Three Intel architectures; one speed
Subject: Processors | March 19, 2012 - 06:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Ivy Bridge, sandy bridge, sandy bridge-e, i7-3770K (ES), i7-2600K, i7-3960x
VR-Zone took a processor from each of Intel's last three architectures, clocked them all to 4.7GHz and started benchmarking. By clocking them all the same you get to see a better comparison of the performance of the various architectures, although the motherboard chipset does introduce a variable into the performance results. As well, the Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770K is an engineering sample and so may not perfectly reflect the performance of the final retail product. Drop by to see how these chips compare in synthetic benchmarks.
"Intel's Core i7-3770K (ES) vs i7-2600K vs i7-3960X, nuff said! We have also included a brief USB 3.0 controller shootout inside, involving the new Z77 (Panther Point) Native USB implementation and other popular solutions."
Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:
- Intel Second Generation Core i7 3820 Review @ OCC
- Intel Xeon E5-2600 Sany Bridge-EP Server Processors @ Legit Reviews
- Intel Core i7 2700K Review @ HCW
- Core i7 3820 @ Guru of 3D
- Intel Ivy Bridge: everything you need to know @ Techspot
- The Ivy Bridge Preview: Core i7 3770K Tested @ AnandTech
- Desktop CPU Comparison Guide @ TechARP
- AMD FX-8120 Bulldozer @ Rbmods
The Low Cost Sandy Bridge-E
In the conclusion to my original story looking at the performance characteristics of the Sandy Bridge-E platform, I wrote this:
I am most interested in the Core i7-3930K (as I think most of you will be), but we are going to have to wait a bit to see if we can get performance and power results for that part.
Well good readers, I am here with that information! After getting my hands on the Core i7-3930K processor that makes up the other 50% of the available options for the X79 chipset motherboards, I can definitively say that THIS is the processor you want. Unless you are crazy-go-nuts rich.
With a clock speed only about 2.5% lower than its bigger brother yet a price that is 44% lower, the LGA2011 socket definitely has its enthusiast favorite.
The Sandy Bridge-E Summary
I am not going to bother reprinting everything that we discussed about the new Sandy Bridge-E processor architecture, the X79 chipset and platform changes here though if you haven't read about them before today, you should definitely take a look at my earlier article.
Here is a quicker summary:
The answer might surprise you, but truthfully not a whole lot has changed. In fact, from a purely architectural stand point (when looking at the x86 processor cores), Sandy Bridge-E looks essentially identical to the cores found in currently available Sandy Bridge CPUs. You will see the same benefits of the additional AVX instruction set in applications that take advantage of it, a shared L3 cache that exists between all of the cores for data coherency and the ring bus introduced with Sandy Bridge is still there to move data between the cores, cache and uncore sections of the die.
Turbo Boost technology makes a return here as well with the updated 2.0 version in full effect - there are more steppings in scalability on this part than on the Nehalem or Westmere CPUs.
Continue reading our review of the Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E processor!!
Puget Systems will build you a Sandy Bridge E system
Subject: Systems | December 6, 2011 - 05:37 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: x79, Sandy Bridge E, puget systems, i7-3960x, GTX580, sli
If you want to get your hands on a pre-built Sandy Bridge E system you could do worse than the Puget Systems Deluge. You get the Core i7-3960X on an ASUS Sabertooth X79 with 32GB of 1500MHz Patriot Viper Xtreme DDR3, a pair of EVGA GTX580s and both an Intel 510 250GB SSD and a 2TB WD Caviar Black for storage. The whole system is cooled with a custom watercooler with a 360mm radiator and will only cost $7,254. The system does give you enough power to game in NVIDIA Surround with decent frame rates, but AnandTech is of the opinion that this system is perhaps a bit too powerful. So much of the capability of this system is not utilized by even the most demanding of games, and what is needed can be duplicated with parts that have a much smaller price tag. However if you need the bragging rights then this system is for you.
"It's been a little while since we've had a Puget Systems desktop in, and so far we haven't yet tested any of their big dog gaming machines. Everything else we've tested, we've liked, but what happens when the fine folks over at Puget Systems pull out all the stops and put together a high end gaming machine? The answer: the Deluge, an X79-based rig in a modified Antec P183, employing a custom liquid-cooling loop. It's big, powerful, and expensive. Did Puget Systems hit another custom out of the park, and is Sandy Bridge-E the enthusiast platform we were waiting for?"
Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:
- CyberPower Gamer Xtreme 1000 SE @ Bjorn3D
- Holiday 2011 Midrange System Buyer's Guide @ AnandTech
- Sony VAIO VPC-L231FX/W Review @ TechReviewSource
- Toshiba DX735 All-in-One: Notebooks Without Batteries @ AnandTech
- Pre-Built Desktop Buyer's Guide: Holiday 2011 Edition @ AnandTech
Sandy Bridge-E is just what you expect
Introduction
It has been more than three years since Intel released the first Core i7 processor built around the Nehalem CPU architecture along with the X58 chipset. It quickly became the platform of choice for the enthusiast market (gamers and overclockers), and remained in that role even as the world of processors evolved around it with the release of Westmere and Sandy Bridge. Yes, we have been big supporters of the Sandy Bridge Core i7 parts for some time as the "new" platform of choice for gamers, but part of us always fondly remembered the days of Nehalem and X58.
Well, Intel shared the sentimentl and this holiday they are officially unveiling the Sandy Bridge-E platform and the X79 chipset. The "E" stands for enthusiast in this case and you'll find that many of the same decisions and patterns apply from the Nehalem release to this one. Nehalem and X58 was really meant as a workstation design but the performance and features were so good that Intel wanted to offer it to the high-end consumer as well. Sandy Bridge-E is the same thing - this design is clearly built for the high-profit areas of computing including workstation and servers but those that want the best available technology will find it pretty damn attractive as well.
But what actually makes a Sandy Bridge-E processor (now going with the Core i7-3xxx model naming scheme) different from the Sandy Bridge CPUs we have come to love since it was released in January of this year?
The Sandy Bridge-E Architecture
The answer might surprise you, but truthfully not a whole lot has changed. In fact, from a purely architectural stand point (when looking at the x86 processor cores), Sandy Bridge-E looks essentially identical to the cores found in currently available Sandy Bridge CPUs. You will see the same benefits of the additional AVX instruction set in applications that take advantage of it, a shared L3 cache that exists between all of the cores for data coherency and the ring bus introduced with Sandy Bridge is still there to move data between the cores, cache and uncore sections of the die.
Click here to continue reading our review of the new Sandy Bridge-E processor, the Core i7-3960X!!
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