Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Ping on January 01, 2011, 07:35:25 AM
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Is there a reason I should not go with a temp I3 on a MB
versus an I5.
AND, is there a difference in Aces High using a Dual Core versus Quad Core?
My thoughts are to go with a GA-P55-USB3 board
and upgrade to an I7 later in the summer.
Skuzzy has stated that the onboard vid is bad, my question is How bad :)
That too and I would love to max out vid card in the summer when I am working again.
In which case I would go with an H55 chipset board.
I want a new system up and running for Feb 12 and gotta keep it on
the, "dont want the wife ack to get me" :pray
Any suggestions appreciated, unless I dont like them in which case I
will argue with you :lol
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I would say get the board that will take what ever you throw at it... boards are usually not the budget buster,and are pretty flexible.
I think skuzzy does not want you to get the integrated video on board because then Your CPU will be doing ALL the work including the video workload.
But you can always add a video card when your working again. using the integrated video while playing games can cause hickups slight lag,screen freezes and whatnot
simply because the cpu can get a little much on it's plate, even if its an I7. now dont get me wrong it can handle it, but sharing the workload by giving the graphics its own gpu really helps your game play and reduces wear and tear on your rig.
All and All listen to skuzzy, I just say get the board that will take whatever you want to add to it, but still play NOW until you can fork out for the EXTRAS you would like to get this summer.
That said, I don't see what harm getting the integrated video would do, you can still add a video card...
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On board video is VERY bad. Unless you are doing word processing stay away. You can get very good video cards for under $100, if budget is important, that far surpass the abilites on anuy onboard video.
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IIRC the I3/I5 use a different slot than the I7 so you're going to have to go one way or the other. The I3 is basically the new Celeron CPU. The I5 should be able to run the game just fine down the road so I3 as a temp solution with an upgrade to the I5 later shouldn't be a bad idea.
According to Skuzzy AH doesn't use more than 2 cores. Most games don't so a quad core is overkill if AH is your primary reason for upgrading.
An I3 with on-board graphics won't be much of a system so don't get your hopes up. I'm guessing minimum graphics settings with low res textures and some sliders moved up a little but that's just a guess. The payoff will come when you can stick in an I5 with a dedicated graphics card.
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Thanks for the replies and also HAPPY NEW YEAR :banana:
The board I mentioned supports I3 thru I7-880.
Sounds like I will have to go with at least a Cheap Vid card for now and
stick with the P55 chipset.
TD in another thread mentioned Never an I3, is there anything I am missing?
Thanks again.
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Intel has a new CPU and socket coming out on January 5th. More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)
Even the lowest-end one that's coming out in the next week would be very good for AH. But even if you want to spend less than that, it would be wise to wait for the "Sandy Bridge" cpus to come out, as it will knock down the prices on everything else currently being sold.
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Boiler, I believe that will use the same high-end socket LGA 1366 that is in use now with i7 processors. New architecture, maybe. New socket? Not from what I've heard.
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Ping, I'd wait and just spend your money on a decent i7 processor. Why spend 1 & 1/2 the money when you can simply remain patient and get a better deal?
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Denholm, I would if I could.
I am slated to participate in the Battle Over Germany Scenario and my current
system, P4 2.6GHz with a BFG 7600 agp just wont cut it.
I can wait till the the 1st of february but after that I need to get a new system
up and running.
Boiler and Krusty, thanks for that info, I will hold off as long as I can and maybe spring for a
1366 board and work from there.
My Brain Hurts now.
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Boiler, I believe that will use the same high-end socket LGA 1366 that is in use now with i7 processors. New architecture, maybe. New socket? Not from what I've heard.
You've heard incorrectly then. Sandy Bridge will use a completely new and not-backwards-compatible socket in both the high end (LGA 2011 and/or LGA 1356) and mainstream editions (LGA 1155). From what I can tell initially it will be all LGA 1155.
I guess Intel might later on release Sandy Bridge CPUs for older sockets, but if so its not on the roadmap for the upcoming year. And I personally feel they won't do that, in order to force a motherboard upgrade cycle, which is useful (to Intel) for preventing their new technology CPUs from being crippled by old technology motherboards.
