Chris Angelini: When this story was published on November 2, 2008, the results of our testing were reported accurately given the Intel platform available to Bert Toepelt, the author in our German lab. Since this piece went live, I have spent hours with different X58 platforms in an effort to help clarify the issues originally encountered in preparing for this story. As such, we’ve made changes to the piece, which you’ll find either in bold text or noted in the story itself.
Eight Virtual Cores Through Hyper-Threading
Just as Intel’s Core 2 has firmly established itself in the market, it is already being replaced by a completely new architecture. Unlike the switch from the Pentium 4 / Pentium D to the Core2—where the new CPUs worked as drop-in replacements on existing boards due to the fact that the processors were pin-compatible—Intel’s newest chip requires a completely new "ecosystem." But this transformation represents nothing less than a milestone for Intel.
Here’s the short version. Intel is introducing the Core i7, the successor to the Core 2 processor, which features both improved performance and higher efficiency. In our benchmark suite, the Core i7 is 16% faster clock-for-clock than the Core 2. Although all standard models are equipped with an overclocking lock, most motherboards will give enthusiasts the means to circumvent this mechanism, which Intel claims is in place to protect notebooks, servers, and other environment highly sensitive to heat. Since Intel is re-introducing Hyper-Threading to its desktop CPUs in the Core i7 line, the new processors show a marked performance boost in many modern multi-threaded applications. However, the Nehalem platform will not offer improvements where power consumption is concerned.
Simultaneously switching to Socket 1366, the X58 chipset, and a tri-channel DDR3 interface, Intel is once again launching both a new generation of processors and an entirely new platform complete with a corresponding leap in performance. The last time we saw a performance improvement of this magnitude was when Intel moved from the Pentium 4/D line to the Core 2 architecture. The new integrated memory controller offers much higher throughput and is even superior to AMD’s solution on the desktop. The Core i7 is going to leave Intel’s rival AMD lagging even further behind.
Socket 1366
As a result of the integration of the memory controller directly into the CPU, Intel’s Core i7 now also sports data links to the memory modules. Other links have been affected by Intel’s transition from a front side bus interface to the QuickPath Interconnect solution. Intel has increased the number of pin connections from 775 to 1366, necessitating a new socket aptly named LGA1366. The mounting mechanism continues to use the same design, though. A frame covers the CPU and presses it into the socket, locking it in place with a small lever. This design is larger than the Socket 775 version, and obviously has the pins in a different arrangement.
However, the new Socket 1366 also comes with one disadvantage: the spacing between the mounting holes for the coolers has increased, meaning you’ll need a larger cooler and a new mounting clip or retention module when you make the switch. As a result, no Core 2 CPU is compatible with any Core i7 boards and vice versa. On the plus side, a cooler is included with the boxed version of the processors.
- Introduction
- Size Comparison--Bigger Die, Fewer Transistors
- SSE 4.2 And The Technical Nitty-Gritty
- 8 MB L3 Cache And Hyper-Threading
- Memory Interface--Tri-Channel And DDR3-1600
- X58 Chipset With ICH10
- UPDATED: Overclocking--Overspeed Protection, Explained
- UPDATED: Overclocking Up To 3.80 GHz
- UPDATED: Extreme Edition Gets Unlocked Turbo Boost
- Platform Power Consumption--Higher Than Core 2
- Analysis--Core i7 16% Faster Than Core 2
- Analysis--Hyper-Threading Yields 6% Speed-Up
- Analysis--Triple-Channel Memory Does Not Impact Performance
- Test Bed Systems And Drivers
- Benchmarks And Settings
- The Hardware
- Benchmarks--Sandra CPU
- Benchmarks--Sandra Multimedia
- Benchmarks--Sandra Memory
- Benchmarks--Everest Memory
- Benchmarks--Everest Memory
- Benchmarks--PCMark Vantage
- Benchmarks--PCMark And 3DMark Vantage
- Benchmarks--3DMark Vantage
- Benchmarks--Crysis And UT3
- Benchmarks--World In Conflict And Supreme Commander
- Benchmarks--AVG And WinRAR
- Benchmarks--Winzip 11 And Acrobat 9 Pro
- Benchmarks--Photoshop And iTunes
- Benchmarks--Lame And Studio 12
- Benchmarks--Divx And Xvid
- Benchmarks--MainConcept And Premiere
- Benchmarks--Blu-ray And Cinema4D
- Benchmarks--3DStudio Max 9 And Fritz 12
- Benchmarks--Nero 8
- Models And Pricing
- Conclusion--Screaming Fast With Overclocking "Protection"


RIP AMD.
