New Parts Are Installed

I was able to get the new motherboard, processor, and memory installed and checked that the system will POST and boot to the BIOS.  I just need to reinstall the OS and then I will be able to run a few simple benchmarks that I was able to run on the old configuration to see what the difference will be in performance between the old and new.

I am not expecting astoundingly fast performance out of new processor, but I should see a nice boost, as I will be going from a 2.8Ghz Dual-core Pentium D with 2GB DDR2 to a 3.6Ghz Quad-Core A8-5600K with 8GB DDR3.  Also, while I did not play Fallout: New Vegas on this machine with the older parts installed, I will do a simple Fraps comparison to how it runs on the new machine vs. the laptop that I have been playing it on.  This PC is a 2.3Ghz Dual-Core Pentium T4500 with 6GB DDR3.

New Budget Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs

Intel has launched new budget Ivy Bridge desktop CPUs for the LGA 1155 socket, with pricing as low as $42 for a 2.6Ghz Dual-Core.

The seven new models include two low power consumption in 2.3Ghz dual-core (Celeron G1610T) and 2.5Ghz dual-core (Pentium G2020T), 2.6Ghz (Celeron G1610) and 2.7Ghz (Celeron 1620) Celerons, three new dual core Pentiums in 2.8Ghz (G2010), 2.9Ghz (G2020), and 3.2Ghz (G2130), and a new Core i3-3210, which is a 3.2Ghz dual-core with Hyper Threadingand support for AVX.

All processors feature Intel HD graphics with the exception of the i3-3210, which houses the Intel HD 2500 Graphics chip.

The TDP for the lower power models is 35 Watts and all others are 55 Watt processors.

AMD vs Intel - CPU Sockets

AMD has released a statement saying that they will continue to support the DIY and enthusiast desktop market with socketed CPUs through 2014.

"AMD has a long history of supporting the DIY and enthusiast desktop market with socketed CPUs and APUs that are compatible with a wide range of motherboard products from our partners. That will continue through 2013 and 2014 with the 'Kaveri' APU and FX CPU lines," Gary Silcott, Corporate Communications of AMD Client Products, told Kirsch in an email. "We have no plans at this time to move to BGA only packaging and look forward to continuing to support this critical segment of the market." - MaximumPC.com

This was released amid rumors that Intel is looking toward socket-less CPUs for their future generation processors.  This would basically mean the motherboard would have the CPU physically soldered from the factory, which would make future upgrades or replacements, at the very least, extremely difficult.