iXBT Labs wanted to see how the two most current generations of Intel processors compare when running identical tasks.  To put the processors under maximum load they used Linpack and Furmark as well as looking at video playback.  In the case of the Furmark and Linpack+Furmark tests it might have been nice to see a power versus performance metric, as better performance on the benchmarks could make a slightly less power hungry CPU even more attractive.  However the video playback is a great example of what you can expect in the way of power draw as no one wants a faster processor to play their movie back at an increased speed, a 2 hour movie should take 2 hours to play.  That makes the second metric a little more valuable for those on battery power.  Take a quick peek at their 2 page article here.

"We measured consumed power and energy consumption of four configurations based on the same testbed and four different CPUs belonging to two platforms: Intel Core i7-2700K (Sandy Bridge) and Intel Core i7-3770K (Ivy Bridge), Intel Core i5-2400 (Sandy Bridge) and Intel Core i5-3450 (Ivy Bridge)."

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Processors