More info: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3922/intels-sandy-bridge-architecture-exposed
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Boiler, that article makes sense.... I shop at www.canadacomputers.com
and they have a listing for LGA1155 Motherboards, yet there are no
products listed. :noid
Damn you Intel...Damn you to Heck :mad:
That said I still need a decent comp to run BOG
I as well as any system i build wil be obsolete :lol
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Boiler, that article makes sense.... I shop at www.canadacomputers.com and they have a listing for LGA1155 Motherboards, yet there are no products listed. :noid
Well you Canadians are in luck, some Fry's locations already have the new CPU, looks like one per store. Also someone mentioned Canada Computers. I've been reading here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1572446&page=3
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There's always going to be a "best new thing" coming. If you're always waiting for it you'll never upgrade anything. When I built my machine the E8400 had just been released but no one had them in stock as the initial run had sold out in days. I just went ahead with an E6750 rather than waiting and I'm still running it happily (you can see my system specs in the AH gaming rig thread in this forum).
I'd go ahead as though the next big thing wasn't looming on the horizon. That said, if you want to wait for the newer CPU's you could get an E8400, LGA775 motherboard and a decent video card for about $300-400, reuse all your other stuff and be good for another couple of years until the next big thing after the next big thing is out.
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Things to remember ... the "Sandy Bridge" releases slated for Jan 5 are Core i5-2500/2500K, i7-2600/2600K with the 'K' versions being more readily suited to overclocking than their un-'K' counterparts. These are direct replacements for the current Core i5-750/760 and Core i7-860/870. That is ALL that is being released at this time. If those are not your target CPU's, then you have a much longer wait for anything else. And we are talking 200-300 dollar CPU's here.
The decision of course is motherboards, as the "Sandy Bridge" 1155 sockets will not be compatible with current 1156 socket boards and chips. Since price seems to be a factor for you, I would suggest that you are good for a few years yet with the 1156 socket boards and prices will only come down for both the boards and the CPU's. That becomes the best reason to wait another week or so as current 1156 tech parts will likely see a price drop.
Is there a reason I should not go with a temp I3 on a MB
versus an I5.
No reason at all for Aces High, browsing, mail, HTPC etc. In fact the cheaper the better. A squaddie recently ordered the Core i3-540 (3.06 GHz) and it flat out kills his older 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo. I would suggest that even the Core i3 530 @ 2.8 GHz would be fine.
AND, is there a difference in Aces High using a Dual Core versus Quad Core?
For Aces High and most other general tasks, little to none. The Core i3's are fast out of the box and will overclock like crazy. (with a good replacement cooler). I could be corrected, but I highly doubt Aces High will make full use of 4 cores in the first place and so ultimately you are better off with less cores that are higher clocked.
Skuzzy has stated that the onboard vid is bad, my question is How bad :)
This will be one (of many) of the benefits from Sandy Bridge. The reviews I have read state that there is a huge improvement in on-board graphics that will effectively eliminate the need for $100 or less cards. Is that enough to play Aces High really well? I'm not sure, but I'm skeptical. Hands on I guess, will be the true test ...
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That is ALL that is being released at this time. If those are not your target CPU's, then you have a much longer wait for anything else. And we are talking 200-300 dollar CPU's here.
I read those articles some time ago, and another today suggests there may be additional i5 quad core variants, 2300/2400, that may be just under the 200 dollar mark. The i3 replacements seem to be slated for February, with others to follow. A few more days and we'll know for sure.
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An NDA must have expired at midnight, because there is now a whole bunch of Sandy Bridge CPU reviews that just hit the internet:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1574006
I read the Anandtech review, it looks like this CPU is a real winner:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i5-2600k-i5-2500k-and-core-i3-2100-tested
Now we just have to wait to see how much they are actually going to cost in the short run, because I imagine the demand will be very high. But I also suspect Intel will have a very hard release with lots of product, so its possible there won't be all that much price gouging. I may just upgrade myself way sooner than I anticipated just a few days ago :) .
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Now we just have to wait to see how much they are actually going to cost in the short run, because I imagine the demand will be very high.
I read in detail the Anandtech review and with the game results page you get:
"There's simply no better gaming CPU on the market today than Sandy Bridge. The Core i5 2500K and 2600K top the charts regardless of game. If you're building a new gaming box, you'll want a SNB in it."
I definitely envision people lining up for these. The new "go to" chip for me at least could well be the 2500K. A lot of articles claim a "just north of 200 dollar" price tag, but others state that this is reseller prices for 1000 unit lots. Gonna have to see where actual retail prices settle down at.
A little disappointed with the locked Core i3's, though.
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I've started picking up my new build. The 1155 will have to wait a few years for me though.
I have the I3 550 in my hands as well as Sapphire HD5770 Flex for video card.
They were out of the Mainboard I was after so I am going back at the end
of the week to pick it up.
