rep eee We) =\Core i7-990X Extreme Edition vs. Core i7- cia J2600K Intel started integrating the new Sandy Bridge processor microarchitecture not in the upper price segment, but in the ‘mainstream LGA 15. This resulted in intemal competition between the new LGA1155 and the old LGA1366 processors. So, which one will win in this round, the progressive Sandy bridge or the previous-generation Gulffown!? by Ilya Gavrichenkov (04/05/2011 | 12:14 PM The launch of Sandy Bridge processors disturbed the established hierarchy of intel platforms, Really try to answer the following question definitively: what platform would be the best fit for those who hunt for maximum performance? It used to be fatty simple when the top processor was the one and only Core i7 Extreme Edition. However, now its positions have been threatened by daring newcomers, such as Core i7-2600K. Of course, we cannot yet state thatthe top Sandy Bridge processors are ind¥sputably faster than the six-core Gullfown ones. But atthe same time, there are serious reasons to believe that in some cases Core i7 Sandy Bridge and LGA1155 platform compatible with it may tur out more appealing than the top LGA1366 CPUs. The main advantage ofthe LGA1155 Core i7 processors isthe second generation Core microarchitecture they are based on. Numerous tests show that the improvements introduced in Sandy Bridge make these processors more than 30% faster than their LGA1156 predecessors. And therefore, they can easity catch up with the top LGA1366 processors, which will never transition to the new microarchitecture. Moreover, Sandy bridge processors may also satisfy overclockers. The top processors inthis family belong to the so-called K-series, which implies that the CPUs feature an unlocked clock frequency mubiplir, The contemporary 32 nm process used for LGAI155 CPUs guarantees significant frequency potential. As a result, products like Core i7-2600K may be regarded as equal competitors to LGA1366 processors ftom the Extreme Edition series, akhough they cost significantly Iss. However, despite their progressive nature, Sandy Bridge processors continue being pushed into the mainstream price segment, whichis the primary target destination for the LGA1155 platform, As a resut, even the top Core i7 CPUs, based on the new mieroarcitecture have only our computational cores. Moreover, the integrated Intel HD Graphics core isan inalienable part ofall Sandy Bridge products. Moreover, the LGAL1SS platform ako has a lot of ntations: it only supports dual-channel memory mode inscad of tipl-channe, and muit+GPU SLI and CrossFireX technologies can only work as PCIe 8x48. So, despite ts significant age in computer terms, LGA1366 platform is not yet ready to give in. itis free fromall these enforoed restrictions that spoil the impressions from the new LGAISS platform. Moreover, the top LGA1366 processors are sit-core ones. The only issu is that all of them are Gulflowns, ic. are based on the previous generation ‘Westmere microarchitecture, However, Intel betieves that tis still curent enough and even continues to announce new products based oni, tke the recently released 1000-dollar flagship LGA 1366 sohition - Core i7-990X Extreme Edition As forus, we decided to disregard al prejudices about the positioning of the LGA1366 and LGAL1SS platforms and compare Core i7-2600K. against Core i7-990X Extreme Edition directly. Yes, these are very diferent processors, one of which is more than three times more expensive than the other, but we believe it will make our today’s test sessioneven more interesting, Anyway, computer enthusiasts base their preferences not on the mamufactarer’s, recommendations, but on their own idea ofthe product’s consumer qualities. So, today we are going to compare top LGAI155 and LGA1366 processors and wil ty to determine, which one of them is better suited for today’s realities: fast quad-core newcomer or experienced six-core heavy-weight leader. Closer Look: Core i7-2600K and Core i’ -990X Extreme Edition Well, Cote i7-2600K is the top CPU of te existing LGA1155 solitons, There are three features that distinguish i from the other processors on Sandy Bridge mictoarchitectur, First, it has four computational cores and supports Hyper Threading technology. As a resit, the operating system sees its an eight-core processor, which is exactly why it belongs to the top ranks in the Core i7 family. Secondly, it has the highest clock ffequency ofall LGA 155 processors — 3.4 GHz I have to say that if we leave the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition aside for a second, it willbe the maximum clock frequency of all Intel desktop CPUs period. And thidly, its L3 cache is 8 MB big, Other quad-core Sandy Bridge CPUs fiom the Core iS series has a 6 MB L3 cache. ET coc | Mero | Menery| SD | Genie |abcut | Frooesser vane | ‘ie core 25008 codeine | SandyBrdge ax Tor | S5¥ Package | Socket iS5LGA Technology | 32am Core Voltage | 7.184V ‘Spactieation | __ntel(R) Core(TM7-2500K CFU @340GH? (ES) any | 5 use| A Stapong | 7 cat amy [8 Bt Mode! [2k _roven [BE 544,42), ENEAT WE, AES, AE | Glocke (Cora #0) CoreSpees | SM000UK2 || LtDate | Sx22KB\tes | Bay Muiteber [5340 ( 76-34) || Lt