Reviews: Core i5 and Core i7 Processors

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If you find them as they come, post them in this thread...

Intel's Core i7 870 & i5 750, Lynnfield: Harder, Better, Faster Stronger
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... spx?i=3634

Intel Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 Processors
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/ ... processors

Intel's Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 processors: Nehalem plays for the masses
http://techreport.com/articles.x/17545

Intel Core i7-870 & i5-750 - Nehalem for the Mainstream
http://techgage.com/article/intel_core_ ... ainstream/

Intel 'Lynnfield' Core i5 750 and Core i7 870 Performance Testing
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2909/i ... index.html

Intel Lynnfield Core i5-750 & Core i7-870 Processor Review
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/ha ... eview.html

Lynnfield arrives
http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/15308/1/


Even Linux bench numbers!
Intel Core i5 750, Core i7 870 Linux Benchmarks
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=a ... ield&num=1

[stmok]

More articles...

Intel Core i5-750 Processor
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=63

Intel Core i5 750 CPU review
http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=27

Intel Core i5 750 Processor Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/193-intel-core-i5-750/

Intel Core i5-750 und P55 Chipsatz im Test - Benchmarkvergleich (German)
http://www.tweakpc.de/hardware/tests/cp ... 50/s01.php

Intel Core i5, Core i7 800 Processors and P55 Express
http://hothardware.com/articles/Intel-C ... 5-Chipset/

Intel Core i7 870/Core i5 750/P55 Express chipset Review
http://www.motherboards.org/reviews/har ... 942_1.html

Intel Core i5 750 & i7 870 Review
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardw ... lynnfield/

Intel Core i5 750 Core i7 870 Review
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews ... corei7870/

Intel Lynnfield Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 Processor Review
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=776

Intel Core i7 870 LGA1156 Review
and
Intel P55 DP55KG Extreme Preview
http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/pro ... me-preview

...That will keep you busy for a while.

[stmok]

Intel Core i7 870, 860 and Core i5 750: The LGA1156 platform is here...
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=855
Thank god these folks have an 860 version to look at!


After reading all these articles, there are a few things to draw from them:

(1) No surprise that these newer Core i5/i7 take the upper end of the performance spectrum.

(2) The i7-870 is seriously overpriced.
Seriously Intel, that's almost twice the price for an extra 133 MHz difference!
ie:
Core i7-860 => US$284
Core i7-870 => US$562
Core i5-750 => US$196
(It doesn't take a genius to see the i7-860 is the way to go here. Then again, if you can afford that, you might well invest in Core i7-920 as that is the SAME price!)

(3) The Intel stock heatsink is a bit dinky. (Just adequate)...If you overclock, spend a little more on a better cooling solution. The stock cooler will hold you back. (As much as 700Mhz).

(4) If you're gonna stick lots of GPUs (4 GPUs in Nvidia's SLI or ATI Crossfire configuration), you are better off with the more expensive LGA1366 platform, as you get dual x16 PCI Express instead of dual x8 PCI-Express as found in LGA1156. Such a situation is more likely to be encountered if you do GPGPU work; where you move a lot of data.

(5) LGA1156's dual-channel bandwidth becomes a serious bottleneck above quad-cores. So expect 6-core or more to be LGA1366 only. (If you need lots of cores for the computing you do, its better to invest more in the LGA1366 platform.)

(6) Under Linux, Turbo mode doesn't work well. You're better off turning it off OR permanently overclock these chips (4Ghz to 4.2Ghz seems to be the norm)...If you must, wait until a fix is implemented.

(7) If you overclock, you have NO CHOICE but to increase core voltage (1.4v is within 10% above stock voltage). Stock voltage does NOT get you far with LGA1156 processors. (LGA1366 CPUs do better in this scenario). As well, the on-die PCI-Express controller of Core i5/i7-8xx becomes a limitation. ie: Overclock should be increments of 33MHz to make sure the PCI-E bus isn't running at an odd clock speed. No doubt Intel will resolve this issue in newer versions.

