue, still rock solid.

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43 minutes ago, Open Minded said:

I'd bet money that if you threw a new controller card in and disabled your on-board controller, your computer would be fine.  I think it's about 50 dollars or so for a SATA 3 PCI card.  I'd give it a shot if I were in your position.

Well, that's just one of the issues.

 

The motherboard (MSI x58 Platinum SLI) is really really buggy.

 

I would change some basic settings in the BIOS and suddenly it wouldn't POST.

 

Basically, it works if I don't touch any settings in the BIOS. If I change any settings, I would have to spend a whole day tweaking it.

 

I can't believe I even put up with this nonsense for this long.

Edited by Mockingbird
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Hell, i am still on my Sandy Bridge i3-2120 CPU which i got May 2012 (along with a new motherboard/RAM at the time (all three for $229.74 total)) and it's still solid for general use (hell, if i had a better GPU it would likely still be respectable at gaming to) as i likely won't need to upgrade for the foreseeable future in terms of general use as it's still a snappy CPU and it's only dual core (and it never hurts i switched to a SSD drive (Samsung 850 EVO 250GB) in May 2015 which gives a solid boost to overall system performance). it seems without going too far into the past that computers, at least for general use, seem to be lasting much longer before they get outdated because counting the times between my most recent major system upgrades...

 

-March 2006 to May 2012 (6 years and 2 months)

vs

-May 2012 to date (nearly 4 years and 10 months at the moment. but i am sure in another 1 year and 4 months+(which will have the same amount of time as the computer above at that time) it will still be going strong)

 

.... it seems my current computer will be more resistant to getting outdated then my previous computer when comparing similar amounts of time (but i am sure THE biggest reason the old computer is slow is lack of RAM which nowadays once you get 8GB+ of RAM you should be able to easily make it many years on that before lack of RAM becomes a issue in slowing general system performance). but i think my motherboard/CPU/RAM from 2006 would be decent considering it's nearly 11 years old IF it had more RAM (it's only 2GB of RAM and for a while you really need 4GB of RAM minimum to have smooth performance but 8GB seems to be more future proofed (my main PC has 8GB of RAM)) but considering the cost of a RAM upgrade on that old hardware (that OLD RAM costs much more than DDR3 etc RAM) it's simply not worth putting any more money into it. it's actually collecting dust at the moment as the only other computer i got that's still usable at the moment (but it largely collects dust) is a computer from 2001 (AMD Athlon 1.2Ghz CPU and being my RAM from the 2006 computer works in the computer from 2001, i boosted it to 1GB) and considering how old that is, it can be used as a very basic internet machine if really needed but you can really feel that computers age but when you consider it's basically 16 years old, which is a HUGE amount of time in computer tech, it's respectable.

 

p.s. that March 2006 PC is a ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard/AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+(dual core)(originally i put a single core 3500+ in it)/2GB DDR RAM. the May 2012 computer is... ASUS P8H61-M LX motherboard/i3-2120 (Sandy Bridge) CPU/8GB DDR3 1333 RAM. also, they are still selling that exact RAM on Newegg's website to for my May 2012 computer.

 

SIDE NOTE: my current PSU will be 5 years old Nov 2017 as that's when my warranty ends on my Seasonic 520watt PSU which if it makes it that far that will have comfortably outlasted my previous two PSU's which failed not long after the warranties were up as i had a Enermax Liberty 500Watt(supposed to be good quality), which had a 3 year warranty(got it March 2006), but died July 2010. then my replacement (Rosewill 630watt PSU("supposed" to be a cheaper decent PSU)), which was in use since July 2010, had a 2 year warranty, and that died Oct 2012. so as you can see the 2 year warranty PSU failed about 3 months after the warranty was up. even the higher quality Enermax (which i want to say i paid around $110 for back in March 2006) died after 4 years and 4 months of use. NOTE: i leave my PC running 24/7 besides occasional reboot or power down (i disabled all of that sleep mode/hibernate BS). so as you can see with my bad luck on PSU's dying (i have had more PSU's die (there was one more PSU that died that i did not mention but that was from the old 2001 computer) than hard drives) i said screw it and went with Seasonic as the last i knew they have the lowest failure rates basically and i am sure with a 5 year warranty they are confident in their products. i just can't believe in 8-9 months that 5 years is already gone, time flies!

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On 17/02/2017 at 6:25 PM, Mockingbird said:

Well, that's just one of the issues.

 

The motherboard (MSI x58 Platinum SLI) is really really buggy.

 

I would change some basic settings in the BIOS and suddenly it wouldn't POST.

 

Basically, it works if I don't touch any settings in the BIOS. If I change any settings, I would have to spend a whole day tweaking it.

 

I can't believe I even put up with this nonsense for this long.

Just a thought but have you ever upgraded the BIOS on it? I have had supposedly buggy boards fixed by a BIOS flash in the past :)

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Still rocking my i7-2600K here too. Running on stock, even though I've got it connected to a Corsair Hydro H70 CPU Cooler. I've never really dabbled in overclocking before, but I'm tempted to give it a go soon as I'm noticing slow downs, however, I'm more inclined to think that I need to upgrade to SSD drives before I overclock as the mechanical HDDs are probably my biggest bottleneck. The trouble is that SSDs just cost so damn much! :angry:

 

Gaming is pretty decent on the i7-2600K, I've got mine paired with a GTX 970 and I'm satisfied with the performance on the games that I play.

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I still have a Gulftown which is even older am I'm still happy. I think they stopped making significant improvements in CPU power years ago. I'm tempted by Ryzen, but even that wouldn't really do much to improve my current setup. This might be the first time in my life that I actually wait for hardware to fail before replacing.

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7 hours ago, Tidosho said:

Just a thought but have you ever upgraded the BIOS on it? I have had supposedly buggy boards fixed by a BIOS flash in the past :)

Yes. Latest BIOS.

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Well ... my desktops 3770K is a "tick "of Sandy Bridge. :)  ...  which I do not have any  plans of replacing at this time.  I will not be jumping to Kaby and I doubt I'll move to Coffee or Cannon.  Maybe Icelake?

Also have a G630T which is Sandy...its usage is really low ... just a media player.  No plans on replacing it ever (until it goes up in smoke).

My notebook has an Arrandale ... though it is running just fine ... it will probably get replaced soon..

 

Speaking of going from Sandy to Kaby ... TechReport recently did an interesting article.  

http://techreport.com/review/31410/a-bridge-too-far-migrating-from-sandy-to-kaby-lake

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11 hours ago, Jim K said:

Speaking of going from Sandy to Kaby ... Techpowerup recently did an interesting article.  

http://techreport.com/review/31410/a-bridge-too-far-migrating-from-sandy-to-kaby-lake

Thanks for the link.  I play a lot of Arma 3 and DayZ so that link has some info totally relevant to my interests.  I've seen other benchmarks that show Arma 3 getting a FPS jump just from going to faster RAM even with the same CPU/GPU (tested on DDR4).  I get playable FPS on DayZ (mid 40s on 4k) but some Arma 3 servers drop me to low 30s or even high 20s depending on how many people are in the server. 

 

I'm just not feeling spending $700+ on going to 4 cores 8 threads to another 4/8 CPU.  If I'm spending that kinda money, I want double the cores and threads I've been running for the past 6 years.  I really want to see how Ryzen holds up IPC wise to an OCed 2600k.  Only a few more days!  Seems like forever...

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