Hope to have it up and running in a weeks time. :pray
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I've started picking up my new build. The 1155 will have to wait a few years for me though.
I have the I3 550 in my hands as well as Sapphire HD5770 Flex for video card.
They were out of the Mainboard I was after so I am going back at the end
of the week to pick it up.
Hope to have it up and running in a weeks time. :pray
You will be very happy with that CPU.
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I just pulled the trigger on:
CPU INTEL|CORE I7 2600K 3.4G 8M R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070)
MEM 2Gx2|MUSHKIN 996805 R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226120)
ASUS P8P67 EVO Intel P67 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.excaliberpc.com/602169/asus-p8p67-evo-intel-p67.html)
This should be fun!
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Anandtech is blowing smoke with that comment.
If you overclock the hell out of it, it will maybe beat a stock i7 980x in some benchmarks... but that 980x is much more able to overclock and has more cores, none of which are tied up being graphics processors or the like.
Reading a sampling of the reviews there, I think anandtech was smoking something illegal in most states when they typed that.
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Anandtech is blowing smoke with that comment.
If you overclock the hell out of it, it will maybe beat a stock i7 980x in some benchmarks... but that 980x is much more able to overclock and has more cores, none of which are tied up being graphics processors or the like.
Reading a sampling of the reviews there, I think anandtech was smoking something illegal in most states when they typed that.
So you mean that a 300 dollar component staying almost on par with 1000 dollar one is not worth recommending? Ok :)
Sandy bridge includes hardware level DRM implemented on die by the way. Good luck with the future.
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Sandy bridge includes hardware level DRM implemented on die by the way. Good luck with the future.
some reference material for ya reply Ripley......not that you need it...... this is for other people
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/91992/a-discussion-with-russell-mcormond-on-hollywoods-new-intel-chip/
http://www.digital-copyright.ca/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20026937-64.html
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9202961/Intel_s_upcoming_Core_chips_to_secure_streaming_movies?taxonomyId=142
hope this helps
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Can I get a sanity check on this system? It's basically the same as the one I posted in the other thread, but I swapped in a sandy bridge cpu and motherboard, and selected slightly cheaper RAM. Apparently the drive isn't as fast (interface) as could be, so if there's another one I could get for minimal upcharge, I'd love a recommendation.
It totals out to $873 right now. (I was going to buy a Saitek x65, but since I was able to repair some old SunCom and ThrustMaster gear, I've have a little more budget to work with).
Thanks!
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$19.99
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146061
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$49.99
$39.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136161
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$44.99
GIGABYTE GV-R577UD-1GD Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814125309
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$149.99
$139.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...
Item #: N82E16817139005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$119.99
$89.99
Mushkin Enhanced Redline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996805
Item #: N82E16820226120
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$84.99
ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131682
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$189.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Item #: N82E16819115072
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$224.99
APEVIA CF12S-BK 120mm Case Fan
Item #: N82E16835228010
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$7.98
($3.99 each)
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103065
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$29.99
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I found a hard drive that's 6gb/s or whatever, only $5 more:
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
With shipping and EOM win7 home premium, I'm at exactly $1k. Anybody see anything dumb up there?
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I found a hard drive that's 6gb/s or whatever, only $5 more:
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
With shipping and EOM win7 home premium, I'm at exactly $1k. Anybody see anything dumb up there?
Did you pick the same memory I did on your own or because I did? I only picked it because it was on Asus' compatibility list and looked like it had good timings, but I didn't do a lot of research. I noticed after my order a lot of people were picking various G.Skill memories for their builds on other forums. I really have no plans to overclock my memory, maybe they do, I dunno.
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I was going to use the same memory from my previous build draft, but I noticed yours was about $10 cheaper, and it seemed like it had decent timing stats. But seriously... don't take my word for anything related to hardware, overclocking, memory, power supplies, hard drives, optical drives... well you get the idea :)
I'm thinking I won't even try to overclock the CPU (let alone memory; I didn't even realize you COULD overclock memory until this week) unless and until AH starts running a little slower than I want. It seems like from various posts that my build up there should be more than fine for AH until version 3.x makes all current PCs obsolete. (no, I don't know anything about 3.0, I just know that whenever it comes, it will use more resources than 2.x does).
