It’s easy to assume that shifting down to 22 nm lithography makes the Ivy Bridge design a more receptive platform for overclocking. Although it packs more transistors into less space, increasing density, the fact that the highest-end parts sport 77 W TDPs suggest lower thermal output.
At the same time, the 22 nm node is brand new, and Intel proudly admits that it changed more of its design than it normally would heading into a die shrink. That could spell trouble.


So, while it’s unclear how much truth is behind early reports that Ivy Bridge-based processors aren’t overclocking well, our own experiences in the lab certainly indicate a lack of consistency. Between three editors currently working with Core i7-3770K CPUs, two are able to hit 4.7 GHz and one saw frequencies as high as 4.9 GHz on air and using BIOS-specified voltages between 1.3 and 1.35 V. Curiously, though they seem to run Prime95 and Linpack without protest for hours on end, certain applications in our benchmark suite (mainly, 3ds Max) take these chips down within seconds. Achieving stability required dropping to 4.5, 4.5, and 4.77 GHz on our three samples.


In comparison, my boxed Core i7-2700K loads to Windows at 4.8 GHz and runs solidly at 4.7 GHz at 1.35 V.
The main difference between overclocking these two architectures, aside from Ivy Bridge appearing comfortable at just slightly slower frequencies, is that Intel’s 22 nm-based chips also run significantly warmer (somewhere around 10°C higher at each CPU’s maximum stable overclock). Thus, overclockers using big air will likely have the most difficult time nailing settings that are suitably aggressive, but still modest enough to promote longevity.
| Ivy Bridge | Sandy Bridge-E | Sandy Bridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Ratio Multipliers | Up to 63x | Up to 57x | Up to 59 x |
| Real-Time Core Ratio Changes | Yes | All Cores Simultaneously | No |
| Integrated Graphics Ratio Multipliers | Up to 60x | N/A | Up to 57x |
| Real-Time Graphics Ratio Changes | Yes | N/A | No |
| DDR Ratio/Frequency | Up to DDR3-2667 | Up to DDR3-2400 | Up to DDR3-2133 |
| DDR Granularity | 200/266 MT/s | 266 MT/s | 266 MT/s |
| XMP Reference Code | v.1.3 | v.1.2 or 1.3 | v.1.2 |
| BCLK Overclocking | Limited | 1.0/1.25/1.67x Straps | Limited |
The phase/dry ice/LN2 crowd is in a different position. Enthusiasts able to keep Ivy Bridge cold have already exceeded 6.9 GHz with four cores active, partly because Intel increased Sandy Bridge’s 59x maximum core ratio to 63x. Because Z77 suffers the same limited BCLK headroom as Z68 and P67, most reports put 107 or 108 MHz as the practical limit. But boards able to hit 110 or 111 MHz couple well with higher multipliers and extreme cooling.
What can you expect from a Core i7-3770K at 4.5 GHz compared to a Core i7-2700K at 4.7 GHz? Nearly exactly the same performance, it turns out. Though I’m not entirely certain you’d want to leave the -3770K running with one core at 88 degrees for very long, it is stable.


In 3ds Max, which is very well threaded, overclocked Ivy Bridge finishes our workload just two seconds faster, narrowing a five-second gap at stock clock rates. iTunes puts the two chips just one second apart. At 3.5 GHz, they’re separated by three seconds.
Consider this a cursory look at overclocked performance in single- and multi-threaded tests. Our German team is working on a more in-depth overclocking analysis that should go live sometime this week.
- 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!