Core I3/I5 Clarkdale prices up

[Brutal-Force]

87dtna are running comparisons, it seems that different boards have a little different options. Mine for example allows you to enable C4/C6/C7, where his only has C4/C6. On my board, that is what gives you a X24 boost of power during single threaded apps. I have run Super Pi using Turbo, mine at 175 X 20 Turbo and his at 4200 MHz and it seems that my Score was a couple milliseconds faster.

Regardless, at 1.5V+ you really should consider Water Cooling. My temps in prime hit 90 degrees within 45 min. I didn't crash or fail, but I choose to not run it that high, I have my volts backed down under 1.5. His must just be a better Chip.

With the EIST/C1E/C4/C6/C7 enabled it allows your processor to underclock like speedstep did. My Idle temps with it enabled dropped down to 27 degrees, but when I overclock to 190X20 or Higher with those settings disabled, the Idle temps remain between 35-40 and they do not speedstep.

I think the verdict is still out on how to overclock the i5.

 

[87dtna]

I have to run more voltage for the same overclock! Thats not a better chip, just a better cooler!

 

[jgv115]

I can get the real Aussie prices because I have access to them but I'm overseas so doing that with my iPod is a little hard.

I saw the i3 an i5 CPUs on sale at a market just today I should have picked one up. (I was I'm Malaysia)

 

[JonSimonzi]

Gahh... Not knowing the pricing and availability of these at MicroCenter is killing me. I can't wait until Thursday!

 

[Hey Zeus]

Gahh... Not knowing the pricing and availability of these at MicroCenter is killing me. I can't wait until Thursday!

Same here bro.

 

[JonSimonzi]

Same here bro.

I haven't bought myself a Christmas present yet, so a i5 660/670 (depending on MC price) and a Maximus III Formula might make a nice one

Knowing myself though, I'll probably pay $50 more for the motherboard at MicroCenter so I don't have to wait to get it from NewEgg though. Damn me not having patience.

Add a 5870 come tax time... Mmmm... I can taste it all already.

 

[MadMan007]

Don't bother with the i5-600s, just get an i5-750 instead. The 600s are too close in price to the i5-750 and if you're going to overclock the higher Turboboost speeds of the 600s are meaningless. The interesting CPUs in this launch for overclockers are the i3's and then just because at their price point they are a big improvement. The exception might be if you are OK with the IGP in the CPU and don't want a discrete graphics card and the lower system power draw of the i5-600s is important.

 

[cmichaelt]

I'm kind of an Intel noob, but I do love following the latest technological releases and was wondering why would someone want a i5 670 instead of a i7 920. I see that the i5 comes with onboard video, but wouldn't one normally spending that money most likely spend money on a discreet GPU? I'm also aware that the i7 920 carries a steeper premium with motherboard and ram cost as well.

I'm basing my main question from this chart (courtesy of tomshardware):

 

[87dtna]

Don't bother with the i5-600s, just get an i5-750 instead. The 600s are too close in price to the i5-750 and if you're going to overclock the higher Turboboost speeds of the 600s are meaningless. The interesting CPUs in this launch for overclockers are the i3's and then just because at their price point they are a big improvement. The exception might be if you are OK with the IGP in the CPU and don't want a discrete graphics card and the lower system power draw of the i5-600s is important.

Not completely. The 750's are topping out around 4.2ghz on air. The 600 series should hopefully be able to get well over 5ghz on air, whereas the I3's probably won't obtain those speeds because of the lower multipliers.
To people like me, who just do gaming and internet on their PC, and I5 600 series is where's it's at. I will benefit more from higher clock speed with 2 cores/4 threads than with 4 cores/4 threads at lower clocks.

 

[MadMan007]

Well we'll need to see overclocking results. There's growing evidence in various reviews that the days of 'faster dual core for gaming' are finally fading though: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3704&p=12. Regardless the 600s look like poor purchases to me plus the fact that unless you game at stupidly low resolutions and settings the GPU always matters a lot more. For general use any CPU for some time now has been sufficient.

btw, seen a review regarding which CPUs have HT and Turboboost features?

 

[87dtna]

Well we'll need to see overclocking results. There's growing evidence in various reviews that the days of 'faster dual core for gaming' are finally fading though: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3704&p=12. Regardless the 600s look like poor purchases to me plus the fact that unless you game at stupidly low resolutions and settings the GPU always matters a lot more. For general use any CPU for some time now has been sufficient.

btw, seen a review regarding which CPUs have HT and Turboboost features?