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I was going to use the same memory from my previous build draft, but I noticed yours was about $10 cheaper, and it seemed like it had decent timing stats. But seriously... don't take my word for anything related to hardware, overclocking, memory, power supplies, hard drives, optical drives... well you get the idea :)
I'm thinking I won't even try to overclock the CPU (let alone memory; I didn't even realize you COULD overclock memory until this week) unless and until AH starts running a little slower than I want. It seems like from various posts that my build up there should be more than fine for AH until version 3.x makes all current PCs obsolete. (no, I don't know anything about 3.0, I just know that whenever it comes, it will use more resources than 2.x does).
Basic Sandy bridges can't even be overclocked. They're multiplier locked and lack the ability to adjust fsb like old cpu's did. The exception to the rule are K-marked parts which are multiplier unlocked and those are very simple to overclock - you can do it straight from windows desktop.
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Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Item #: N82E16819115072
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$224.99
I'm thinking I won't even try to overclock the CPU (let alone memory; I didn't even realize you COULD overclock memory until this week) unless and until AH starts running a little slower than I want.
Basic Sandy bridges can't even be overclocked. They're multiplier locked and lack the ability to adjust fsb like old cpu's did. The exception to the rule are K-marked parts which are multiplier unlocked and those are very simple to overclock - you can do it straight from windows desktop.
He's right, if know you won't overclock you could save some money and get the non-K version instead of the 2500K that you listed. Or even a 2400 while you're at it. Also you could get an H67 instead of a P67 motherboard and save money there as well. If you think you might overclock then your plans look fine, if you get the cheaper versions the possibility to overclock is cut off from you.
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Ok, thanks. I thought I might end up overclocking in a year or two, so I wanted that option.
Well, here goes nothing...
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My system is now up and running.
Warty I am using the Sapphire Radeon 5770 flex And I am
amazed. I am getting steady 59 -60 fps online. Everything pretty much maxed out.
I3 550 on a GA-P55 USB3
4GB G-Skill Ripjaw
And an old old sata HDrive, that needs replacing, in the future.
Tucked into a new Thermaltake V3 Black Windowed case.
Not the best by far but finding it fantastic for AH.
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AH uses one core i thought :old:
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AH uses one core i thought :old:
AH is a multi-thread Game, can use 2 cores........ but this is only on Intel Chips
us AMD users are stuck with just being able to use 1 core, by way of a workaround provided by AMD, according to Skuzzy's reply to my question in another thread.
without the workaround most of use with dual or quadcore CPU's would be experiencing all sorts of BAD THINGS....... before this workaround, us AMD users did have to use the AMD Optimizer patch file if we had a dual core CPU....... or manually go in and disable/turn off a core while playing aces high??? <-- I think I got this last part right ( going on memory )
hope this helps
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I just pulled the trigger on:
CPU INTEL|CORE I7 2600K 3.4G 8M R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070)
MEM 2Gx2|MUSHKIN 996805 R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226120)
ASUS P8P67 EVO Intel P67 LGA 1155 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.excaliberpc.com/602169/asus-p8p67-evo-intel-p67.html)
This should be fun!
Everything has shipped, CPU and memory should arrive tomorrow, motherboard on Friday, in time for the long weekend :)
/excited
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<montypython>You Lucky Bastard!</montypython>
I think mine's going to get here just AFTER the long weekend. Doh!
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Im waiting until Koolance has the cooling apparatus for the EVGA 1155 motherboards out.
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So you mean that a 300 dollar component staying almost on par with 1000 dollar one is not worth recommending? Ok :)
Sandy bridge includes hardware level DRM implemented on die by the way. Good luck with the future.
No, I meant their claim that it's the best gaming CPU ever is bogus. Dont' get me wrong it looks great. "Best"? No. There's still a reigning king with the 980 extreme.
"Good"? Yes, definitely.
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No, I meant their claim that it's the best gaming CPU ever is bogus.
How so?
There was only one game result where the 980X was able to outdo the SB chips but that really isn't the point. The 980X isn't really a gaming CPU and I would guess that less than 1% of the marketplace would pay $1000 for this CPU solely for gaming. That the 980X is able to do so very well is not in dispute.
But for the rest of us ... these SB chips now hold the best gaming CPU value going, because the rest of us aren't paying $1000 to get arguably, marginally, need a lab instrument too measure ... top dog bragging rights.
Tom's Hardware has a "Past the point of reason" section in their best gaming CPU (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpu-overclocking-phenom-ii-x4,2826-5.html) charts where they state "With rapidly-increasing prices over $200 offering increasingly difficult to quantify advantages in games" ... certainly the 950 and 980X tops that list they provide and no-one disputes it's the fastest CPU. Is it the best gaming CPU? Not for my money but you may certainly spend yours as you see fit.