ner [4x s2Keytes | enay us specs | 100002 |) Level2 | 4x26 KOvies | Bway Level eNBvies —16-way Selecton [Fecessor#i >] Corea) 4 Threads E CPU-Z version 1.57 {have to say that although Core i7-2600K processors boast significantly more advanced features than the rest of the LGALISS CPUs, they do not nun any hotter than the others, Just like the top Core iS, our today’s heto stays within the same 95 W thermal envelope as its younger brothers. In other words, even before we get to the tests we can conchide that Core i7-2600K will tum out better than any LGA1366 processor atleast in power consumption. Ako itis important to remember that we are going to discuss « K-series processor in our today’s article. It means that it can be overclocked by simply changing its ftequency multiplier, and inthis respect it can be putin the same category as Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, Note that Intel ako has a regular Core i7-2600 CPU. It costs a litle less butt only allows increasing its clock frequency multiplier by four points above the nominal value, And keeping in mind that LGALI5S platform doesn’t allow overclocking by raising the clock generator frequency, K--series processor fs not only the more convenient, but in fact the only acceptable choice for overclocking fans. As for Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, Intel considers it to be the today’s best desktop processor. True: it not only ‘works at the highest frequency of all Intel processors (3.46 GHz), but ako has six cores and at the same time supports Hyper- Threading technology. Besides, this CPU boasts a large 12 MB L3 cache. Overall if you forget about the use of the older Gullown design for a minute then Core i7-990X Extreme Edition isa top of the lin high-performance processor, no doubt,GAT caches | Manboerd| Menery| SD | copies | about | Processor ame | Package | ‘Soecitication | fox eal bt Fai | htructons |i, SSECH,2, Clocks (Core #0) ‘Core Speed | fue Speed | 1580 NIH 5192.42 OPILink | CPU-Z version 1.57 [asa Intel Core Exree 890 codetiene | Gultown [__ Soaket 1386 Lea Teeheclogy | 3207 Core Votage biel) CoreC™H) 7 CPU ae ace Lbats Li Level Level 12 ves ioe) (3 X80 @ 3.4762 5) Hoge! | © Stepsng bet ods! ae 35,41, 62), EGET, Vo AES Raviaon [a1 oe ‘teeway ‘At the same time, we can’t call Core i7-990X Extreme Edition an innovative solution: tis simply the old Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU launched a year ago overclocked by additional 133 MHz. Although Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition belong to different categories, t's try and compare their features anyway. ‘Codename Cores/threads Intel Hyper-Threading Technology ‘Clock frequency Frequency in Turbo mode Leache Intel HD Graphics Production process ‘TOP Memory controller ‘Supported memory types Processor socket se! AES-NI support ‘AVX support Virtualization technology (Official price Sandy Bridge ais Yes 2aGHz Uptoa.8GHz 8MB HD Graphics 3000, 32am 95 W 2-channel DDR3 pR3-1067/1233 gas, ‘SSE4.2 Yes Yes Yes $17 Cee Eee ed Gulftown oft Yes 2.45GH2 uptoa.73.GH2 RMB None 32am 130W 3-channel DDR3 bpa2-1067/1333 Lsn1365 SSEA.2 Yes None Yes $999 Well it may seem lke a strange idea to compare Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, since LGA1366 processor is superior to the competitor in almost every aspect, inchuling the number of pins. But in realty, Core i7- 260K may get a hand from the following three things: improved microarchitecture providing higher relative performance, higher frequency potential during overclocking, and the fact that there are not so many applications out there that can really beneftffom having more than four physical cores.Core i7-990X Extreme Evin (lf) and Core i7-2600K (righ) Testbed Configuration ‘Trying to make our investigation more in-depth, we decided not to limit ourselves with only two main heroes of our today’s article - Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. Besides these two, we ako tested the today’s current products in the price range above $300, as wells less expensive Core iS-2500K and Phenom II X6 11007, which top the corresponding familics. As a result, this article may serve not only as a practical comparison of the current top overclocker CPUs in the Core i7 family, but ako as a broader comparison of expensive contemporary processors ‘As a result, we ended up using the folowing hardware and software components for our testbeds: Processors: © AMD Phenom II X6 11007 (Thuban, 6 cores, 3 GHz, 6 MB 13); © Intel Core i7-2600K (Sandy Bridge, 4 cores, 3.4 GHz, 8 MB L3); © Intel Core i5-2500K (Sandy Bridge, 4 cores, 3.3 GHz, 6 MBL3); © Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition (Gulliown, 6 cores, 3.46 GHz, 12 MB 13). © Intel Core {7-970 Gulflown, 6 cores, 3.2 GHz, 12 MB L3); © Intel Core {7-960 (Bloomfled, 4 cores, 3.2 GHlz, 8 MB L3); © Intel Core i7-875K (Lymnfled, 4 cores, 2.93 GHz, 8 MB L3). ‘© CPU cooler: Thermaitight Ulra-120 eXtreme with Enermax Everest fan; © Mainboards © ASUS Crosshair IV Formula (Socket AM3, AMD 890FX + SB850, DDR3 SDRAM); © Gigubyte PSSA-UD6 (LGA1156, Intel PSS Express); © ASUS P8P67 Deke (LGAIISS, Intel P67 Express); © Gigabyte X58A-UDS (LGA1366, Intel X58 Express) + Memory: © 2x2 GB, DDR3-1600 SDRAM, 9-9-9-27 (Kingston KHX1600C8D3K 2/4GX), © x2.GB, DDR3-1600 SDRAM, 9-9-9-27 (Crucial BL3KIT256641G1608). Graphics card: ATI Radeon HD 6970. ‘Hard drive: Kingston SNVP325-S2/128GB. Power supply wit: Tagan TGR80-U33Il (880 W), Operating system: Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 Ukimate x64, Drivers: © Intel Chipset Driver 9.2.0.1025; © Intel Rapid Storage Technology 10.1.0.1008; © ATI Catalyst 11.2 Display Driver. We performed two comparisons between the participating processors: in nominal mode and in overclocked mode, since they are targeted for computer enthusiasts Performance in Nominal ModeGeneral Performance As usual, we use SYSmark 2007 suite to estimate the processor performance in general-purpose tasks, It emulates the usage models in popular office and digital content creation and processing applications. The idea behind this testis fairly simple: it produces a single score characterizing the average computer performance. sYSmark 2007 covers covt08 = cone 5 core 7-275K 247 etter > Right away we get the results that ft perfectly into our theory about quad-core Sandy Bridge being better than six-core Gulfown, SYSmark 2007 test shows average performance in general-purpose applications, which are often not so well ‘optimized for muki-threading. Therefore, inthis case higher relative performance of individual cores offered by the new= generation microarchitecture tumed out more usefil than larger number of cores. Core i7-2600K is 8% faster than Core 47-990X Extreme Edition. Moreover, the performance of our “extreme” processor tumed out even lower than that of another less expensive Sandy Bridge CPU - Core i5-2500K. T would like to add the following table to the diagram above. It contains detailed SYSmark 2007 resus sorted according to the types of applications: wi ere) Core i7-2600K Core i5-2500K 247 core i7-890x 228 core 17-560 2a core 17-870 209 Core 17-875 205 Phenomilxe1100T 175, Gaming Performance As you know, ilis the graphics subsystem that determines the performance of the entire platform equipped with pretty high-speed processors in the majority of contemporary games. Therefore, we do our best to make sure thatthe graphics card is not loaded too heavily during the test session: we select the most CPU-dependent tests ancl al tests are performed without antialiasing and in far not the highest sereen resolutions, In other words, obtained resuits allow us toanalyze not that mach the fps rate that can be achieved in systems equipped with contemporary graphics accelerators, ‘but rather how well contemporary processors can cope with gaming workload. Therefore, the resuls help us determine ‘how the tested CPUs will behave in the nearest fiture, when new faster graphics card generations willbe widely available. Far Cry 2, 1680x1050 HQ core i7-2500K core i-2500K ‘core 7-990X core 7-960 core 7-970 core 7-875K Phenom X6 11007 StarCraft 2, 1680x1050 HQ. ‘core 7-250 (core i5-2500K core 7-390x core 7-360 core 7-370 core 7-275K Phenom il X6 21007 etter > F12010, 1680x1050 HQ core i7-2500K core i-2500K ‘core 7-990X core 7-960 core 7-970 core 7-875K Phenom X6 11007Mafia I, 1680x1050 HQ core i7-2500K core i-2500K ‘core 7-990X core 7-960 core 7-970 core 7-875K Phenom X6 11007 etter > Metro 2033, 1680x1050 HQ+PhysX ‘core 7-250 (core i5-2500K core 7-390x core 7-370 core 7-875K core7-960) Phenom il X6 21007 etter > Civilization V, 1680x1050 HQ. ‘core 7-250 100.48 ‘cove 7-390x core 525006 core 7-370 core 7-360 core 7-275K Phenom il X6 21007 etter > ‘Back during our fist test session featuring Sandy Bridge processors, we stressed that they would be an excellent choice {or gamers, Today we confirmed this statement one more time. Sandy Bridge processors are simply unrivaled under gaming workload: they leave far behind their quad-core as well as six-core counterparts based on the previows- generation microarchitecture. So, unlike Core i7-2600K, Core i7-990X Extreme Edition will hardly be the most reasonable choice fora gaming system.As a resul, even ifyou intend to use a muti-GPU graphics configuration, we can recommen Core i7-2600K, despite ‘the fact that the LGA 155 platform doesn't support PCTe 16x + 16x for two graphics cards in their defiult mode. It right be a good thing o use an LGA! 155 mainboard with an additional Nvidia NF200 switch that tums one PCle x16 ‘bus into two almost filly functional ones. For example, Asus Maximus IV Extreme or Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7-B3. Archiving and Eneryption To test the processors performance during data archiving we resort to WinRAR archiving utity. Using merximum compression rate we archive @ folder with muitiple fis 699 MB in total siz WinRAR 4.0, sec ‘cove 7-390x a ‘core 7-250 core 7-370 core 525006 core 7-360 core 7-275K PhenomilX6 11007 FT) - ‘€ Better Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processors show very similar results in this test, although the LGA1366 processor is ltl bit ahead of the competitor. The processor performance during encryption is measured with an integrated benchmark ffom a popular cryptographic uty called TrueCrypt. I have to say that it can