(8) If you were aiming for a high-end Core 2 platform: Don't bother. Go with low-end Core i5/i7 instead. (Core i5-750 is a budget-conscious enthusiast's dream...Maybe the Core i7-860 is more preferred if you want HyperThreading.)

(9) Expect AMD to drop prices. (The intro of these new Core CPUs has raised the bar on the "bang per buck" argument).
ie: The Phenom II X4 965 BE costs more than Core i5 750!

(10) Turbo mode will be a regular thing in future CPUs. (AMD will adopt a similar implementation when they release their new CPU in 2011). Its very suitable as it dynamically adapts to situations while offering the best performance. ie: single-threaded to multi-threaded, etc. It can bring as much as 20% increase as seen in these articles.

[stmok]

More...

Intel Core i5 And Core i7: Intel’s Mainstream Magnum Opus
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/int ... ,2410.html

Core i5, Core i7, CrossFire, And SLI: Gaming Paradise, Redux?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cor ... ,2403.html

In Theory: How Does Lynnfield's On-Die PCI Express Affect Gaming?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cor ... ,2379.html

[stmok]

Related...

Noctua U12P checked on i5 platform
http://en.hardspell.com/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6966
They check out the US$8-ish adapter kit that allows this heatsink/fan (LGA755) to be compatible with LGA1156 and LGA1366.

Intel to launch Core i7-960 next month
http://en.hardspell.com/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6971
To compensate for the performance of the i7-870.

Server Xeon L3426 to come with 45W TDP
http://en.hardspell.com/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6979
They talk about the Xeon versions of the Core i5/i7 CPUs. The most interesting one is the Xeon L3426. The default speed of that is 1.86Ghz...But its Turbo speed climbs up to 3.2Ghz!

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Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield Processor Review - Best value in processors?
=> http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=781
Core i5-750 offers an excellent price-performance with Core i7-860 close behind.


Clock for Clock: Core i5, Core i7, Core 2 Quad and Phenom II X4 Performance
=> http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=857
They test the CPUs at 2.80Ghz and at 3.6Ghz. It confirms the previous article: If you want the best price-to-performance in the quad-core processor category, go with the i5-750. The Phenom II X4 here is, (in most cases), outmatched when we look at price-performance. A price drop is certainly needed to remain competitive.


Intel Core i5 750 Review - Overclocking Phase-Change vs LN2
=> http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=951
They achieved...
~ 4Ghz with air cooling
~ 4.7Ghz with phase-change
~ 5Ghz with liquid nitrogen

[stmok]

Just something to note: Core i3 and i5 won't have Intel VT-d.
(Core i7 series in both LGA1366 and LGA1156 forms have this feature).

Intel VT-d?

Intel Technology Journal: Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O
http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/200 ... stract.htm

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d): Enhancing Intel platforms for efficient virtualization of I/O devices
http://software.intel.com/en-us/article ... o-devices/

Understanding VT-d: Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O
http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2 ... rected-io/

Examples of it being used...

Parallels Workstation Extreme - The first virtualization with dedicated graphics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMDYgi4W1Ag
(One use of Intel VT-d; it makes it easier for VM developers to add 3D Acceleration capabilities for guest OSs.)

VMware VMDirectPath and Intel VT-d
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhMkmTqBbUA


Fundamentally, its IOMMU.
=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOMMU

AMD's implementation of the same thing is called AMD-Vi.

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The Lynnfield Followup: Turbo Mode and Overclocking Investigated
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... spx?i=3640

While the overall article is useful to enthusiasts, the really interesting part is on the last page. Apparently, certain combinations of GPU (Nvidia or ATI), CPU (Phenom II, Core i5/i7, Core 2 Quad), and game can result in rather interesting numbers. They encounter cases where even a Phenom II with a Geforce GTX275 takes the crown. They suspect it could be a driver related thing...But they aren't sure what exactly is the cause. Its a "WTF?!"

