785G And H55: Two Powerful Mini-ITX-Based Desktop Solutions

Intel Processors: Core i3-530 And Core i5-661

We didn't use any Intel quad-core processors, since these are typically rather expensive. Instead, we opted to use an entry-level and a top-end dual-core model, both based on LGA 1156.

Intel Core i3-530

The Core i3-530 is specified to run at 2.93 GHz with two physical cores and Hyper-Threading support, providing four logical processors to the operating system. Our second Intel CPU, the Core i5-661, comes with Turbo Boost technology enabled, dynamically increasing clock speed when needed. Unfortunately, the Core i3 lacks this feature.

However, the i3-530 has 4 MB of shared L3 cache and a 73 W TDP. Operating in the real world, our Intel system provides a relatively low peak power figure of 82 W. An idle power of only 30 W is even more impressive.

Intel Core i5-661

The Core i5-661 is based on the same 32 nm Clarkdale dual-core design as the Core i3-530. Notably, though, the Core i5 offers Turbo Boost and a higher nominal clock rate of 3.33 GHz.

In Turbo Boost mode, it can sprint to 3.6 GHz, ensuring that this processor dominates almost all of our benchmarks, including those that scale well on more than two Phenom cores. The 32 nm Core i5 series carries an abundantly evident advantage in encryption testing thanks to its AES acceleration.

Comparison Table

Source: IntelARK