Intel i7 5775C Broadwell CPU Review

Keeping with their Tick-Tock model, Intel’s latest “Tick” CPU comes in the form of the i7 5775C. As is the case with “Tick” releases, we have a new manufacturing process that advances the Haswell 22nm manufacturing process to Broadwell’s 14nm. The Broadwell desktop CPUs will work on any Z97 chipset motherboard, provided the appropriate BIOS update has been made available. This release also marks the first time Intel has included the Iris Pro graphic solution on an unlocked desktop processor or even in an LGA package for that matter. So, let’s dive in and see what this latest Intel processor is all about.

Specifications and Features

Intel’s target market for the i7-5775C processor is the content creator and gamer who enjoys media creation, vivid 3D gameplay, and overclocking performance options. As you can see by the specifications below (provided by Intel), the base and turbo frequencies are quite a bit lower than the i7 4790K, but the Iris Pro 6200 graphics should be a huge improvement over previous Intel desktop processors. The 65 watt TDP and Iris Pro 6200 graphics definitely make the i7 5775C an attractive option for small and thin form factor desktops such as a HTPC.

During Computex 2015, Intel announced the release of five 65 watt Broadwell processors – two are LGA (socket) package type and three are BGA (soldered) package type. The majority of our readers will be interested in the LGA package type to use in existing Z97 chipset motherboards.

Looking at the CPU die map, we see a couple interesting things going on. The most obvious being the Iris Pro 6200 graphics processor taking up half the die size. The full GT3e configuration of 48 Execution Units the Iris Pro 6200 graphics offers is more than double of that found on Intel’s HD4600 graphics solution. The 128 Mb of eDRAM sits on its own package and is shared by the CPU cores and Iris Pro graphics. However, installing a discrete graphics card will free up all 128 MB for the four CPU cores.

The list of key features are provided below and are courtesy Intel. Other than the Iris Pro 6200 graphics, we also have Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.7 GHz, 6 MB of shared cache, which is down from the 8 MB found on the i7 4790K. However, the embedded cache (eDRAM) should more than cover that aspect. The i7 5775C supports overclocking of the CPU cores, memory frequency, and the graphics processor.

Intel® Core™ i7-5775C Processor Key Features:

• 8-Way Multi-Task Processing: Runs 8 independent processing threads in one physical package.
• Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 6200: Offers the best Intel® processor graphics with embedded cache (eDRAM) for the
  stunning visuals and media experience.
• Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0: Dynamically increases the processor frequency up to 3.7 GHz when applications
  demand more performance. Speed when you need it, energy efficiency when you don’t.
• Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology: Allows each core of the processor to work on two tasks at the same time
  providing unprecedented processing capability for better multi-tasking, and for threaded applications.
• Intel® Smart Cache: 6MB of shared cached allows faster access to your data by enabling dynamic and efficient
  allocation of the cache to match the needs of each core significantly reducing latency to frequently used data and
  improving performance.
• CPU Overclocking Enabled (with Intel® Z97 Chipset),2: Fully unlocked core multiplier, power, base clock and DDR3
  memory ratios enable ultimate flexibility for overclocking.
• Graphics Overclocking Enabled (with Intel® 9 Series Chipset) 3: Unlocked graphics multiplier allows for overclocking
  to boost the graphics clock speed.
• Integrated Memory Controller: Supports 2 channels of DDR3-1600 memory with 2 DIMMs per channel. Support for
  memory based on the Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (Intel® XMP) specification2.
• Chipset/Motherboard Compatibility: Compatible with all Intel® 9 Series Chipsets with the latest BIOS and MCU.
• Built-in Visuals3: Enhanced built-in visual features deliver a seamless visual PC experience for doing everything from simple e-mail to enjoying the latest 3D and HD entertainment. The built-in visuals suite includes:
  -Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology:Media processing for incredibly fast conversion of video files for portable media players or online sharing.
  -Intel®InTru™3D: Stereoscopic 3D Blu-ray* playback experience in full HD 1080p resolution over HDMI 1.4 with 3D.
  -Intel® Clear Video HD Technology: Visual quality and color fidelity enhancements for spectacular HD playback andimmersive web browsing.
  -Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 2.0 (Intel® AVX 2.0): Increased performance for demanding visual applications like professional video & image editing.

