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[MrC]

If this is easy to reproduce, could you see if it lists the faulting module?

I'd really like to get this sorted.

Me too, but...

My PC died this morning after 4 years or so of service.  My guesses are in this order: Motherboard's SATA controller, power supply.  It started out with a disk read problem (my nightly backup disk), which I believe is an SATA controller issue and the disk is fine.  The system now attempts to power-up, fans start, but it clicks off and tries again.  I'm spending a few minutes thinking about how I want to solve this and move on to the next system.  I was hoping to build an Ivy Bridge system...

[glynor]

I was hoping to build an Ivy Bridge system...

You can.

The boards are out now, and they run Sandy Bridge processors fine.  Build a Ivy Bridge system and run it with the cheapest SB CPU you can find until Ivy ships (or just wait, but that might be tough).

[MrC]

You can.

The boards are out now, and they run Sandy Bridge processors fine.  Build a Ivy Bridge system and run it with the cheapest SB CPU you can find until Ivy ships (or just wait, but that might be tough).

Thanks.  I had just finished reading the Anandtech article and then read your post.  That's probably what I'll do.  I don't do this often enough; its always a chore of comparisons, reviews, spreadsheets and then holding my breath.

[JustinChase]

I don't do this often enough; its always a chore of comparisons, reviews, spreadsheets and then holding my breath.

I know just what you mean!    I'm looking at my computer spreadsheet right now, figuring out which parts I can recycle into the new IB machine.

FWIW, I'm going with this mATX board; based initially on a suggestion from Nevcairiel, and then my own review.  I'm taking it over the cheaper alternative due to increased power management capability in this board.

ASUS P8Z77-M PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX with DIGI+VRM, Lucid Virtu MVP, USB BIOS Flashback

About $160 at Newegg

[Hendrik]

The boards are out now, and they run Sandy Bridge processors fine.  Build a Ivy Bridge system and run it with the cheapest SB CPU you can find until Ivy ships (or just wait, but that might be tough).

First Ivys start shipping next week, unless Intel changed their mind.
Not much of a wait.

[glynor]

First Ivys start shipping next week, unless Intel changed their mind.
Not much of a wait.

We'll see what they ship.

I've read it'll be June before most parts ship in volume, and they expect OEMs to eat up initial supplies of many parts.  If all you can get is low-end dual-core parts, then it would probably be better to go with a (cheaper) Sandy Bridge now and wait six months.

[NickF]

Have you checked the BIOS RAM battery?  4 years is about as much as you can expect from one.  Not sure whether that could account for the disc problem.

Nick.

[Hendrik]

I've read it'll be June before most parts ship in volume, and they expect OEMs to eat up initial supplies of many parts.  If all you can get is low-end dual-core parts, then it would probably be better to go with a (cheaper) Sandy Bridge now and wait six months.

Actually, the low-end doesn't ship before "Holiday 2012"
First batch is the i7's and the higher i5's. Not the typical CPUs to be used by OEMs.
They actually want OEMs to use all the remaining SNB stock. Anyway.

I fully expect to get one of them as soon as they launch. Even when supplys aren't all that huge, a dedicated person can usually get one.
I managed to get a GTX 680 pretty easily (could get another one now too), yet i see plenty people complain how its impossible, calling it a paper launch. :p

Where there is a will, there is a way.  

[Matt]

I'm trying to decide if it's worth upgrading from a 2600k.

It's fun to have a toy, but since I don't use the GPU, it's a little hard to justify.

I bet somebody sets the JRMark record with an Ivy.

[Hendrik]

I'm not upgrading my 2600k, i would agree its not worth it.
But i'm finally replacing my old and half-broken-and-patched-back-together HTPC.

[MrC]

Have you checked the BIOS RAM battery?  4 years is about as much as you can expect from one.  Not sure whether that could account for the disc problem.

Thanks.  Yes, its providing 3.25v.  I've torn down the system, tested all outputs on the PSU, and they function correctly under load.  With the PSU connected to the MB and a fan, the MB w/out memory fails to provide even the missing-memory beep.  CMOS clearing has no affect.  The system is old enough now that its not worth spending more time/energy trying to determine if it is the MB or the CPU.

[glynor]

Actually, the low-end doesn't ship before "Holiday 2012"
First batch is the i7's and the higher i5's. Not the typical CPUs to be used by OEMs.
They actually want OEMs to use all the remaining SNB stock. Anyway.