not only eflectively utilize any umber of processor cores, but also supports special AES instructions TrueCrypt 7.0, AES-Twofish-Serpent, MB/s core 90% couer570 = oer. TTR Phenomil x6 11007 7 Ta coet-2300 EER core 7-360 ry core 7-275K a etter > Encryption isa process that can be well paralleled, so six cores of the Gulftown processor, which also support AES instructions, show briliant results, So, Core i7-2600K gets defeated not only by Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, but also by a slower six-core CPU — Cote i7-970.Image Editing ‘We measured the performance in Adobe Photoshop using our own benchmark made ffom Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed Test that has been creatively modified. It includes typical editing of four 10-megapixel images from a digital photo camera, Adobe Photoshop CS5, sec con 0 TR coes0% TER oe, TT: Ce ) Core 17-360 7 Ea € Better Not allthe fers in Adobe Photoshop are well optimized for mult-threading, As a result, during complex image processing large numer of computational cores doesn’t matter that much, So, the victory here goes to Sandy Bridge processors with advanced microarchitecture and higher relative performance, namely, Core iS-2500K and Core i7- 2600K. As for Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, the performance difference between it and its vis-a-vis reaches impressive 10%. ‘We have ako performed some tests in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 program, The test scenario includes post- processing and export into JPEG format of hundred 12-megapixel images in RAW format, Adobe Lightroom 3, sec ‘core 7-390X corei7-970 a ‘corei7-2500K Core 17-950 7 9 core 2500 20 Phenom x6 13007 Core 7-875K 7 a - ‘€ Better However, when it comes to batch image processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, it creates completely different type ofprocessor workload. Here Sandy Bridge microarchiteeture loses to the pure computational power of six Gulfown, cores. As a resuil, Core i7-990X Extreme Edition tums out 15% faster than Core i7-2600K. Audio ProcessingWe use Apple iTunes uty to test audio transcoding speed. Ittranscodes the contents ofa CD disk into AAC format, [Note that the typical peculiarity ofthis utility i its abiity to utilize only a pair of processor cores. ITunes 10, AAC Encoding, sec core i7-2500K ez core i-2500K ‘core 7-990X Et core 7-960 zy core -875K EE core 7-370 aa PhenomilX6 11007 195 € Better We knew the outcome of the audio transcoding test in ‘Tunes even before we started i. The number of cores doesn't matter here, itis the performance of. single core that does. And ths is something Sandy Bridge processors are tly superior in. That is wity quite naturally the top two lines on the chart are occupied by Core i5-2500K and Core i7- 2600K. ‘The test in Cakewalk Sonar X1 measured the time it took to mix a short test track. Sonar X1 Producer, sec coc 2500 TS Core i5-2500K 7 337 oe 20% TTD es] cove 7.980 € Better ‘And again LGA1155 processors are the leaders. It sa pity that Sandy Bridge microarchitecture is not yet used in processors with more than four computational cores. But even without extra cores Core i7-2600K defeated all competitors, including Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, in most applications, inckading few professional ones. Video Transcoding In order to measure how fast our testing participants can transcode a video info H.264 format we used x264 HD ‘benchmark. It works with an original MPEG-2 video recorded in 720p resolution with 4 Mbps bitrate. I have to say that the results ofthis test are of great practical value, because the x264 codec is aso part of numerous popular transcoding utilities, such as HandBrake, MeGUI, VirtualDub, etc264, Encoding, fps ‘core 7-390X corei7-970 ‘corei7-2500K Phenom il x6 11007 core 7-960) core 7-875K core iS-2500K ‘etter > Video transcoding using x264 codec is one of those few tasks where the number of processor cores matters lot. That is why here Core i7-2600K tums out as much as 33% slower than Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. The top LGA1155 Intel processor also fills behind the junior six-core CPU ffom Intel — Core 17-970. However, i important to point out that itis nevertheless faster than the fastest six-core processor from AMD — Phenom II X6 11007, which looks very ‘weak in this test anyway. ‘The performance in Adobe Premiere Pro is determined by the time it takes to render a Bray project with a HDV. 1080p25 video into H.264 format and apply different special effects to it Adobe Premiere CS5, sec ‘cove 7-390x core 7-370 ‘core i7-2500K core 525006 core 7-360 core 7-275K Phenom il X6 21007 We see the same picture in Adobe Premiere Pro. Six-core Gullown processors manage to retain their leadership in ‘video processing and transcoding applications, Final Rendering We use special Cinebench test to measure the final rendering speed in Maxon Cinema 4D.CINEBENCH R11.5, Rendering coer 804 cor 570 a Core i7-2600K 7 a Core 7-360 7 Ezz) Prenomil x6 11007 coc 2500 TS - ‘Better > ‘The more cores - the better the performance. This principle works great in Cinebench, that is why processors with old ‘microarchitecture - Core {7-970 and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition — win the race here. Rendering speed in Autodesk 3ds max 2011 with both, Scanline as well as Mental Ray, was measured using SPECape test. ‘3ds max 2011, Rendering (SPEC) core 790% coc 7 570 TE Core i7-2600K 7 15.53 Core iS-2500K 7 rE core 550 etter > This is another rendering application, but the resuts are again almost the same: sic-core Core {7-990 Extreme Edition outperforms quad-core Core i7-2600K by about 9%. So, even though Intel has already rolled out more progressive microarchitecture, six-core Gulflown processors remain the better choive for 3D modeling and CAD applications, just lke for video processing. Power Consumption in Nominal Mode High performance is only one ofthe advantages of the new processors with Sandy Bridge microarchtecture, Processors ‘based oni are considerably more energy-efficient than their predecessors. The LGA 1366 platform, which is competing against Sandy Bridge, i, on the contrary, fir fom energy-efficency. And even without the tests we understand that a Core i7-990X Extreme Edition based platform with ts 130 W TDP will be much more power-hungry than the LGALISS system with a Core i7-2600K inside, which maximum TDP doesn’t exceed 95 W. Nevertheless, it willbe interesting to see how big the difference is in rel tess, ‘The graphs below show the fll power draw of the computer (without the monitor) measured after the power supply. It is the total ofthe power consumption of all the system components. The PSU's efficiency isnot taken into account, TheCPUs are Joaded by running the 64-bit LinX 0.6.4 utility. We enabled all the power-saving technologies for a correct ‘measurement ofthe computer's power draw in idle mode: CIE, AMD CooTn'Quiet and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep. ‘System Power Consumption, Idle, W ‘core 7-2600K a Core i5-2500K ny ‘core 7-875K Phenom il x6 11007 coeii0 core 7-390x 745 core 7-360 oa Even in idle mode Core i7-990X Extreme Edition based system consumes twice as much power. The Intel X58 Express chipset abo contributes to this situation, as its TDP together with the South Bridge equals 29 W. As for the LGAI155 system, itis one of today's most energy-eflicient systems for high-performance desktops, and Core i7-2600K fits perfectly into this concept. ‘System Power Consumption, 100% Load, W (core i5-2500K ‘core 7-250 core 7-875K Phenomitx6 11007 core 7-370 core 7-990X core7-960) ‘The difference in power consumption i just as dramatic under heavy load, too. While we can’t tell definitively, which of the two processors - Core i7-2600K or Core i7-990X Extreme Edition — isthe fastest, the Sandy Bridge CPU consumes 67% less power, And it means that we have an indisputable winner in terms of performance-per-wat. Overclocking ‘The manufacturer considers Core i7-2600K or Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processors to be specialized overclocker solitons. Both these CPUs have an unlocked clock frequency multiplier that makes overclocking quick and easy. Moreover, Core i7-2600K ot Core i7-990X Extreme Edition are manufactured withthe latest 32 1m process Allthis means that they may boast significant overclocking potential that can be revealed during overclocking, From our experience with other Sandy Bridge and Gulfown processors we expect our today’s heroes to be able to work stably at up to 4-5 GHz frequencies. This overclocking may deliver substantial performance gain that is why we decided to dedicate the entire chapter of our article to this matter.‘When we tested our processors in overclocked modes, we didn’t aim at reaching maximum overclocked frequencies. Instead, we chose a different approach: we tried to identity the frequencies at which our processors could remain stable 24/7 inside air-cooled systems. We had two tests plamed for each of our processors. During the fist test we termined the maximum ffequency, at which the CPU could work stably without increasing its core voltage above the nominal. In the second test we overclocked our processors al moderately raised Veore (+0.15 V). During our overclocking experiments, we only changed processor clock frequency multipliers and left the base clock generator frequency (BCLK) at its nominal value for both CPUs. This isthe only possible overclocking method for Core 47-2600K,, while in case of Core i7-990X Extreme Edition this approach makes things a lot easier inthe long run, because it doesn’t require adjusting the multipliers and volages for the memory, Uncore and QPI bus. We disabled ‘Turbo mode during our overclocking experiments. We used LinX 0.6.4 and Prime95 26.5 utilities to test systems? stability during overclocking, ‘As you know, overclocking causes increase in power consumption and heat dissipation, especially, ifyou increase the voltages in the process, However, we did our best to keep these parameters within reasonable limits, We didn’t disable any power-saving technologies and monitored processor temperatures very carefully throughout the entire session. Well, our fist testing participant, Core i7-990X Extreme Elton, worked stably at 4.26 GHlz(+23% above the nominal) without any Veore increase. coz ST