New i7 build, 2011 socket worth the extra money?

[Jonny Wright]

The time has come for a new build, i7 based. Is the 2011 socket worth the extra money I will need to fork out?

Thank you please

[Vice]

What kind of tasks do you use your computer for?

As I said in another thread on this exact subject yesterday, if you need 6 Cores or 32GB of more of memory* (or more!) then go LGA 2011. If you don't save some money and go with 1155 and put the extra in other parts like larger capacity SSD's or faster graphics.

* I am aware that 1155 can run with 32GB of memory (4x 8GB Sticks) but it's cheaper to use 8 x 4GB on LGA 2011 and the memory is rated faster.

[Jonny Wright]

Admittedly, I don't need a "super-power" PC but I am a sucker for having the best. I do a bit of video editing but purely as a hobby, nothing serious. Mainly photo editing and web-dev. Think I need to go with my head instead of my heart on this one. Cheers, think I just needed someone to try and talk sense into me!

Since you mention SSDs, Intel 520 series a good choice?

[Vice]

There are a few benefits to going 1155 if you were looking for some. For starters LGA 2011 chips are 130 Watts across the board. The current 3770K (The fastest 1155 chip) is only 77 Watts. That means it runs cooler and uses less power which means you get a quieter computer in general.

Also 1155 has Thunderbolt. Which may not be something you're interested in right now due to lack of Thunderbolt equipped devices but I feel it's something worth mentioning and it is a feature LGA 2011 lacks completely due to Intels specifications requiring an on board GPU for certification. And of course you have the switchable graphics capability of 1155 being able to switch seamlessly from the Intel integrated graphics when running normal applications to your dedicated card when you fire up a game. This also has the added benefit of having Intel Quick Sync Video which is Intels video encoding part of the HD 4000 GPU that is included in the new Ivy Bridge chips. This can encode video even faster than a GTX 680!

I hope these positives will help you make your 1155 system choice easier as you really can build a high end 1155 system and get quite a few exclusive features that simply aren't available on LGA 2011. And keep this in mind, core for core 1155 and 2011 have identical performance. The only performance benefit 2011 has over 1155 is the 6 Core processors which obviously offer two extra cores over all the 1155 processors.

I personally have an LGA 2011 rig and I love it but I totally wish I had Thunderbolt and some of the other features I listed above.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

it seems like you'll want to stick w/ the 1155 socket. 2011 CPU's are amazing, but for your needs, save some money and electricity.

also, the Intel SSDs are great, but i feel their latest iterations are a bit lacking. you might look elsewhere. there are a myriad of great ones out there.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

My core i7 extreme rig is a bit dated so I can't advise too much on current sockets. I can tell you that I've built several systems with SSD's and I've found Corsair to be the absolute best.

[Jonny Wright]

Cheers for all the responses. I also need some more "real" storage. Since my first large drive (1TB) I have always had the Samsung Spinpoints, purely for the price, but always seem to have issues with them. I haven't yet lost any data from them but often seem to get the "Windows Disk Check" or whatever it is on startup which always worries me so want to go elsewhere, probably WD or Seagate, not sure yet. Then I think its just PSU and a case to decide on! Have a Corsair PSU at the moment which has done me well but have heard good things about the Silverstones, anyone have an opinion on them? Similarly with the case, I'm coming from an Antec P182 which, again, has done me very well but really like the Silverstone TJ07. Too many decisions to make!

Thanks again for the responses. I much prefer coming here (Neowin) when building a new machine for advice on parts as opposed to looking at generic reviews on other sites as you get more real life experiences from places like this and I feel I can trust members recommendations.