http://www.semiaccurate.com/2011/01/02/introduction-sandy-bridge/
I'm usually one to copy/paste some images but it's well laid out over in S|A land.

That being said I'm still very confused about the whole thing Too many number and too much booze over the holidays!

I'd look harder, but I'm not planning on buying this stuff (which includes awesome DRM at the chip level) but hopfully it's got good bang for ya buck.

Some things regarding Sandy Bridge, excerpts taken from toms hardware

"overclocking on an Intel platform is drastically different, and the LN2-drinking crowd probably won’t like it very much."

Also which is neat for those who do alot of video encoding/decoding, is a dedicated block of silicon devoted to it. This will crush any other cpu with regards to encoding/decoding period. But for me personally this option is meh.

Also which I think is a$$ backwards is the fact that intel puts the best onboard graphics option in desktop versions where one can and in most cases would have its own video card - which leaves the lower end graphics for laptops where people would like more horsepower.

"It’s the value-oriented buyers with processor budgets between $100 and $150 (where AMD offers some of its best deals) who get screwed. The only two Sandy Bridge-based options under $175 are the Core i3-2100 and -2120 at 3.1 and 3.3 GHz, respectively. No Turbo, no BCLK option, no limited unlock—those chips are quite literally stuck. "

at any rate to get the rundown, check out the conclusion section of the review.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/san ... 33-22.html

I am really looking hard at the i5 2500K. Looks like the sweet spot. And beats out the i7 980 in most benchies.

Well, let me know how it goes . New CPU mobo and rammary quickly add up!

ya I know Steve. But I have been sitting on my E8400 for quite a while now. I don't have any other choices for the 775 socket. either way I need to get a new mobo cpu ram combo. I am not going to get a quad for this thing. that would just be a lateral upgrade. I could probably hold off for a bit longer I guess. Hopefully AMD will have Bulldozer out soon. I just have a strong feeling that bulldozer isn't going to be that great against intel's new offering.

Ern that point of view is true to a point unless all aspects are taken into acct. Be mindful of the upgrade itch !

head to head yes its more than likely better but will you tax that retardedly expensive cpu on anything you do at home? not likely , so why pay all that molah for something you won't actually 'use'. For most its bragging rights and when it comes to that small male appedage point of view - those can have it. I agree that the cpu you selected would be the middle ground and a very good choice if you go intel.

I think bulldozer will offer very competative performance for alot less of your hard 'Ern'ed cash. I am not expecting, like you, a wicked setup from AMD that will beat out Intel from a strictly performance based point of view.

What I do see happening is an offerring that gives consumers a very good solid performer that doesnt break the bank and in some instances may go neck n' neck in some games for 1/3 the cost. If this is true, count me in.

Ern encodes and decodes Pir^H^H^H legally purchased videos like it's going out of style!

Well, the i5 2500K is priced pretty good. And the ability to OC to almost 5 ghz on air alone. Man, you can't beat the price and performance. dollar for dollar that is a very good. I think I could get 3-4 years out of that before my next upgrade path. My E8400 has lasted over 3 years. Thats pretty good service in my opinion. Intel hasn't let me down. But when will we see this Bulldozer??? Q2 maybe Q3-4.

I'm not seeing any at retail yet. It would most likely be the 2600K for me, I needs the HT for F@H.

AMD is going to be a LONG time coming by the looks of things.

My question is also. will the 5850 I have bottleneck with the i5 2500K?

All depends at what rez yer playin' at, and how many gee-wiz effects you like to drool to.

Steve,

I play at 1650x1050. Since its the best my monitor will do. But am looking to get a 22 incher to do 1080P. abit later like in 3 months or bit. I try to play settings at max. But sometimes I have to turn some things down a notch and turn shadows off in some games (BlackOps) whats your take on this man. I need some insight bigtime before I take the upgrade plunge.

I'd have to say anything quad-core and faster MHz would help ya out. your 5850 should be fine at 16x10.

I play eyefinity so everything is a bottleneck (including my own neck hah).

Thanks Steve,

I read something by a poster at Tom's saying that I wouldn't see any performance gain because the 5850 would bottle neck a CPU upgrade. I thought this was untrue but needed some insight.