X79/SB-E or Z77/IvB

[reighnman]

I'm getting ready to build a new system and give the old one to my wife (i7-920) but I'm stuck between IvB or SB-E. I have no need for on board gfx as I currently have a 660ti, and do mostly gaming/photoshop/video editing.

Pricing out the core for 2 systems (mb/ram/cpu/cooler), IvB with Z77 and SB-E x79, the x79/SB-E build is almost the same price, can add a ton more ram, and will be compatible with IvB-E processors when they become available.

With such a close price point, which would you go with and why?

ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA
i7-3770k Ivy Bridge 3.5Ghz 4c
16GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X
Corsair H80 Liquid CPU Cooler
$765.95

ASUS P9X79
i7-3820 Sand Bridge-E 3.6Ghz 4c
16GB G.SKILL Ripjaws X
Corsair H80 Liquid CPU Cooler
$787.95

Case/PSU/ssd/gfx will be the same so I didn't include.

 

[geekapproved]

It's pretty much a tossup imo. The Sand E has more cache and a slightly higher clock speed, but the Ivy is faster clock for clock.