P8Z77-V or P9X79... new vs old?

The socket 2011 platform is designed for high workload systems, The socket 2011 processors such a 3930k have 40 PCI-E 2.0 lanes which give you a larger amount of bandwidth with multiple video cards compared to only 16 PCI-E 3.0 (would be equal to 32 PCI-E 2.0 ) lanes on the 3770k. Another important factor in heavy workload environments compared to something like gaming is the amount of memory bandwidth the processor can handle, the 3770k can only handle up to 25.6GB/s when the 3930k can handle up to 51.2GB/s and this is because of the quad channel memory that goes along with socket 2011 systems. The two platforms were designed to appeal to different types of users. The 1155 socket can go from basic to a nice high end setup within a decent budget. The 2011 platform almost starts around the same price range and performance as the 1155 high end setups but can go even further. Your 3930k would decimate a 3770k all around with double memory bandwidth and a additional 2 cores.

Thunderbolt technology is a different story, that tech relies on integrated video as well as PCI-E bandwidth to work which is why it really isn't included with socket 2011 setups (since Sandybridge-EP does not have integrated video)

This isn't the first time Intel has done it this way, Intel first released the i7 on socket 1366 which was all high end tech and then released socket 1156 for basic to moderately high.

Good luck making your choice! I'd shoot for Socket 2011 any day if I had the cash for it  

Ah nice, a very detailed and full explanation. Thank you  

I think I let me belief that anything "new" that comes out... must be better. But evidently that's not always the case. Knowing that the future of Ivy bridge-E CPU's will work on 2011 chipsets is also a big selling point too.

It's a shame about the Thunderbolt not really being available on any 2011 boards. It's something I think I could have made use of. Looks like I will go with the P9X79 Deluxe, with reservation that I will probably upgrade within a year or two.

Thanks for sharing your insight, much appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

I've been researching mobo for an upgrade to Win 7 o/s which , I know, is kind of behind times with the Win 8 o/s. But I'm always a few yrs behind anyway. I like to stick with Asus since I've had problems with other mobos. Right now I'm pretty well decided on the Asus P8Z77-V-PRO which seems to be a favored mobo as far as many site reviews go. There are always draw-backs no matter which mobo one chooses, but this one has a lot going for it. Of course, it also depends on the Cpu and there again I like to stick with Intel. I believe it is a good choice for the Intel i7 3770k which I will put in. But that's only my personal opinion and I suppose other combinations would also work nicely. I just like a fast response when I decide to talk and work. I get frustrated with waiting. Then again my problem at this time is to choose the right memory stick to work with it. If I were in your shoes, I would probably favor the p8z77-v which does have a limit of 32GB ram but it appears at this point to have a proven track record. As for the P9X79, I cannot tell you very much about it. However 64Gb or ram is pretty high end if you are only using the system for your personal enjoyment. I currently run movies off my old system and it only has 4Gb of ram and the mobo is still an WinXP o.s. Make sure you have a good HDMI i/o and plenty of USBs.