You keep talking like the I5 is JUST a dual core, it still has 4 threads and that is about 30% improvement over a straight dual core clock for clock. Not to mention, the I5's should be faster core speeds clock for clock than C2D, should clock higher and run cooler because of 32nm.

Yeah I guess the ones I looked at turned off HTT.

 

[MadMan007]

I don't know where you got confused to think that I was saying the i5 is 'just a dual core' I think it's pretty clear I was aware of hyperthreading. Nor was I comparing it just to C2Ds although for day to day internet yes I do believe that just about any C2D is sufficient.

Did you read the link I provided? The i5-750 beats the i5-661/660 in every single gaming test. Keep in mind the Turbobost speed of the i5-660/661 is 3.6GHz versus 3.2GHz for the i5-750, not that it matters much if you overclock to a set multiplier but it matters for the sake of interpreting those test results. So with a likely 12% clockspeed advantage it's still not as fast.

But hey, if you're dead set on a new CPU to replace the i5-750 you've already got that's better (or even for anyone that is looking for a new build,) great, I just think it's a waste and even provided a link without being asked this time. Just for funsies here's another link that compares CPUs at set clock speeds: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/01/03/intel_westmere_32nm_clarkdale_core_i5661_review/6 The i5-660 only just barely passes the i5-750 in one test which is a fairly old game engine where they all have great performance and that's with a 1GHZ clockspeed advantage. After that information I'm not sure how one can conclude that an i5-600 is 'where it's at.'

 

[JonSimonzi]

My plans are still to move to an i5 6XX, price dictating which one, either 660 or 670. I'd love to see a review with each of those overclocked, to see where they stand, but that probably won't happen for another week or two.

I'm a fan of higher numbers. Just something about it. I'd much prefer a CPU with 2 cores/4 threads @ 5ghz than one with 4 cores/8 threads running at 4.2ghz (my current 920). Am I expecting a huge performance jump? Not really, just like I wasn't expecting a huge performance jump going from an E8600 to my i7 920, since I don't do anything utilizing 8 cores. But, I'm a sucker for new hardware.

 

[MadMan007]

Omg dude, flashbacks to 2003 and GHz wars, and here I thought the more GHz=better myth died out long ago. But no it's aliiiiive!!

 

[87dtna]

Omg dude, flashbacks to 2003 and GHz wars, and here I thought the more GHz=better myth died out long ago. But no it's aliiiiive!!

You just don't get it I guess. 2 cores/4 threads at 5ghz WILL be better in some cases than 4 cores/4 threads at 4ghz. Like mine, just gaming and internet at this point will benefit from higher clock speed over more cores.

You can post up all the tests at stock speeds you want, I don't give a crap about stock speeds. Post up a 750 at 4ghz VS a 660 at 5ghz and then we'll have the true comparison I will be doing.

 

[MadMan007]

Nah, what I don't get is completely ignoring benchmarks from multiple sites that show otherwise. But as an Intel shareholder what am I doing discouraging illogical purchases of their products? Gogo, buy buy buy!

Well I see you added a bit so I will too Yes, the Anandtech article is stock speeds, but if you didn't notice the stock speeds, both base and Turbo, of the i5-600 are higher than those of the i5-750 and yet it underperforms it...hmm, our first clue. Then in the [H]ardOCP article they do set speed (non-Turboboost) overclocked tests and even with a 1GHz+ advantage (3.2GHz i5-750 versus 4.33GHz i5-660/661 which is a 35% clockspeed advantage) the i5-660 only just barely passes the i5-750 in one test - an old game engine where it hardly matters because performance is through the roof. I'm not certain what the point of providing informational links is if they just get ignored

Anyhow, go buybuybuy and make Intel more money for shareholders, at least I can get behind that rationale

 

[Hey Zeus]

I'm disappointed with the memory performance. WTF intel but alas this idiot still wants a 670

BTW - Where's the guys who said the I3's wouldn't have HT?

 

[87dtna]

Anybody know if the I3's and I5 600 series still work with a P55 board? Looks like they are getting H55/57 chipsets because of the onboard video. If intel pulled a fast one here, and cpu's of the same socket 1156 aren't compatable, that would be really really stupid.

 

[Hey Zeus]

Anybody know if the I3's and I5 600 series still work with a P55 board? Looks like they are getting H55/57 chipsets because of the onboard video. If intel pulled a fast one here, and cpu's of the same socket 1156 aren't compatable, that would be really really stupid.

Yes they work with the P55 but you need a discrete graphics card

 

[MadMan007]

As stated in pretty much every review out there they are compatible with a BIOS update so it's up to the mobo makers. You just can't use the IGP on P55 boards naturally since they lack the necessary hardware.