That's what I've read too, but it's all rumors till it hits Newegg.

If they ship in suffiicient volume to avoid price gouging it'll be fine (which will be the case if they're lying about process problems and this is really a stock-clearing delay due to poorer than expected Ultrabook sales over the holidays).

If it is really process/yield issues like the TSMC stuff, then we could see some post-launch supply problems and price spikes.

[glynor]

PS.  And there's one high volume OEM that's been waiting to launch new products that uses all i5s and i7s that is willing and able to suck up large amounts of supply....

We'll see.  Certainly worth waiting till next week, but also good to have a backup plan.

[KingSparta]

I am using a Abacus, it's kind of slow.

[marko]

Quality From KingSparta!!

[glynor]

So, they're launching Ivy today (Monday, 4/23).  Reports are that they intend to deliver "50 percent more units available in the first six months".  However, Electronista notes:

Although Intel has promised to accommodate demand for Ivy Bridge, it may see early constraints. Its processor refresh for 2012 comes almost five months later than for Sandy Bridge in 2011 and has seen multiple manufacturers hold off on major PC revisions, including HP, Lenovo, and Samsung, until they could get the faster components. Apple is believed to be waiting on a slew of desktop and notebook updates and issued a rare second yearly round of MacBook Pro updates last fall to make sure the lineup remained relevant for the several months leading up to Ivy Bridge.

Anandtech and Tech Report don't have their reviews up yet, but I'd expect Anand's (at least) any time now.  Also not showing on Newegg.  But, if you're ready to buy, you might want to go for it quickly, just to be sure.

[glynor]

I'm going to wait for now.

But Ivy is looking good for a HTPC upgrade for me in the next month or two (time to shift that Q9550 elsewhere and finally enable ROHQ for all my media upstairs).

[Hendrik]

If everything goes well, i'll go pick up my i7-3770 after work.
More importantly, i hope the new IVB Ultrabooks from ASUS are coming out soon, too!

Edit:
Just got confirmation its sitting there waiting for me to pick it up, today is HTPC assemble day!  

[glynor]

If everything goes well, i'll go pick up my i7-3770 after work.

Nice!  Have fun with that!

Apparently, the NDA expires at noon today (not sure what time zone).  I'd read previously 4/29 was the date (Fudzilla though, so you have to take that with a whole salt shaker), so I guess either he was wrong or they moved it up.

Still nothing on Newegg...

PS.  What board did you go with?  I'm thinking the ASUS boards look like the best options because they're the only ones who seem capable of designing a EFI BIOS that isn't crap.  Gigabyte has made strides with their EFI implementations this gen, but they're still laggy and have poor fan controls, and the board choices I've seen from them are weird.  If I jump in, that'll be the first ASUS board I've bought since my A8R32-MVP (an AMD socket 939 board, I've been all Gigabyte since then).

[JimH]

Ivy Bridge review:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/pc-upgrades/3352693/intel-ivy-bridge-processors-tested/

[JimH]

Thread on AVSForum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1404371

Not necessarily reliable yet.

[InflatableMouse]

PS.  What board did you go with?  I'm thinking the ASUS boards look like the best options because they're the only ones who seem capable of designing a EFI BIOS that isn't crap.  Gigabyte has made strides with their EFI implementations this gen, but they're still laggy and have poor fan controls, and the board choices I've seen from them are weird.  If I jump in, that'll be the first ASUS board I've bought since my A8R32-MVP (an AMD socket 939 board, I've been all Gigabyte since then).

After my Gigabyte board failed (s775) and 3 troublesome Asus boards to follow, I went with MSI for my i7 (2600k). Seriously, one of the best boards I've ever had in every respect and personally I think the EFI is actually pretty good even though the mouse is still useless lol.

I guess everyone has his own experiences but for me, I used to exclusively get Asus boards until last year that is.

[JimH]

More on Ivy Bridge at TheVerge:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/23/2967686/intel-launches-22nm-ivy-bridge-processors

[glynor]

After my Gigabyte board failed (s775) and 3 troublesome Asus boards to follow, I went with MSI for my i7 (2600k).

I've had a few troublesome Asus boards (including that RD580 board I mentioned above), but most have been okay.  The best boards I've ever owned were my two different ASUS A7N8X boards (one of which is still running today with a Barton chip).

