RAM hits $5 a Gigabyte!

Checking out the prices, I noticed two brands that have just hit below the $5 per Gigabyte price range.  Here I have the specs for two of them with differences highlighted in yellow:

• Kingston HyperX Genesis 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 DIMMs, w/XMP (KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX)
• G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600MHz (PC3-12800) 16GB (4x4GB) Quad Channel Kit (F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL)

www.knowbytes.com knowbyte on YouTube knowbytes on BlogSpot	Kingston HyperX	G.SKILL Ripjaws X
System	Desktop	Desktop
System Type	DDR 3 CL9	DDR 3 CL9
MB Chipset	P67, Z68, LGA 2011, AM3, AM3+	P67, Z68, LGA 2011, AM3, AM3+
CAS Latency	9 9 9 27	9 9 9 24 2N
Capacity	16GB (4GB x 4)	16GB (4GB x 4)
Speed	1600 MHz (PC3 12800)	1600 MHz (PC3 12800)
Test Voltage	1.5 Volts	1.5 Volts
Height	30 mm / 1.18 inch	40 mm / 1.58 inch
Registered/Unbuffered	Unbuffered	Unbuffered
Error Checking	Non-ECC	Non-ECC
Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime
Features	Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) Certified	Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) Certified

Intel Core i7 3820 versus AMD FX 8150

The Intel i7 3820 has not been released as of the writing of this article. It is due out in the first quarter of 2012. (With that in mind, there are some pretty intelligent guesses in this article regarding some of its features based on other processors in this line, as well as historical trends. Wherever you see numbers or specifications in Italics, you can be rest assured, that they are intelligent guesses.) Running on the X79 chip-set (SB-E architecture), this is the least impressive of the three musketeers (i7 3960X, i7 3930K being the other two) that were announced together.

The Intel Core i7 3820 Processor is NOT extreme, and is NOT unlocked for overclocking. Depending on the pricing that Intel's marketing department decides on, the AMD FX 8150 may end up facing a price/performance challenge with this one.

The AMD FX 8150 is a beast of a processor in more ways than one, and it IS unlocked for overclocking and if you can call having 8 cores extreme, then it is also an extreme processor. The FX 8150 is AMD's flagship desktop processor, and can definitely go head to head with, and beat the i7 3820 in many ways. First of all we are going to look at the basics:

www.knowbytes.com knowbyte on YouTube knowbytes on BlogSpot	i7 3820	AMD FX 8150
Launched	First quarter 2012	October 12, 2011
Speed	3600 MHz	3600 MHz
Cores	4	8
Price (week of Dec. 10, 2011)	US $300*	US $240

*Because the processor has not been released yet, I am speculating based on Intel's pricing history with similar lines of processors. Based on that history, I figure that Intel would price it half as much as they want to sell the next one up, which is the i7 3830K.

The i7 3820 is due out in the first quarter of 2012, several months afterthe FX 8150. There clock speeds are exactly the same, so there is nocontest there.

The price, on the other hand, may end up giving AMD...

Intel Core i7 3930K versus AMD FX 8150

The Intel i7 3930K runs on the X79 chip-set (SB-E architecture, where the E might stand for expectations not fully met yet , and the K at the end of the processor model, stands for overclock-able or unlocked for overclocking). Recently released into the market on the footsteps of the X58 chip-set processors like the i7 970, it is Intel's younger sibling to the flagship Extreme Edition desktop processor i7 3960X.

The Intel Core i7-3930K Processor is a powerful "unlocked for overclocking" desktop processor, though, like the i7 3960X it has some simply unexpected minuses. 
The AMD FX 8150 also packs power, but in other ways, and is also unlocked for overclocking without showing off with an extra K at the end of the model number. The FX 8150 is AMD's flagship desktop processor, and can go head to head with, and even beat the i7 3930K when it comes to comparing specifications, and price versus performance value. First of all we are going to look at the basics:

www.knowbytes.com knowbyte on YouTube knowbytes on BlogSpot	i7 3930K	AMD FX 8150
Launched	November 14, 2011	October 12, 2011
Speed	3200 MHz	3600 MHz
Cores	6	8
Price (week of Dec. 10, 2011)	US $600	US $240

The i7 3930K was released over a month after the FX 8150 so the speed difference of a paltry approximately 12.5%, with the FX 8150 being 400 Mega Hertz faster than the i7 3930K, is not much of a deal. Unless one thinks in a traditional manner...