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Check out the long list of other reviews. They even get into overclocking. They show the new i5 can outperform the 980x (in gaming) but only when overclocked and with the 980x at stock speeds. I don't know if it was a methodology issue, but most of the other reviews show the 980x still ruler and champ. In fact, all that I browsed through did.
Here was the list posted earlier in the thread:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1574006
Anandtech seems very generous in their praise.
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While $1000 seems like a lot of coin to toss at a gaming computer you have to ask how long that CPU will remain in your system. I tend to upgrade every three to nine months with nine months being very unusual. The reason I upgrade so often is based upon the market more often than any appreciable need on my part. So if I bought something like a 980x purely for gaming I could certainly hold off from upgrading for at least eighteen months and yes it would save money in the end. The point being I dont think you can use the price as a basis of comparison.
I would bet if the DRM aspect of Sandy Bridge gets to be a problem that someone will find a fix for it.
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If you buy a 980X, could you buy me 5 hours in a Cessna? They only cost the same amount. :D
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No, I meant their claim that it's the best gaming CPU ever is bogus. Dont' get me wrong it looks great. "Best"? No. There's still a reigning king with the 980 extreme.
"Good"? Yes, definitely.
Well it all depends on the point of view. The SB definately gives more bang for buck compared to the 980 and is obtainable by mainstream consumers where 980 whistles past the price point.
So while not the fastest all things considered it might be pretty close to best. Just hate the hardware drm - this is the first step of locking consumers 100% out of their own hardware. If this trend continues the PC is going to be nothing but a console enslaved by content providers.
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Vista's BS was 90% DRM related. Hollywood and the RIAA had it checking and rechecking the local hardware bus several times sending the same info to the GPU from the CPU, etc. They are so freaking paranoid that every American in the world is pirating their DVDs and MP3s. 90% of it comes from Southeast Asia. Not us.
Stop selling movies to Hong Kong and the like, problem solved! (and stop frakking with us, you dimwitted RIAA toads: Microsoft, Intel! You're better than that!)
EDIT: I miss the good old days when stuff was designed to work, and you used it for whatever you needed, rather than having hardware/software developers "consult" with the RIAA as to how it should work. RIAA doesn't know what the Hades is going on in the world these days anyway, how the Frell should they know how to run MY computer system?
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Luckily if all else fails, linux is going to bypass every drm anyway. Although probably at the cost of not being able to use the services tied to it then.
No DRM ever is going to stop pirating, any device that's going to produce humanly understandable output can be analogically copied in the end if all else fails.
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Stop selling movies to Hong Kong and the like, problem solved! (and stop frakking with us, you dimwitted RIAA toads: Microsoft, Intel! You're better than that!)
Im pretty sure the problem is that they send movies to China for mass production of DVDs.
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Well, "Heeeeeere's yer sign!" to the RIAA... Like I said they have no clue and yet still want to dictate how the rest of the world should work.
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Check out the long list of other reviews. They even get into overclocking. They show the new i5 can outperform the 980x (in gaming) but only when overclocked and with the 980x at stock speeds. I don't know if it was a methodology issue, but most of the other reviews show the 980x still ruler and champ. In fact, all that I browsed through did.
Here was the list posted earlier in the thread:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1574006
Anandtech seems very generous in their praise.
I looked at five of them and Anandtech isn't giving any more praise than the others. Only Tom's Hardware that I read was semi-reserved with praise and even Tom's gave it an award, supposedly only the second CPU award they've given in 2.5 years. His main complaint was the lack of overclocking... which is strange because its very easy to overclock, just not in the way people have been used to of late. It also doesn't respond as well to the little OC "tricks" like over-volting and extreme cooling. IMO this isn't a legit knock on this CPU. Only the 0.01% of the market that are overclocking hobbiests care about this, yet Tom's is reacting like most of his readership thinks this is a major concern. Yet still gave it an award.
The consensus of all the reviews I read seems to be: Unless you have the absolute top-of-the-line Intel CPU, the Sandy Bridge is an upgrade... although maybe not worth the money to upgrade unless you're running something over one year old (or are a hobbiest with plenty of money). And the fact that it is a small fraction of the price of the previous high-end CPUs is icing on the cake (or a reason to kick yourself if you just paid big money for the old CPUs).
No one should buy anything other than a Sandy Bridge CPU now, unless you have a definite need for 6 CPUs / 12 threads, which applies to hardly anyone, or you are still constrained to the low end enough to not need one of the i5 Sandy Bridge CPUs, which would apply to many more people, but not anyone planning a computer for Aces High.