The Intel Core i7 860 Review
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... spx?i=3641

Its priced the same as the Core i7 920...This article's numbers show you why. It wins in games, because its Turbo mode is more aggressive.

My recommendations from the initial Lynnfield review still stand, you'll want to opt for Bloomfield processor if you care about:

1) High-end multi-GPU performance (or other uses of high bandwidth PCIe)
2) Stock Voltage Overclocking
3) Future support for 6-core Gulftown CPUs

Bloomfield => LGA1366
Lynnfield => LGA1156

[stmok]

Another Look At Intel's Lynnfield Linux Performance
=> http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=a ... _add&num=1

Intel decided to check out Phoronix's results by re-doing the test. (Recall that Phoronix had issues with Turbo mode). Intel used a P55 mobo with a newer BIOS version; and their results show that Turbo mode works in Linux.

Phoronix will confirm Intel's numbers, once he finds the time!

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The Real Conroe Successor: Clarkdale & All You Need to Know about Westmere
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3648

* Dual-core variant of the Core-i series.
Clarkdale = Desktops
Arrandale = Notebooks

* Some will have HT and Turbo Boost. Cheaper ones don't.
(Arrandale will have Turbo Boost for its IGP. Clarkdale's IGP runs at full speed by default)

* The new solution can do bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, as well as 8-channel LPCM output. (Something that was stuffed up in G45)...As well, it can allow you to have 2 HD video streams going on at the same time.

* Clarkdale and Arrandale's IGP is an evolutionary improvement.
=> 2x performance increase over G45, but still no match for Nvidia or ATI's IGPs.
=> Makes sense for HTPC and the casual desktop/notebook or business PC...But if you're gonna play current games, you better grab a discrete video card from ATI or Nvidia. (Don't know how Intel's Larrabee will turn out yet).

* Mini-ITX platform shown running Clarkdale.
Power consumption?
At idle: less than 30W.
Under load: 70W

* Westmere (die shrink of Core-i series to 32mn) will introduce AES-NI instruction set.
=> If the application supports it, you won't see a big performance hit when you're encrypting something under AES.
Example: Intel demos AES-NI under a disk encryption scenario...
Without AES-NI: 40MB/s reads, 20 - 30MB/s writes.
With AES-NI: ~150MB/s reads, 50MB/s+ writes.

* Sandy Bridge (Successor of the Core-i series)
=> IGP and CPU will be on the same die. (Clarkdale/Arrandale has separate CPU and IGP dies.)
=> 32nm manufacturing process. (New architecture, but use manufacturing process of the last generation).
=> Introduce Advanced Vector Extensions or AVX instruction set. (Its said that this will bring some serious performance improvement. AMD's XOP instruction set will be compatible with Intel's AVX. We'll see XOP when AMD's next generation CPU, "Bulldozer" is released.)

* Early numbers from Intel comparing Core 2 Duo E8500 and Core 2 Quad Q9400 with G45 IGP VS Clarkdale at 3.33Ghz.
=> Suggests the potential possibility that a dual-core Clarkdale with Turbo Boost and Hyperthreading could be a suitable substitute for a quad core of the Core 2 generation. (...Performance wise.)

* Aside from needing a BIOS update; X58 chipset mobo owners (LGA1366) will have the option to upgrade to 6-core "Westmere" (Rumoured to be called Core i9)...Not really a new thing, as its being said all over the web.

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Core i5 Dual Clarkdale to launch January 3rd
http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/15979/1/

2010 folks...

