We now know that, as a host processor, Core i7-3770K really isn’t that much faster than Core i7-2700K. But we also know that Ivy Bridge should be capable of delivering better (or at least similar) performance in a significantly lower thermal envelope. In this case, the -3770K is a 77 W part, whereas Core i7-2700K is a 95 W processor and the Sandy Bridge-E-based chips are rated for 130 W.
Rather than simply letting each chip sit on the Windows desktop and then spin them all up, reporting idle and load consumption figures, we instead created a script using all of the tests in our benchmark suite (aside from the games and the Google Chrome compilation) with short rests in between. The resulting metric is more than an hour long on even the fastest processor in our collection, and it’s truly a real-world mix of idle and load.
It’s frankly pretty difficult to make sense of the raw, logged data, even with our normal chart expanded out to make the hour-plus run more readable. Certain segments make it quite clear, however, that the Core i7-3770K is the lowest-power contender tested, followed by the Core i7-2700K, the Core i7-3930K, the Phenom II X6 1100T, and finally AMD’s FX-8150. What about the -3960X? We have the data for that one as well, but the additional line makes this chart even more of a mess, so I left it off. I also have data for the -2550K, but I’m working on a surprise with that information.

There we go. It’s much easier to average out power consumption during each run and compare the result. As hypothesized using the line graph, we see each CPU land exactly where we expected it to, with the -3960X falling in just behind the -3930K.

It’s pretty darned easy to measure how long each sequence runs, since our logger takes a sample once every two seconds. Not surprisingly, the Core i7-3960X finishes first. It’s more interesting that the Core i7-2700K is just slightly quicker through the benchmarks than Core i7-3770K. Both AMD trail quite a ways behind.

Multiplying average power by the time required to complete the benchmark gives us total energy used in watt-hours, reflecting efficiency.
The Core i7-3770K’s solid performance, coupled with a reduction in power consumption, results in the lowest power use in the course of our suite. The Core i7-2700K follows closely behind, though.
Both of the Sandy Bridge-E chips facilitate impressive performance numbers throughout our testing, excelling particularly in threaded workloads. However, 130 W TDPs penalize the LGA 2011-based CPUs when it comes to power consumption, so they fall into third and fourth place.
The Phenom II X6 and FX bring up the rear, as they both use more power and underperform the Intel competition. It’s an unfortunate state of affairs for AMD, but the Piledriver core is being prepped for operation in the company’s next APU design. Hopefully, changes made to Bulldozer ameliorate some of what we’ve come to dislike about today’s FX.
- Ivy Bridge: Was It Worth The Wait?
- The Ivy Bridge Core: I Think I Know You
- HD Graphics 4000: The Plus In Intel’s Tick+
- HD Graphics 4000: Performance In 3DMark 11 And Batman
- HD Graphics 4000: Performance In Skyrim And WoW
- HD Graphics 4000: Native Compute Support
- Quick Sync: A Secret Weapon, Refined
- Platform Compatibility: Are Motherboard Vendors Ready?
- Overclocking Ivy Bridge: Core i7-3770K Is A Mixed Bag
- Ivy Bridge Memory Scaling
- Test Setup And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: PCMark 7
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11
- Benchmark Results: Sandra 2012 SP3
- Benchmark Results: Adobe CS 5.5
- Benchmark Results: Content Creation
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Benchmark Results: File Compression
- Benchmark Results: Media Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Batman: Arkham City
- Benchmark Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Benchmark Results: World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm
- Power Consumption And Efficiency
- How Much Faster Is Core i7-3770K Than -2700K And i5-2550K?
- An Evolution That Makes Sense, But Doesn't Impress

I have a few things on my mind.
1.) AMD - C'mon and get it together, you need to do better...
2.) imagine if Intel made an i7-2660K or something like the i5-2550K they have now.
3.) SB-E is not for gaming (too highly priced...) compared to i7 or i5 Sandy Bridge
4.) Ivy Bridge runs hot.......
5.) IB average 3.7% faster than i7 SB and only 16% over i5 SB = not worth it
6.) AMD - C'mon and get it together, you need to do better...
(moderator edit..)
Looking forward to the further information coming out this week on Ivy Bridge, as I was initially planning on buying Ivy Bridge, but now I might turn to Sandy Bridge-E
Temps as expected are high on the IB, but better than early ES which is very good.
Those with their SB or SB-E (K/X) should be feeling good about now
Now, time to read the review.
I really wish they would introduce a gaming platform between their stupidly overpriced x79esque server platform and the integrated graphics chips they are pushing mainstream. 50% more transistors should be 30% or so more performance or a much smaller chip, but gamers get nothing out of Ivy Bridge.
They're using their process to get to places they'll need to get to in the future
I have a few things on my mind.
1.) AMD - C'mon and get it together, you need to do better...
2.) imagine if Intel made an i7-2660K or something like the i5-2550K they have now.
3.) SB-E is not for gaming (too highly priced...) compared to i7 or i5 Sandy Bridge
4.) Ivy Bridge runs hot.......
5.) IB average 3.7% faster than i7 SB and only 16% over i5 SB = not worth it
6.) AMD - C'mon and get it together, you need to do better...
(moderator edit..)
To me it shows 2 main things. 1) that Ivy didn't improve on Sandy Bridge as much as Intel was hoping it would, and 2) just how far behind AMD actually is...
Yea yea I know most apps won't use 8 cores, but that's only because there was no 8 cores processors in past, not the other way around
I would have liked to see a bigger jump in performance. I'm still very satisfied with the i5 2500K system I built last year... This may actually be bad for Intel as they simply didn't innovate as much as I thought they would...
It's clear that while idling, there won't be much of a difference.
Too bad Tomshardware dropped the ball on that one.
Ivy bridge's prices are expected to be lower than the current SB prices, yes.
They have an expected pricing guide in the anandtech review.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-intel-ivy-bridge-core-i7-3770k-review/2
I went with the 2500K too...but I kinda wish I'd gone with a 2700K...even if it is just for gaming. IB is beyond what I need right now...this month at least.
I was waiting reviews just to be sure.
don't regret yourself if you have a SB cpu!