May Abu Dhabi restore you to life soon so we don't have to suffer through more Intel ripoffs.
other point, all core i7 have the Turbo mode enable, in your article, you said that it is only the Extreme edition. The extreme edition is the only one with Unlock turbo ratio, but the 920 and 940 can turbo too!
cheers!
Francois Piednoel
Intel Corp
You mean Intel don't you? Other than that little mistake, good article
RIP AMD.
May Abu Dhabi restore you to life soon so we don't have to suffer through more Intel ripoffs.
This seems like an editing mistake maybe it should be 9950BE.
If it's evident then who cares?
My thoughts exactly... I wonder if there will be some sort of resistance to this sort of thing... It's like buying a car, you can do whatever you want to it (within the limits of the law) to make it as fast as you want. Sure, you may void your factory warranty, but it's your deal. You don't see car companies making it impossible for you to do what you want to their cars so you have to buy their expensive high end just to get your kicks... (not a perfect comparison, but it works)
I dunno, it's just pretty weak. And they are just taking advantage of the situation...
Fixed, thanks!
Keep it up, and maybe I'll pay attention to this site like I used to.
But just for the record, I don't believe that it's particularly appropriate to use the overall average performance percentages as a basis for comparison between the "speed" of Core 2 vs. Core i7. Obviously, most people are going to be interested in the difference with games, where it's likely to be pretty minimal. But here and there, you have something like the 55% WinRAR difference pretty much skewing what otherwise would have been an accurate depiction of average expectations across the board.
lol well nissan did with the new GTR/skyline..
nice case for that high performance rig as well TG keep it up rofl
If you see something wrong, please feel free to point it out. We put a lot of effort into translation, copy editing, and tech editing. For a 6,000+ word piece, perfection is most definitely difficult. That doesn't stop us from striving for it, though.
Thanks for your feedback!
Chris
these excuses are a main reason i don't read articles from www.tomshardware.com with any intent of a purposeful read. Its more like the national inquirer, no wait they have real editors.
other point, all core i7 have the Turbo mode enable, in your article, you said that it is only the Extreme edition. The extreme edition is the only one with Unlock turbo ratio, but the 920 and 940 can turbo too!
cheers!
Francois Piednoel
Intel Corp
Therefore bidirectional throughput is 25.6GB/s @ 6.4GT/s or 19.2GB/s @ 4.8GT/s.
For many of us OC'ing *is* the thrill of putting together a computer. By placing stringent OC restrictions Intel has stifled a growing hobby, left themselves vulnerable to a cheep OC alternative from AMD and ultimately hurt their image and bottom line. I figure the low end cpu's that will eventually carry the i7 moniker will sell very well, fine, profit by volume... then there's the middle to high end 350-600$ ( you, me, people who read these articles)..higher then that Intel is trying to create a market where one does not exist. In a recessionist world economy I just do not see their reasoning. Id rather sell volumes of 500-700$ extreme editions rather than a couple of 1000$+'s. My philosophy is sell good products at acceptable prices and people will reward you with their absolute loyalty. That being said the tech is new prices will drop...eventually.
The 800 MHz memory is DDR2, right? I'm confused about the 1066 MHz, though since I founded it labeled both DDR2 and DDR3. Even in this article (see the Synthetic Bandwidth Measurements tabel).
Yeah I figured the numbers would be like this. Wonder what kind of effect DDR3 will have with Deneb.
I agree. It says that the Core i7 940 is slower by 38% than the Core i7 920.
Francois,
I'll forward this information to Bert. Thank you,
Chris