coses | vertoerd| Merry] 0 | Sophie | Act | eee ame | __ isl Cors Exes 0x ; codename| —Gulovin 8 coy Package [Soca 661GR Technology [ 32am Core Voltage | 7. CORE sie Speoteaion| nih) CORT) 7 CRU RO OSS ES) amy [8 moae! [C stepping [2 ext Fam [8 Ext Mode! [20 Revision [BT hnsirucions [WX SSECH2,5, 35, 41,42), NOAT. VER AES ——s —— Bees || Li Data | Bx ADKByfes | Evay uitplier [320 (42-28) || Liner. | GxS2KByies | Sway us spec | 130012 |) Level2 | x26 KOvies | Bway ‘Plunk { Sis22ure || Levels 12uBytes — 18-way Selecton [Fecsor#i =] Corea ‘Threads | 12 CPU-Z version 1.57 {have to say that this overclocking didn’t have any negative impact on the temperature mode: during our stability tests the processor core temperature didn't exceed 70°C with our Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme cooler.‘When we increased the core voltage to 1.4 V, we could get our Core i7-990X Extreme Edition to work at 4.66 GHz, which is 35% higher than the nominal. EBT coches | Marboerd | Meney| Processor ane | __nelCore TExrene S50K Code iame | _ Gulowe Faccage Soot 1966 UGA Technology | SENN Core Votags | 1592 Soectiaton| hel) CoretTu) 7 CPU_-X 880 @347GHE ES) Hoge) | bat voaas [2 Slepoing Revision hnetructone [WX SSECH2, 3 35, 41,42), ENAT, VEX AES ‘hocks (Core #0) cache Core Speed | SESTWHE || L1Dala | 8x32 KEyies Muiteior | 250(12-25) || Li net 8x 22KBytse fue Speed | TSS0IN2 |) Level? | 6 ezs8 Rye ‘B Weytes Pink | Siszawr2 || Levela Selecton TZ] cores Version 1.87 = Threads | ai aay way ‘e-way @ Ok However, our stability tests revealed that the operational temperatures grew up substantially. The hottest core was ‘warming up as much as 90°C.However, this didn’t cause any stability issues whatsoever. (Our second testing participant, Core i7-2600K, works at similar clock speed as Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. So, it showed very similar results during our overclocking experiments. In particular, we managed to speed it up to 4.4 GHzat the nominal core voltage. EB} caches | Merbeerd | memary| FO Processor Graphics | about | Name code tame Paciage Technolgy Sescticaon htructone |x, SSE (1,2, 5,35, 41,82), EET Ve, ‘hocks (Core #0) Core Speed Muittior us Seca Selecton veel Core 7 200K E 140(16-24) Sandy Brdge ‘Secket 85 Lea SEN Core Vonage | ‘ef R) CoreTu 7-2800K CPU @ 240GHE (ES) oa won We Li Max TOP 1288V = 2A Lata Level Level fe Version 1.57 cores | ew coe os stepoing [7 Revision ‘Sx Kyee ‘ax Ketee 8 oytes Eway way ‘e-way Threads & OK In other words, by changing only the processor frequency mukipler we gained 29% higher frequency. As for the core temperatures, they remained very far from critical thresholds throughout all of our stability test.Just ike Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, Core i7-2600K didn’t warm up to more than 70°C during overclocking without Veore increase. As soon as we raised the Veore by 0.15 V (to 1.425 V), we managed to increase the maximum stable frequency of our test CPU by another 300 MHz (to 4.7 GHz: FEST cashes Manboord| Memory] Processor Name biel orei7 2500 code tame Paciage Technolgy |S Core Votage Taav RCs Soecticaon | _hlelR) CoreCTi)7-2300K CPU @ 240GHI: (ES) iy |S txt Famiy/ 5 Bt htructone |x, SSE (1,2, 5,35, 41,82), EET Ve, ‘hocks (Core #0) Core Speed | #558 WHE uiteor [670 ( 16-24) fue Spees | 100012 Selecton Version 1.87 Woge) | eae [ aa cache stepoing Revision Uibata | 4x32 KEyies Li net, a2 KBytes Level? | Oc258 Kye 8 oytes Level. Cores + Threads | 7 way way ‘e-way @ Ok In other words, in this case we got 38% past the nominal frequency.‘The temperature remained at an acceptable level during the stabilty tests and never hit 90°C with our Thermakight Ultra-120 eXtreme cooler, which is actually no longer among the most efficient ones. Although we overclocked processors that are atthe top of their linups, we managed to uncover their significant overclocking potential. This can be explained by the fact that Intel assigned nominal clock frequencies to their processors not based on the maximum capacities of ther semiconductor dies, but in accordance with ther thermal envelopes. In other words, overclocking may not affect the operational stability, but may Iead to serious increase in power consumption and heat dissipation beyond the declared maximums of 95 W and 130 W respectively, However, true enthusiasts do not get scared by problems lke that. Contemporary mainboards and cooling systems are robust enough. Performance in Overclocked Mode Keeping in mind that Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition allow increasing their clock frequency by 20- 40%, we decided to also check out their performance and performance scalability during overclocking. In the second part of our today’s test session we will compare the performance of Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme dition processors overclocked with and without Veore increase agains the performance of other overelocker processors working in similar conditions. So, we ended up testing Intel Core iS-2500K, Intel Core i7-2600K, Intel Core i7-875K, Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition and AMD Phenom IT X6 | 100T Black Edition processors in the following modes: Core i5-2500K 2.aGHe ‘43GH2 Core 17-2600K 24GH2 4aGHe Core i7-875K 2.93 Guz a73aGHe Core 17-980x 2.45 GH2 4.26GH2 Phenom il x6 11007 3.aGH? 2.8GH? Inall cases we overclocked our processors by raising their clock fiequency multiplier, The memory frequency in these testbeds didn’t change and remained at 1600 MHz. The testbeds configuration also remained the same as in the fist part of our today’s tests, General Performance‘sYSmark 2007 x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte = 17GHe BR scm 2 3G: Phenom xea2007 better > Gaming PerformanceFar Cry 2, 1680x1050 HQ x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte = 17GHe BR scm 2 3G: 38 better> ‘StarCraft 2, 1680x1050 HQ. x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe BE saote 5 aacte = 16H ER ason 2 gach: core ie a7sK Phenom xea2007 better >F12010, 1680x1050 HQ x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte = 17GHe BR scm 2 3G: 38 atter> Mafia ll, 1680x1050 HQ x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe BE saote 5 aacte = 16H ER ason 2 gach: core ie a7sK Phenom xea2007 better >Metro 2033, 1680x1050 HQ+PhysX x Asst BB G20cn sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte 476K BR scm 2 3G: 38 atter> Civilization V, 1680x1050 HQ x Asst BB G20cn sascH: = _a7cHe BE saote 5 aacte = 16H ER ason 2 gach: core ie a7sK Phenom xea2007 better >Archiving and Eneryption core iv-o90% core core 7-250 is-2500 core ir875K WinRAR 4.0, sec 4.56GHs 266K 3.46GHs 76H 3aGHe ‘70H 43H: 30H € BetterTrueCrypt 7.0, AES-Twofish-Serpent, MB/s x Asst BB G20cn sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte 476K BR scm 2 gate 38 €3 better > Image Editingcore core core core core i7-990x g core ie a7sK i7-990x i7-2600K ie a7sK ‘Adobe Photoshop CS5, sec 4.56GHs 4.266H2 +3.45GHs A7GH: ‘acts 3aGHe 47GHe 30h 2acH: Better Adobe Lightroom 3, sec 4.56GHs 4.266H2 +3.45GHs A7GH: ‘acts 3aGHe 47GHe 30h 2acH: BetterAudio Processing iTunes 10, AAC Encoding, sec 1580 §8 200m sascH: = set Sonor etek gE sack 2 sscHr core ir875K Phenom xeiL007 BetterSonar X1 Producer, sec = asec §8 20m Sasa = 76H gE aon saci = tH BE _sson cH core ie a7sK Better Video Transcoding264, Encoding, fps x Asst E2 s20cne sascH: = _a7cHe EE saan 5 aacte = 17GHe BR scm 2 3G: zs atter> Adobe Premiere CS5, sec x Asst gE cacene sascH: = _a7cHe BE saote 5 aacte = 17GHe ER ason 2 gach: core ie a7sK Phenom xea2007 € BetterFinal Rendering CINEBENCH R11.5, Rendering = tice BE tacn sascH: = arn ero yaa $2 12cm 2 sscHr core ir875K Phenom xeiL007 better >3ds max 2011, Rendering (SPEC) =» 1768 gE _aaen Saaaie 47GHe 30h 2acH: Phenom better > We didn’t provide detailed comments for each of the diagrams above for one simple reason: the relative performance of Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition does not really differ from the resuits obtained in nominal mode. ‘And there is nothing surprising about it, actualy. Although Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition are based on two diferent version of Core microarchitecture, they demonstrated almost the same hidden frequency potential, So, both these processors provide overelocking enthusiasts with similar performance gains At the same time, I can't help mentioning that overclocked Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processors are simply beyond any competition. No other overclocker processors can get close to them. 32 nm process combined with contemporary Intel's microarchitecture is a real goldmine for those enthusiasts who are on a quest for highest performance and are not afiad to have their hardware overclocked. Power Consumption in Overclocked Mode ‘The power consumption tests performed on overclocked processors promise t be considerably less predictable, Although according to the conchisions we drew afier our special investigation, we can assume that old rules wil till work for both our today’s processors - Core i7-2600K and Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. These rues are the following: ifthe processor clock frequency increases at the constant vokage, the power consumption doesn’t increase too much; however, ifthe Veore increases, then this parameter goes up, t00.‘System Power Consumption, I A7GH: gE _aaen Saaaie 47GHe 30h 2acH: Phenom Better Nevertheless, our practical experiments show that almost any overclocking doesn’t affect the power consumption in idle ‘mode. This can be explained easily. C1E and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep power-saving technologies continue working as usual in overclocked systems. It especially true in our case, when all overclocking is done by simply adjusting the processor clock ffequency multipfiers, so that they go back to the same power-saving mode as they would without any overclocking, when the systems idling, And even ifwe overclocked by raising the processor Veore, it doesn’t change anything: the core voltage also drops to its original level in idle mode. ‘The only sad exception to this rue is Phenom II X6, which Coof'n’ Quiet technology gets partially disabled during overclocking by muliplier for some reason.