
A pretty easy analysis, 3ds Max 2012 clearly benefits from as many cores as you throw at it. Overclocking is enough to push the 4.625 GHz Core i7-3820 up next to a stock Core i7-990X. However, it’s the 4.5 GHz Core i7-3930K that really redefines performance here.
The one-second difference between Core i7-3930K and -3960X confirms what we originally suspected: there’s little reason to buy the $1000-dollar chip from a stock performance perspective.
In that same vein, a Core i7-3820 really doesn’t seem far enough superior to Core i7-2600K to warrant its more expensive platform.

The same holds true in Photoshop, and all six-core processors outperform their quad-core competition, regardless of architecture or clock rate. An overclocked Core i7-3930K really shines here, and we again see a close finish between the Core i7-3960X and -3930K at their respective stock clocks.

Accelerated by a GeForce GTX 580, this workload doesn’t take nearly as long as it used to. However, the compute muscle leveled against the task by a Core i7-3930K running at 4.5 GHz is enough to cut 10 seconds from the same processor tackling it at its stock speed.

Notoriously memory-hungry, After Effects reminds us that the overclocked machines only include 8 GB of memory, while all of the configurations with blue bars boast 32 GB (except for the X58-based Core i7-920, limited to 24 GB by its triple-channel controller).
If you’re a video editor, this chart should be proof positive that lots of RAM needs to be a priority. After all, it’d be a shame to sink your cash into a $600 CPU, overclock it, and still get outperformed by a $200 Core i5-2500K at its stock settings (but with more memory).

Though clearly well-threaded, Blender also demonstrates an affinity for the Sandy Bridge architecture running at high frequencies.

A mix of architectural improvements and unadulterated clock rate propel the overclocked Core i7-3930K up ahead of the pack. A stock Core i7-3960X follows, trailed only just slightly by the Core i7-3930K at its default configuration.
The overclocked Core i7-3820 comes in fourth, ahead of the Gulftown-based Core i7-990X. But the fact that a Core i7-3820 at its stock settings falls into sixth place shows that parallelism matters just as much, if not more, than operating frequency.
- Core i7-3930K And -3820 Get Reviewed
- Overclocking Sandy Bridge-E On A Budget
- Test Setup And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: PCMark 7
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11
- Benchmark Results: Sandra 2011
- Benchmark Results: Content Creation
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Benchmark Results: Media Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Crysis 2
- Benchmark Results: DiRT 3
- Benchmark Results: World Of Warcraft
- Core i7-3930K And -3820: Stock Versus Overclocked
- Core i7-3930K and -2600K: Making The Tough Choice
- Core i7-3930K: The Smart Sandy Bridge-E Choice
If by "noticeable" you mean "perceivable to mere mortals", then no.
If you can in fact notice the difference between 105 vs 110 FPS, then you are a god, and you deserve only the best.
Intel did an awesome job with the SBE line - despite the fact that we're missing some wanted/promised features (native support for USB and PCI-Express 3.0. I'm waiting out for the PCI 3.0 cards before I upgrade my graphics... curious if the Asus P9X79 Pro will hold it's promises.
Thanks Chris for reviewing this processor. I felt like I went out on a limb getting this processor over the Extreme, but the $600 was well worth it.
FX-8150 benchmark with no AA says "68.8" FPS. I think it's more like "48.8".
If by "noticeable" you mean "perceivable to mere mortals", then no.
If you can in fact notice the difference between 105 vs 110 FPS, then you are a god, and you deserve only the best.
Intel did an awesome job with the SBE line - despite the fact that we're missing some wanted/promised features (native support for USB and PCI-Express 3.0. I'm waiting out for the PCI 3.0 cards before I upgrade my graphics... curious if the Asus P9X79 Pro will hold it's promises.
Thanks Chris for reviewing this processor. I felt like I went out on a limb getting this processor over the Extreme, but the $600 was well worth it.
Glad you're enjoying. You do, actually get PCIe 3.0 support, but no USB 3.0, unfortunately.
Dacatak,
Yup, typo--fixing now!
it is a good thing
Indeed, fixed! At 3.6 V, we'd have dead Sandy.
Intel has made sure reviewers dont highlight on this factor, and instead asks reviewers to focus on the 6 core performance.
Intel didnt release the 4 core 3820(at launch) for this reason, it makes it easy to compare to normal sandy bridge and would show that even with a socket that is double the size, and quad channel memory X79 doesnt give you any better performance than Z68.
I always buy the high-end but X79 is a big letdown, Intel knows it and they're trying to control the reviews so it doesnt look as bad as it is
This shouldn't be necessary. Same architecture = same per-clock performance. If you need numbers, look at iTunes, WinZip, and Lame benchmark results. If you need yet additional proof, check out the original Sandy Bridge-E review, where I explicitly run the results you're saying don't get run.
Finally, as is mentioned in *this* story, the CPUs didn't come from Intel. -3930K came from Newegg and -3820, which isn't out yet, came from an unnamed other source.
Thanks,
Chris
it cant be the yield in Intel fab are so bad that all 2011 CPU produce by Intel have only 6 working cores at best.
This is the same as LGA 1366 v. LGA 1155 once the later was released. 1366 offered higher memory bandwidth and more Pci-e lanes, but even most enthusiasts wouldn't get the higher end platform due to price for performance.
Most settled for the i5-750(or lower since you could overclock anything then) just like most are settling for the 2500k now.