Intel Core i5 And Core i7: Intel’s Mainstream Magnum Opus
Features
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Test Setup And Benchmarks
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Test Hardware | |
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Processors | Intel Core i7-920 (Bloomfield) 2.66 GHz, LGA 1366, 4.8 GT/s QPI, 8 MB L3, Power-savings enabled |
Row 1 - Cell 0 | Intel Core i7-870 (Lynnfield) 2.93 GHz, LGA 1156, 8 MB L3, Power-savings enabled |
Row 2 - Cell 0 | Intel Core i5-750 (Lynnfield) 2.66 GHz, LGA 1156, 8 MB L3, Power-savings enabled |
Row 3 - Cell 0 | Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (Yorkfield) 3.2 GHz, LGA 775, 1,600 MHz FSB, 12 MB L2, Power-savings enabled |
Row 4 - Cell 0 | Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S (Yorkfield) 2.83 GHz, LGA 775, 1,333 MHz FSB, 12 MB L2, Power-savings enabled |
Row 5 - Cell 0 | AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE (Deneb) 3.4 GHz, Socket AM3, 4 GT/s HyperTransport, 6 MB L3, Power-savings enabled |
Motherboards | Asus P6T (LGA 1366) X58/ICH10R, BIOS 0707 |
Row 7 - Cell 0 | Gigabyte P55-UD6 (LGA 1156) P55, BIOS F3 |
Row 8 - Cell 0 | Intel DX48BT2 (LGA 775) X48/ICH10R, BIOS 1902 |
Row 9 - Cell 0 | Asus M4A79T Deluxe (AM3) 790FX/SB750, BIOS 1103 |
Memory | Corsair 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) DDR3-1600 7-7-7-20 @ DDR3-1333 |
Row 11 - Cell 0 | Corsair 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3-1600 7-7-7-20 @ DDR3-1333 |
Hard Drive | Intel SSDSA2M160G2GC 160 GB SATA 3 Gb/s |
Row 13 - Cell 0 | Intel SSDSA2MH080G1GN 80 GB SATA 3 Gb/s |
Graphics | Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB |
Power Supply | Cooler Master UCP 1100W |
Heatsink | Vigor Gaming Monsoon III LT |
System Software And Drivers | |
Operating System | Windows 7 x64 RTM |
DirectX | DirectX 11 |
Platform Driver | Intel INF Chipset Update Utility 9.1.1.1015 |
Graphics Driver | Catalyst 9.8 |
Although we tested the Core i7 and Core i5 configurations on Gigabyte's P55-UD6, our Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading, memory performance, and Windows 7 versus Vista power measurements were all taken on Intel's DP55KG motherboard.
Remember that we ran all of our gaming analysis separately in order to fit in single- and dual-card CrossFire and SLI configurations across two resolutions and seven different titles. That story can be found right here.
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Benchmarks and Settings | |
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Audio Encoding | |
iTunes | Version: 8.2.1.6 (64-bit), Audio CD ("Terminator II" SE), 53 min., Default format AAC |
Lame MP3 | Version: 3.98.2 (32-bit), Audio CD ""Terminator II" SE, 53 min, wave to MP3, 160 Kb/s |
Video Encoding | |
TMPEG 4.7 | Version: 4.7, Import File: "Terminator II" SE DVD (5 Minutes), Resolution: 720x576 (PAL) 16:9 |
DivX 6.8.5 | Encoding mode: Insane Quality, Enhanced Multi-Threading, Enabled using SSE4, Quarter-pixel search |
XviD 1.2.2 | Display encoding status=off |
Mainconcept Reference 1.6.1 | MPEG2 to MPEG2 (H.264), MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG2), Audio: MPEG2 (44.1 KHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Mode: PAL (25 FPS), Profile: Tom’s Hardware Settings for Qct-Core |
Applications | |
Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 (64-bit) | Version: 2009 Service Pack 1, Rendering Dragon Image at 1920x1080 (HDTV) |
WinRAR 3.90 | Version 3.90 (64-bit), Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
WinZip 12.1 | Version 12.1, Compression=Best, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
Adobe Photoshop CS4 | Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates filters |
AVG Anti-Virus 8.5 | Virus scan of 334MB of compressed files |
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.02, GPU and CPU scores |
PCMark Vantage | Version: 1.00, System, Memories, TV and Movies, and Productivity benchmarks, Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3646 |
SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP4 | CPU Test=CPU Arithmetic/MultiMedia, Memory Test=Bandwidth Benchmark |
Current page: Test Setup And Benchmarks
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90 Comments
Comment from the forums
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caamsa Dang! AMD better get their $4iT together. Now I need to decided between i7, i5 or phenom II when I do my next upgrade........technology happens too fast. Looking forward to more reviews on the i5 and mb prices.Reply -
People need to be careful when comparing the i7-870 to a i7-920, alot of people pre-release were worried that the 1156 platform was going to dominate the 1366. However when you see the 870 out perform the 920 people need to remember that a 870 is double the price of a 920, and even when you factor in a motherboard a 920 setup comes out cheaper than a 870.Reply
Now the i5 750 on the other hand is great performance at a great price, and would certainly be the budget gamers new weapon of choice.
I currently have an i7-920 setup which is my main rig and am very happy with it and not at all upset to the see the 870 outperform it (since the 870 would cost me twice as much). I also have had an i5 750 setup now for over a week (the 1156 processors and motherboards have been available here in Australia for nearly 2 weeks now) and it is an amazing processor for the price of it.
So what am I trying to say? 1366 is still a good platform for the top end of the market. The i5 are fantastic new processors for their price, and the 1156 i7's are just confusing and I'm not really sure who they are going to appeal to? I could understand it if Intel launched the 1156 i7's in 6months time when alot of users are already using the 1156 platform and are looking to upgrade their CPU without a new mobo. But to anyone looking at getting a 870, just get an 920 and use the extra cash on the mobo and ram to go with it. -
Nintendork A little confusing the charts.Reply
I would prefer a bench with HD4890. They scale better in CF. -
cabose369 Intel needs to come up with a simplified naming system for their products. They are as bad as NVIDIA is right now in terms of naming their products.Reply
There is sooo much to learn and there is so much information here.... I feel confused!! -
alikum Well, I just hope that the Core 2 Quads will drop in prices significantly so that I could grab the high-end one for my final LGA775 upgrade!Reply -
buzznut Well this is good news for consumers. I'm not certain why it took so long for Intel to make some mainstream proc like i5, but for intel fans it seems worth the wait.Reply
This will also compel AMD to bring some more value to the market. Nice article. -
jawshoeaw damn, 150 watts at idle?? Is that just the cpu? I hope the gaming rigs built on these processors are not left on 24/7. My old AMD X2 3800 system including the monitor uses less than 150 watts at idle (50 of which is the 22" LCD).Reply -
unclewebb i7 Turbo is a good tool to monitor the multiplier of Core i5/i7 CPUs.Reply
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/Turbo.zip
It uses the method that Intel recommends in their November 2008 Turbo White Paper. -
evolve60 "Intel Core i7-920 Extreme (Bloomfield) 2.66 GHz, LGA 1366, 4.8 GT/s QPI, 8 MB L3, Power-savings enabled"Reply
Since when has the I7-920 become an extreme?