The following slides go into more detail about the Broadwell desktop processors and what they offer. As you can see, the big ticket item is the Iris Pro 6200 graphics making its debut on a socketed LGA package. Past that, the 65 watt TDP, 14nm manufacturing process, and compatibility with current Z97 motherboards are all worth mentioning. For those who currently own Z87 chipset motherboards, unfortunately, motherboard manufacturers are not likely to devote the resources necessary to provide firmware updates to that series. With the release of Skylake just around the corner, most of their time is being spent developing the new 100 series chipset motherboards. All slides below courtesy Intel.

Product Tour

As is typical with the Intel sample CPUs we receive, they arrive in a small black box with a couple foam inserts to protect the processor. There isn’t too much to look at here other than the IHS and bottom contact points that allow usage in the socket 1150. The thermal solution specification calls out the PCA 2013D design, which is the same as used on the i7 4770K. If you remember when the i7 4790K was released, it called out the PCG 2013D thermal solution that was supposed to offer cooler temperatures. Given the much lower TDP of the i7 5775C, I doubt reverting back to the PCA 2013 thermal design will hurt much, if at all.

Benchmarks

For the purpose of comparison, we’ll use two previous socket 1150 processors in the i7 4790K and i7 4770K. We’ll also throw in results from the i7 5960X, which will obviously dominate the multi-threaded CPU based testing. When we get to the iGPU comparison, we’ll add results from the AMD Kaveri A10-7850K. We don’t yet have the AMD Godavari A10-7870K; but from what we’ve seen, the Godavari only provides a couple FPS more on average than the A10-7850K – and that’s at medium-level game settings. All of our gaming benchmarks use maximum settings, so that difference is likely to be even less between the A10-7850K/7870K APUs. Here is a look at the components used in the comparison systems.

Because one of the main features of the i7 5775C is the Iris Pro 6200 graphics, we’ll start with our gaming benchmarks to see just how much improvement has been made when compared to previous generations. After the iGPU testing, we’ll move on to the discrete graphics testing. For our graphics testing methodology, you can visit our testing procedures page for the detailed version of what we do. Below is the down and dirty explanation of said procedure.

Synthetic Tests

• 3DMark Vantage – DirectX 10 benchmark running at 1280X1024 – Performance preset.
• 3DMark 11 – DirectX 11 benchmark running at 1280X720 – Performance preset.
• 3DMark Fire Strike – DirectX 11 benchmark running 1920X1080 – Standard test (not extreme).
• Unigine Heaven (HWBot version) – DX11 Benchmark – Extreme setting.

Game Tests

• Batman: Arkham Origins – 1920X1080, 8x MSAA, PhysX off, V-Sync off, The rest set to on or DX11 enhanced.
• Battlefield 4 – 1920X1080, Ultra Preset, V-Sync off.
• Bioshock Infinite – 1920X1080, Ultra DX11 preset, DOF on.
• Crysis 3 – 1920X1080, Very high settings, 16x AF, 8x MSAA, V-Sync off.
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – 1920X1080, Maximum preset.
• Grid 2 – 1920X1080, 8x MSAA, Intel specific options off, Everything else set to highest available option.
• Metro Last Light – 1920X1080, DX11 preset, SSAA on, Tessellation very high, PhysX off.

As you can witness by the results below, Intel has made great strides with their Iris Pro 6200 graphics. In most cases, the performance has roughly doubled from that of their previous HD4600 series iGPU. Our four synthetic tests show a clean sweep for the Iris Pro graphics and by a pretty impressive amount.

The game benchmarks again show a clean sweep for the Iris Pro 6200 graphics. Impressive gains are seen when comparing Intel’s older HD4600 series iGPU performance. AMD’s R7 iGPU graphics held relatively close, but wasn’t quite able to keep up.

Admittedly, most of our readers use a discrete graphics card in their systems. We compared three other Intel CPUs by using the same discrete video card (EVGA GTX 780 Ti Classified) in all the test systems. The synthetic tests show the i7 5775C having no problem keeping up with the other two socket 1150 CPUs and actually taking a win in the HWBot Heaven benchmark.

The game benchmarks again show impressive results from the i7 5775C, especially considering its default clock speed is lower than the competitors. While there is very little difference between all the tested CPUs, you’ll typically see the i7 5775C fall between the i7 4770K and i7 4790K results. All in all, nothing to complain about for sure.

Moving along to the CPU and Memory benchmarks, we’ll start with the suite of AIDA64 tests. Each benchmark was run three times and the score averaged. All four CPUs used for comparison were left at their default speed and voltage with the memory set to 2400 MHz, except for the i7 5960X, which uses DDR4. Each graph is based on percentages with the i7 5775C being the basis, and thus always being 100%. A higher percentage is better on scored testing, and a lower percentage is better on timed results. Below each graph is the raw data used to produce each chart.