[stmok]

Gulftown review - months before the launch
=> http://pclab.pl/art39718.html

Its the Core i9. (6-cores with HT = 12 threads, 12MB of L3 cache, in LGA1366 form, 32 nm, AES instructions)...This is an engineering sample CPU being reviewed. It will give you a rough idea of what to expect in 6 months. The processor in the article is 3.07 GHz at default speed. It allows a speed up (Turbo mode) of 266 MHz for one core, and 133Mhz for two to four cores...Works on these mobos: Gigabyte EX58-Extreme, ASUS Rampage II Gene and ASUS P6T SE.

The reviewers compare it to the Core i5, i7, Core 2 Quad, and a Phenom II X4. All running at 2.8Ghz.

It kicks ass in POV-Ray, encryption with WinZip v14 (AES instructions helps a lot), and in benchmarks that take advantage of lots of cores. Otherwise, it performs no better than Core i7 in games, Photoshop, etc. It wins in 3DMark because the spare cores help boost the AI and Physics numbers...Which don't mean much in the real world, as its a synthetic benchmark that demonstrates life in an ideal world.

The power consumption is quite interesting, as Intel has managed to make a 6-core well within the power envelope of a 4-core (Core i7)...This is largely thanks to the 6-core being 32nm, while the 4-core being used in comparison is 45nm. What's really impressive is the temperature...Its cooler than all other processors in the article! (An indication of what to expect with 32nm CPUs from Intel).

In overclocking, they bumped up the voltage to 1.35 V and managed to push the speed to 4.3Ghz. Six cores at over 4Ghz!

AMD is going to have a problem if Intel pushes their upcoming 32nm processors aggressively.
(AMD won't be able to respond until at least 2011. I guess 2010 will be just speed bumps for their CPUs.)

[stmok]

Intel 32nm Core i3, Core i5 processors now listed (in German retailer)
http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/16540/1/

Nothing under AUD$100.

Core i3 530 (2.93Ghz) => $ 84.16 Euro => AUD$137.09
Core i3 540 (3.06Ghz) => $ 97.93 Euro => AUD$159.52
Core i5 650 (3.20Ghz) => $130.30 Euro => AUD$212.26
Core i5 660 (3.33Ghz) => $142.48 Euro => AUD$232.10
Core i5 661 (3.33Ghz) => $142.48 Euro => AUD$232.10
Core i5 670 (3.46Ghz) => $204.85 Euro => AUD$333.70

Note:
* Core i3 does not have HyperThreading and Turbo mode...The super neutered version of the Core i-series.
* Core i5 661 has a higher clocked IGP and as a result, has a higher TDP than the 660 model (87W vs 73W).
* Its rumoured that the Core i5 661 will not have Intel VT-x/VT-d and TXT support. The 660 model does...Time will confirm that when review articles appear.

I see a potential "price conflict" here...Core i5 670 and Core i7 860 will be approx the same price!
(Why would you want dual-core with IGP; when you can have a full blown quad-core?)

[stmok]

From Japan. Lots of big charts and roadmaps to look at. Gives a good picture of what's coming on the Intel side...
=> http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/colu ... 31818.html
Covers desktop and notebook markets...No, you don't need to know Japanese to figure those charts out! Labels are in English.

[stmok]

Well, the 6-core Nehalem processor (codenamed Gulftown), won't be called the Core i9. Instead...

Core i7 980X Extreme Edition...Which means approx US$999 in price!

A few notable bits:
* 6-core, 32nm process (Westmere), 3.33GHz, 12MB L2 cache.
* HyperThreading (12 threads in total) and Turbo Boost (up to 3.6Ghz).
* Addition of AES-NI...7 instructions to accelerate AES encryption.
* LGA1366 socket, X58 chipset mobos. (Need BIOS update)
* 130W TDP.
* Virtualization improvements: Lower latency and VMX Unrestricted mode support (allows you to run 16 bit guests).
* Expected to come in March, 2010.

Links:
=> http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/16828/1/
=> http://tech.icrontic.com/news/intel-6-c ... e-i7-980x/
=> http://diy.pconline.com.cn/cpu/study_cp ... 377_1.html