In this article we take a look at which SA retailers will have stock of Intel’s Haswell processor and compatible motherboards. Intel officially launched the chipset during Computex 2013, along with a slew of products from the Atom and Xeon lines.
Haswell is the successor to Ivy Bridge and takes Intel further into the realm of what we now call an APU. Haswell is edging closer to becoming a full system-on-chip (SOC) – it now incorporates the processor cores, the integrated Intel HD graphics, an on-die memory controller, and the chip logic that used to be the North Bridge.
Haswell also integrates the VRM (Voltage Regulation Module) onto the CPU die. The VRM is the chip that controls the voltages and power levels and its crucial in getting Haswell into as low a power state as possible in idle modes. Motherboards will still have the regular power phases and capacitor bank surrounding the processor socket, but the VRM is on the CPU and is tightly controlled by Intel.
The table below shows the prices of various Intel Haswell processors and compatible motherboards available from local retailers. The lowest prices are highlighted in Bold. For the purposes of this table, prices for products that are listed as “Sold out”, “Contact for availability” or “Special order” will be included, as these are general pricing indications for the new products. While stock availability is still severely limited, its expected that the retail channel will settle down in about two weeks with good general availability.
| Haswell Processors | Rebeltech | Wootware | Landmark | Ikonix |
| Core i5-4430 3.0-3.2GHz | 1983 | 2246 | 2456.59 | |
| Core i5-4570 3.2-3.6GHz | 2150 | 2425 | 2632.15 | |
| Core i5-4670 3.4-3.8GHz | 2379 | 2654 | 2282.95 | |
| Core i5-4670K 3.4-3.8GHz | 2495 | 2795 | 2519.60 | |
| Core i7-4770 3.4-3.9GHz | 3353 | 3710 | 4025.34 | 3448 |
| Core i7-4770K 3.4-3.9GHz | 3710 | 4155 | 3859.12 | 3815 |
| LGA 1150 Motherboards |
Rebeltech | Wootware | Landmark |
| ASRock H87M | 1408 | 1455 | |
| ASRock H87 Pro4 | 1438 | 1486 | |
| ASRock Z87 Pro3 | 1803 | 1863 | |
| ASRock Z87M Pro4 | 1817 | 1878 | |
| ASRock Z87 Extreme4 | 2608 | 2670 | |
| ASUS Z87-A | 2416 | 2496 | 2506.75 |
| ASUS Z87-C | 2476 | 2535 | 2522.73 |
| ASUS Z87-K | 2295 | 2371 | 2381.35 |
| ASUS Z87-Pro | 3382 | 3463 | 3446.13 |
| Gigabyte B85M-HD3 | 1017 | ||
| Gigabyte H87M-HD3 | 1421 | ||
| Gigabyte P85-D3 | 1125 | ||
| Gigabyte H87M-D3H | 1509 | ||
| Gigabyte Z87M-D3H | 1540 | ||
| Gigabyte H87N-WiFi ITX | 1728 | ||
| Gigabyte Z87N-WiFi ITX | 1895 | ||
| Gigabyte Z87-D3HP | 2013 | ||
| Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H | 2487 | ||
| Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H | 3316 | ||
| Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 | 5803 | 6110.12 | |
| Gigabyte G1 Sniper M5 | 3138 | 3316.63 | |
| Gigabyte Z87X OC Force | 5921 | ||
| MSI Z87-G43 | 1807 | 1892 | 1774.41 |
| MSI Z87-G45 Gaming | 1921 | ||
| MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming | 2652 | 2784 | 2647.08 |
Its not a lot for now, but the big four have gotten their stock here on time – ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI all have their boards either ready for purchase, or sitting in the distributor warehouses ready for ordering.
In terms of pricing, this is where it gets interesting – Haswell boards are generally a bit more expensive than their LGA1155 counterparts by around R30-R100. The processors however, at least the ones currently in stock (mainly the K-series) are around R50-R100 cheaper than Ivy Bridge processors, so it all evens out. Considering our weak Rand at the moment, we’re getting a good deal here.
For now, ASRock holds the value crown in terms of pricing but the Gigabyte Z87M-D3H is going to be a tough competitor. R1500 is the sweet-spot for a featured board that also overclocks well and typically ASRock fell just under that with the Z77 Pro3, Pro4-M and Pro4. With Haswell, however, they’re above that, sitting at around R1800. The boards are better featured and reviews will tell us if they’ve made the right decisions, but for this generation, Gigabyte seems to be taking the lead.
Intel Haswell size comparison
On average, compared to Ivy Bridge, Haswell is only 11% faster overall and uses less power while idling on the desktop and in deep sleep states. It uses a bit more power under load and doesn’t overclock as far, with most reviewers managing only 4.5GHz. However, Haswell can now boost all cores under a multi-threaded load, so there are tweaks that enthusiasts will appreciate.
Compared to older generations, Sandy Bridge users won’t have to upgrade as Haswell changes little for them. Owners of the Nehalem and Lynnfield CPU families may see reason to upgrade, as they receive a decent performance boost in apps in the range of 40% with lower power use and lower heat generation.
Anyone still on a LGA775 or PGA478 system is encouraged to upgrade – Haswell is around two to six times faster in comparison to each respective platform, and uses about half as much power under load and much, much less power when idling.
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