‘System Power Consumption, 100% Load, W A7GH: gE _aaen Saaaie 47GHe 30h 2acH: Phenom € Better High processor load easily destroys the idyllic picture we have just seen on the graph above. Here overclocked and notroverclocked processors demonstrate drastically different resuks. However, the obtained results still comply with the rule described above: only if ou raise the Veore during overclocking, the power consumption inereases significantly. Namely, Core i7-990X Extreme Faiton working at 4.26 GH frequency and at defaut wokage consumes only 22 W ‘more power than at is standard clock of 3.46 GHz. As for Core i7-2600K overclocked to 4.4 GHz. without increasing its Veore, its power consumption is 28 W higher than in the nominal mode. Any further overclocking of both processors (by addtional 300-400 MHz) that requires higher Vcore setting, causes about 50 W increase in power consumption, Overall, outstanding power-effciency of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture doesn't go anywhere during overclocking. Even when we push our Core i7-2600K to its maximum of 4.7 GHz, the system with this processor still consumes less power than the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition based platform working in nominal mode. Conclusion ‘Affer we completed the fit tests of Sandy Bridge processors, the verdict was extremely positive. Intel engineers did a sg7eat job on the new microarchitecture, so the actual products based on it ended up with a great combination of consumer features. However, the Core i7-2600K processor we discussed today is a unique thing. Although this CPU, lke all other Sandy Bridge processors, s designed for LGA115S platform and theoretically doesn't belong to the top product category, things are totally different in realty The new microarchitecture tums out so strong, that Core i7- 2600K managed to outperform many pricier products for a higher-end LGA1366 platform, In other words, inthe face of the new Core i7-2600K Intel created some sort of diversion that from the inside totally messes up the company’s marketing strategy in the upper price segment, And now, as we can see, there is nothing they can do about it, Even the increase in the clock frequencies of their top-of the-line six-core LGA1366 Gulfown. processors doesn't realy help. As our tests showed, the recently hunched Core i7-990X Extreme Fuition processor‘with maximally increased clock speed can only compete against Core i7-2600K in a few individual cases — in those few applications that create heavy load that could be well-paralleled. In ict, the most expensive processor in the market, the 1000-dollar six-core Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, ean be titled the today’s fastest CPU only during video processing and transcoding, fisal rendering and a few specifi tasks, such as encryption and batch image processing. As for the majority of general-purpose applications, including contemporary 3D games, it yieks significantly to Core i7-2600K.. Although the latter CPU has a smaller 13 cache, i can boast mach higher relative performance per core. Unfortunately, overclocking alo doesn’t help to fix the situation for Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, Even though this CPU belongs to the elite Special Edition overclocker series, the potential ofthe regular Core i7-2600K is just as good. While its price is three times lower, it can be easily overclocked by simply raising its clock frequency mutiplier, and the ‘maximum frequencies for this processor are not any lower than those of the Core i7-990X Extreme Editon. In the light of everything we have just said, the “Extreme Edition” part in the name of a 1000-dollar processor becomes a ltt ridiculous, because now it refers only to power consumption and price. As for the specific recommendations, at this point it would make a lot of sense to walk away from the LGA 1366 platform in general and the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processor in particular. Much cheaper Core i7-2600K will be just as good in terms of performance in the majority of popular applications, and will eave Core i7-990X Extreme Eidtion behind in energy-effciency and overclocking. Of course, there are specific applications where six-core Core i7- 990X Extreme Edition i still very good, but a system based on it will cost an equivalent of two Sandy Bridge PCs, So, in our opinion, those users who are looking to buy a high-performance system, have two possible options to consider. The first one is the folowing: they can decide on an LGAI55 platform and Core {7-2600K processor and spend the money they save in tis case on a good mainboard, fast SSD and top-notch graphics accelerator (or even two). The second option i to wait until Intel releases something new to replace their high-end LGA.1366 platform, ‘which will include new generation muki-core processors, which will undoubtedly be superior. Infact, you won't be ‘waiting too long. By the end of this year they should roll out new enthusiast platform — LGA2011, which will boast all sorts of technological enhancements, including two PCI Express x16 slots and four memory channels. This platform will require multi-core (more than four cores) Sandy Bridge processors, which will undoubtedly faster than their LGA1155 relatives