As expected, the i7 5775C produced results lower than the other two socket 1150 processors during the CPU tests because of its lower clock speed. The memory testing had the i7 5775C holding its own against the other socket 1150 CPUs and actually won out a couple of times. To no one’s surprise, the 8-core/16-thread i7 5960X was substantially better in all the AIDA64 testing.

Compression, rendering, and video compression are tested using 7zip, Cinebench R10/11.5/15, x264, and PoV Ray. As expected, the i7 5960X ran away from the field here. Again, the slower clock speed of the i7 5775C resulted in it falling a tad behind the other two socket 1150 processors.

The 2D benchmarks include SuperPi, wPrime, and Intel XTU. The I7 5775C managed to top the i7 4770K and i7 5960X in a couple of these tests, but by and large, clock speed and more cores won out here.

Overclocking

This particular CPU pretty much topped out at 4.4 GHz, which gave us an opportunity to check clock for clock performance against the i7 4790K processor. The wPrime 32M test scored a little better than the i7 4790K, but the SuperPi run came in just a tad slower. We’re splitting hairs here as both CPUs performed roughly the same when set to the same speed. Even though the screenshots below show a little less voltage, it took 1.4 V in order to fully stabilize the CPU at 4.4 GHz. So, we’ll call it good there as most enthusiasts should be able to duplicate that overclock. A 1.1 GHz overclock from the base clock of 3.3 GHz isn’t anything to sneeze at, especially given the mobile processor roots the i7 5775C was derived from.

The i7 5775C also offers eDRAM overclocking, which Intel states is primarily to enhance the Iris Pro 6200 graphics. The default speed of the eDRAM is set to 1800 MHz, but some have claimed speeds up to 2200 MHz are possible. ASUS passed along a beta BIOS that had eDRAM overclocking options, but they admitted it still needs work. I didn’t have much luck with the different available eDRAM ratios, but the ones I got working resulted in very minor performance increases at best. It’s something I’ll revisit once a final BIOS version is available. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on as manufacturers fine tune their Broadwell support.

Power Consumption and Temperatures

Given its mobile processor heritage, it’s no surprise the i7 5775C is very power efficient and able to run cool at the same time. Temperature testing had the i7 5775C matching those of the i7 4790K, even though the thermal designs are different. Overclocking temperatures will vary widely depending on your individual cooling apparatus, but our water cooling setup resulted in maximum temperatures of around 78 °C under load. Below are the results under stock conditions.

As far as power consumption number go, the i7 5775C performed admirably here as well. In its stock configuration, it draws less power than any of the socket 1150 CPUs reviewed to date, which isn’t surprising given its low 65 watt TDP. Even with the CPU overclocked and under 100% load, the highest wattage recorded was a mere 186 watts. Keep in mind, those numbers do not reflect a simultaneous load that might be put on the graphics card. But, either way… impressive power consumption numbers.

Conclusion

With the Skylake platform just around the corner, it puts the Broadwell desktop CPUs in a rather precarious position. If you’re an enthusiast gamer or overclocker, the i7 5775C might not be a viable upgrade path if you’re currently using an i7 4790K or i7 4770K along with a high-end discrete graphics card. But, that doesn’t mean the Broadwell desktop CPUs are void of enticing features. Without question, the increase in performance the Iris Pro 6200 graphics bring to the table is the big hitter with this release. AMD may have some catching up to do on their APUs, that’s for sure. Combine the Iris Pro 6200 graphics with reduced power consumption; and you have a great opportunity to build an inexpensive, great performing, and very efficient system. Gaming with the Iris Pro 6200 graphics is definitely possible if you’re not opposed to relaxing a few in-game settings. If that’s the case, then you can do without the added expense of a discrete video card. If you’re on a tight budget, then this could be the CPU for you.

Overclockers aren’t left out in the cold either as the i7 5775C will give you a respectable amount of overclocking to go along with the Iris Pro 6200 graphics. While there is still BIOS work to be done by motherboard partners, things should get substantially better as they have time to refine their Broadwell support.

At the time of publishing, the i7 5775C is pretty tough to find at online retailers, but we suspect that should change rather quickly. Because of that, we do not have a concrete MSRP, but it’s expected to be around $370 or less. If that holds true, it’ll be a littler more expensive than the i7 4790K. However, given the better Iris Pro 6200 graphics, the 14nm manufacturing process, and a lower TDP at 65 watts, we can see where the price increase is justified.

Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.

–Dino DeCesari (Lvcoyote)