The worst board I ever owned happened to be a MSI.  Wow, that thing was f.l.a.k.e.y.  But things happen.  All of my Gigabyte boards have been solid, but this gen I think I'm going ASUS, unless they rev them again before I jump in.

[glynor]

Anand does now have their reviews up, including one focused on HTPC use which should be an interesting read.

As does TR, which is always a good read.

Still nothing on Newegg.

[Hendrik]

PS.  What board did you go with?  I'm thinking the ASUS boards look like the best options because they're the only ones who seem capable of designing a EFI BIOS that isn't crap.  Gigabyte has made strides with their EFI implementations this gen, but they're still laggy and have poor fan controls, and the board choices I've seen from them are weird.  If I jump in, that'll be the first ASUS board I've bought since my A8R32-MVP (an AMD socket 939 board, I've been all Gigabyte since then).

I got me a ASUS P8Z77-M PRO.
Finished assembling the hardware now, in the process of building a Win7 USB Install stick thingy.

So far, it looks very shiny!

[glynor]

I got me a ASUS P8Z77-M PRO.

That actually looks like one of the best of the bunch.  Why do none of the reasonably priced ATX boards have eSATA on the backplane, ASUS??

Does that board have the Thunderbolt header?  That's one of the biggest reasons I'm likely to go ASUS this round.  Also, how is the clearance around the CPU socket?  I'll need to throw my Noctua cooler on whatever I get, and it can block the DIMM slots on tightly packed motherboards.  Since my HTPC case accepts full-sized ATX (and it might as well, since I'm going to stuff three hard drives and a 11" video card in there), I'll probably go with one of those.

But the ASUS P8Z77-V and the ASUS P8Z77-V PRO don't have eSATA which is annoying.  I can use one of the add-in brackets, I suppose, but that's annoying.  Not as annoying as having to go all the way up to the ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE to get them though.

The Deluxe looks nice though... I just know I won't use most of that stuff.  Hmmmm.... Well, I'm in no hurry.

[InflatableMouse]

The worst board I ever owned happened to be a MSI.  Wow, that thing was f.l.a.k.e.y. 

Hahaha you're just saying that to tick me off

Nah I believe you. They did make some crap in the past which is why I never bought one before.

And I'm sure all the new Asus boards are top notch too, I just had some bad luck with them. They wouldn't overclock 1 bit, were very picky on memory configuration/type (the last one took me actually an entire week to get stable memory configuration) and another one board wouldn't work in AHCI mode, my SSD kept dissapearing and woudn't be detected after a crash until I wiped the first few sectors of it. I had to do that each time. Weird stuff I tell ya. I eventually settled for regular IDE mode on that one.

[Hendrik]

Does that board have the Thunderbolt header?  That's one of the biggest reasons I'm likely to go ASUS this round.  Also, how is the clearance around the CPU socket?  I'll need to throw my Noctua cooler on whatever I get, and it can block the DIMM slots on tightly packed motherboards.

I have an Noctua NH-U12P and it fit just fine with the RAM and all.
This model does not have the Thunderbolt Header, not that i'll miss it.

The P8Z77-V Pro and Delux do, however, if you want fullsized.

[glynor]

Oh yeah...  While it is nowhere near as cool as a new Ivy, I did install my new OCZ Vertex 3 240GB drive in my HTPC yesterday (Sandforce based sync flash SSD).  Fast, and more importantly, silent.

And, now that they've finally straightened out the firmware on the Sandforce controllers, they're worth owning.  Plus, probably somewhat because of the black eye they got from the BSOD stuff, I got a great deal for less than $1/GB, so....  I figured it was worth a shot.  I'm running it with:

1. Vertex as the C (system) drive - most applications are there.
2. WD Black 750GB as the U (users) drive - most of my user-documents are there, along with Program Files directories for some big applications and older games (mostly Adobe CS, which is huge).
3. WD Green 1.5TB as the R (recovery) drive - backs up both of the other drives with Acronis.

The U drive is LOUD.  As soon as spinning disk prices fall a tad more, I'm going to grab a 1TB Spinpoint F3, or maybe a 1TB WD Black if they've come down in price.  I don't really need the capacity, but the higher platter density of the newer drives will perform better, and hopefully they'll be less noisy with fewer platters.

[MrC]

Finished assembling the hardware now, in the process of building a Win7 USB Install stick thingy.

