Broadwell going to BGA

[Robopolo]

I have recently been reading that Broadwell is going to ship as BGA. I have been wanting to build my own PC for several years, but I have just not done it yet. I would really like to save some money up and build a computer by the end of this year or early next year (I know this is a LONG time away), but with Broadwell going to BGA I am wondering whether it would be smarter to go with Haswell or the newest AMD processor. With Broadwell going to BGA in 2014, it will be very hard to upgrade your processor for your average PC enthusiast. I tried to make this a discussion because of fanboys, but I actually would like a straight answer. Would it be better to go with Haswell, which for the most part seems like a dead end for now, or go to AMD, who say they will continue to produce processors for enthusiasts as long as they are buying.

I know Intel has a lead in processing power right now, but with the release of Haswell and next year's Broadwell, do you think it would be smarter to build an AMD machine.

I know this is a subjunctive question, but I would like to hear your opinions on it.

 

[ChilledGrease]

If I'm not mistaken, Intel too came out with a statement saying they will be producing removable processors for PC enthusiasts for the foreseeable future. From what I heard, there will be a regular series of interchangeable Broadwell procs for enthusiasts, with a BGA series for ultra-small form factor Desktops, or low power consumer/business desktops used just for internet and such. Intel's atom series is already BGA, so they will simply be replacing that with another special Broadwell series. I do not think it would be smarter to build an AMD machine, because they won't have anything to compete with Haswell or Broadwell in terms of processing power, thermal and power requirements for a very long time. I'll try to find the article I read and post it here.

EDIT: Here's the article. It's good to note here that intel tends to be very secretive about its future products, so the fact they commented on this speculation means they are serious.

 

[Robopolo]

I read that the Broadwell series will still be interchangeable, but it said you would have to be pretty good with a soldering iron. It would be way too risky for most people IMO to remove a cpu from a motherboard. I do hope that there will be an easier way of interchanging processors though. You are right though I don't think that AMD will be able to compete either way.

I am also thinking about the release of DDR4 memory. I am quite sure that DDR4 will not be compatible with Haswell boards. That would also be a concern of mine for upgrading components in late 2014. If Broadwell boards will be the only Intel boards that support DDR4 in 2014, that would make a Haswell questionable.

 

[Robopolo]

Thanks for the article. That clears the interchangeable processor problem

 

[Robopolo]

Best answer selected by Robopolo.