We tested using Intel’s reference LGA 1156 cooler, which comes bundled with all Core i5 dual-core boxed processors and can handle a Core i5 at up to about 4 GHz. It has a copper core and is quiet enough for an average desktop PC. But since it's half as high as the quad-core coolers designed to tackle 95W or 130W TDPs, you shouldn't expect too much from it. We decided to use it since not everyone would want to spend another $30 to $80 for a premium cooler. We recommend getting a tray CPU and purchasing a CPU cooler separately if you want less noise and/or better cooling.
Intel Core i5-661 (32nm, 3.33 GHz, 2 x 256KB L2 and 4MB L3 Cache, TDP 87W, Rev. B1)
RAM DDR3 (dual)
2 x 2GB DDR3-1600 (Corsair CM3X2G1600C9DHX)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
Hard Drive
Western Digital VelociRaptor, 300GB (WD3000HLFS), 10,000 RPM, SATA/300, 16MB Cache
Power Supply
PC Power & Cooling, Silencer 750EPS12V 750W
System Software & Drivers
Operating System
Windows Vista Enterprise Version 6.0 x64 Service Pack 2 (Build 6000)
Drivers and Settings
Intel Chipset Drivers
Chipset Installation Utility Ver. 9.1.1.1025
Intel Storage Drivers
Matrix Storage Drivers Ver. 8.8.0.1009
Benchmarks and Settings
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Audio Benchmarks and Settings
Benchmark
Details
iTunes
Version: 8.1.0.52 Audio CD ("Terminator II" SE), 53 min., Convert to AAC audio format
Lame MP3
Version 3.98 Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min., convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kbps)
Video Benchmarks and Settings
Benchmark
Details
TMPEG 4.6
Version: 4.6.3.268 Video: Terminator 2 SE DVD (720x576, 16:9) 5 Minutes Audio: Dolby Digital, 48000 Hz, 6-channel, English Advanced Acoustic Engine MP3 Encoder (160 Kbps, 44.1 KHz)
DivX 6.8.5
Version: 6.8.5 == Main Menu == default == Codec Menu == Encoding mode: Insane Quality Enhanced multithreading Enabled using SSE4 Quarter-pixel search == Video Menu == Quantization: MPEG-2
XviD 1.2.1
Version: 1.2.1 Other Options / Encoder Menu - Display encoding status = off
Mainconcept Reference 1.6.1
Version: 1.6.1 MPEG-2 to MPEG-2 (H.264) MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec 28 sec. HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2) Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, 2-channel, 16-bit, 224 Kbps) Codec: H.264 Mode: PAL (25 FPS) Profile: Settings for eight threads
Application Benchmarks and Settings
Benchmark
Details
Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus 8
Version: 8.5.287 Virus base: 270.12.16/2094 Benchmark Scan: some compressed ZIP and RAR archives
WinRAR 3.9
Version 3.90 x64 BETA 1 Compression = Best Benchmark: THG-Workload
WinZip 12
Version 12.0 (8252) WinZIP Commandline Version 3 Compression = Best Dictionary = 4096KB Benchmark: THG-Workload
Version: 9.0.0 (Extended) == Printing Preferenced Menu == Default Settings: Standard == Adobe PDF Security - Edit Menu == Encrypt all documents (128-bit RC4) Open Password: 123 Permissions Password: 321
Microsoft Powerpoint 2007
Version: 2007 SP2 PPT to PDF Powerpoint Document (115 Pages) Adobe PDF-Printer
Deep Fritz 11
Version: 11 Fritz Chess Benchmark Version 4.2
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.