Now this just plain ticks me off.  I'm still waiting for the darned truck.  :-)

[glynor]

The P8Z77-V Pro and Delux do, however, if you want fullsized.

The "vanilla" -V (non-Pro) has it too.

I have some Thunderbolt stuff since I have a Sandy Bridge Macbook Pro, so it'd be convenient to be able to use those devices elsewhere in a pinch.  There's some really slick Thunderbolt stuff coming out now.

For example, I'm getting one of these as soon as it ships (already pre-ordered).

[glynor]

I have two U12P's (one the SE model, one the older "vanilla" one), but neither fit in my Lian-Li HTPC case.  Instead, for the HTPC, I have a NH-C12P (I actually can't remember if it is the SE14 version or not, I'll have to look).

I love it.  It cools great and it is silent, but it is a little tight over the RAM DIMMs.  I'll just have to wait for them to list compatibility on their site, or get out the measuring tape.

EDIT:  Should have checked.  Noctua already has all of those boards listed in their compatibility lists.  Looks fine.

[InflatableMouse]

Is that RAM with heatsinks? If so, remove them and create yourself some more space in that already tight spot. They are BS anyways and some even cause the chips to get hotter than without the heatsinks. Does void warranty though.

[glynor]

Is that RAM with heatsinks? If so, remove them and create yourself some more space in that already tight spot. They are BS anyways and some even cause the chips to get hotter than without the heatsinks. Does void warranty though.

That's what I'd do if I had to, but usually it isn't too hard to find ones that fit with the C12P, as long as the DIMM slots aren't packed right up against the CPU socket.  The bigger problem is always the coolers on the VRMs.  Voiding the warranty on $40 DIMMs is one thing (though I'd prefer not to do that either, as they all have lifetime warranties now), but voiding it on a brand-new $200+ motherboard is another thing entirely.

But, it was really all worry for nothing... The Noctua compatibility guide just has a happy green checkmark for all of the ASUS Z77 boards.  That means the VRMs and socket clearance isn't an issue, which leaves you with just the regular DIMM height requirements, which isn't a huge issue (44mm clearance).

PS.  I do have to remove the cooler (which means pulling the board out entirely) to change the DIMMs though, which is annoying.  But that was the only solution that worked for a HTPC case my wife liked, which I liked too, and which would fit my video cards.  Some of the big-honking Silverstone ones have the clearance for the tower-style coolers, but they're like $300+ and they're huge with LCD screens and other crap I don't want.

The Lian Li is a great case, and the C12P is a great cooler. (BTW: I checked, and I did get the fancy 140mm version.)

[glynor]

Apparently, the NDA expires at noon today (not sure what time zone).  I'd read previously 4/29 was the date (Fudzilla though, so you have to take that with a whole salt shaker), so I guess either he was wrong or they moved it up.

Ahhh... I see.

Today was NDA day, but expected retail (Newegg) availability is 4/29 or later.  Intel just says "this month" (which usually means the last day).

So, if your wallet is on fire, your best bet is probably to have a good shop nearby and see if they have any in stock (ala Nev).  I've read that lots of Microcenters and Fry's have had them in the back room for a week now, but that could be all talk and rumors.

No wide availability on launch day?  Looking like the supply might be tight at first...  

[JimH]

I called Micro Center.  They said they didn't have any and didn't know when they would.

[JimH]

babgvant has a review on his missingremote.com site:

http://www.missingremote.com/review/intel-core-i7-3770k-ivy-bridge-cpu-and-dz77ga-70k-motherboard

[babgvant]

I bet somebody sets the JRMark record with an Ivy.

=== Running Benchmarks (please do not interrupt) ===

Running 'Math' benchmark...
    Single-threaded integer math... 3.525 seconds
    Single-threaded floating point math... 2.348 seconds
    Multi-threaded integer math... 1.119 seconds
    Multi-threaded mixed math... 0.761 seconds
Score: 2451

Running 'Image' benchmark...
    Image creation / destruction... 0.771 seconds
    Flood filling... 0.394 seconds
    Direct copying... 0.619 seconds
    Small renders... 1.147 seconds
    Bilinear rendering... 0.885 seconds
    Bicubic rendering... 0.763 seconds
Score: 4804

Running 'Database' benchmark...
    Create database... 0.396 seconds
    Populate database... 1.392 seconds
    Save database... 0.247 seconds
    Reload database... 0.035 seconds
    Search database... 0.957 seconds
    Sort database... 0.976 seconds
    Group database... 0.628 seconds
Score: 4644

JRMark (version 17.0.133): 3966

[jmone]

I was thinking about just pulling my i7 2600K out of the Shuttle HTPC (needs a BIOS upgrade) for a i7-3770 as I do use the iGPU and was hoping that the new 4000 would give me the option to use multi tap scalers in madVR without dropping frames but...this review indicates it still may stuggle http://www.anandtech.com/show/5773/intels-ivy-bridge-an-htpc-perspective

[Sandy B Ridge]

I was thinking about just pulling my i7 2600K out of the Shuttle HTPC (needs a BIOS upgrade) for a i7-3770 as I do use the iGPU and was hoping that the new 4000 would give me the option to use multi tap scalers in madVR without dropping frames but...this review indicates it still may stuggle http://www.anandtech.com/show/5773/intels-ivy-bridge-an-htpc-perspective

yes, just a bit disappointing.

I'm looking forward to seeing nevcairiel's JRMark with an overclocked i7-3770 and the GTX680!
That has to be one serious speed deamon!

SBR

[jmone]

If you go Ivy are you going to change you NIC?

[Sandy B Ridge]

If you go Ivy are you going to change you NIC?

Unlikely to go for Ivy until I need a second HTPC, by which stage Haswell will probably be the one to go for. I've just upgraded my case to Full height (and full ATX capable!), so next purchase will probably be a passive Kepler card (or one with a quiet fan).

Choice of NIC was a bit dumb in terms of longevity, I do agree! I'll stick with it for posterity - I've grown to kinda like it!

SBR

[Hendrik]

I'm looking forward to seeing nevcairiel's JRMark with an overclocked i7-3770 and the GTX680!

My 3770 is in the HTPC, no GTX680. Also, its the 3770, no "k", so no OC'ing

[babgvant]

I was thinking about just pulling my i7 2600K out of the Shuttle HTPC (needs a BIOS upgrade) for a i7-3770 as I do use the iGPU and was hoping that the new 4000 would give me the option to use multi tap scalers in madVR without dropping frames but...this review indicates it still may stuggle http://www.anandtech.com/show/5773/intels-ivy-bridge-an-htpc-perspective

What settings do you want to use? I've had really good results with anything that I'd actually use as long as FSE is enabled.

[jmone]

I get great results using as long as I use non-tap scalers (eg Mitchell-Netravali) to prevent dropping frames (render queue issues) on 1080/50i/p or 60i material.  I was thinking that the upgrade would let me use tap based scalers as well (but MV looks good to my eyes anyway).

[babgvant]

I get great results using as long as I use non-tap scalers (eg Mitchell-Netravali) to prevent dropping frames (render queue issues) on 1080/50i/p or 60i material.  I was thinking that the upgrade would let me use tap based scalers as well (but MV looks good to my eyes anyway).

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zn7gXhukj8o/T5aiDPrCA8I/AAAAAAAAGoQ/Yb_io4qeN9o/s400/hd4000madvr1080p44FSE.jpg[/img]]https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c9RBuxnmgknPq0iU1S8t1fMdRiUGIz_nlfA0ZRMkejg?feat=directlink

1080p60
Lanczos (4 tap) / Lanczos (4 tap)
FSE mode

[Sandy B Ridge]

I get really confused with such MadVR stats. It reports a frame drop every 7s and yet none are visible or appear in the counter! I guess it is because VideoClock is active. It's a pretty big discrepancy between the media framerate and display framerate. I noticed this in the Anandtech review too. I guess Intel still have some clock tweaking to do!

SBR

[babgvant]

I get really confused with such MadVR stats. It reports a frame drop every 7s and yet none are visible or appear in the counter! I guess it is because VideoClock is active. It's a pretty big discrepancy between the media framerate and display framerate. I noticed this in the Anandtech review too. I guess Intel still have some clock tweaking to do!

SBR

Don't read too much into the screenshot. I took it on a PC monitor (@60Hz) using MPC-HC

The important thing is how many frames were dropped/delayed due to madVR processing.

[bob]

...
For example, I'm getting one of these as soon as it ships (already pre-ordered).

That's a pretty darn cool looking piece of hardware