CPU Guide

Compare This

Intel Core i7-950

01 Feb 2010

Tags: (none)

Filter by Manufacturers

AMD
Intel

HWZ's Overall Rating: 8.0

<div id="reviews-list">
		<h2>More articles (2)</h2>
		<ul>
					<li class="current">
			<a href="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950" alt="/product-intel-core-i7-950/review?review=5264">A Stepping Ahead - The Core i7-975 Extreme Edition and i7-950</a>			</li>
					<li >
			<a href="/feature-changing-future-intels-core-i7" alt="/product-intel-core-i7-950/review?review=7725">Changing for the Future - Intel's Core i7</a>			</li>
				</ul>
	</div>
	
	<div id="product-review" class="article">
			<h2 class="header-green">A Stepping Ahead - The Core i7-975 Extreme Edition and i7-950</h2>
		<span class="byline">Article by Vincent Chang on Tuesday, 02 Jun 2009</span>
		<div class="share">
	<div
		id="addthis_div_51a18a169c9fb" 
		class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style"
		addthis:url="http://www.hardwarezone.com/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950"		addthis:title="A Stepping Ahead - The Core i7-975 Extreme Edition and i7-950"	>
		<a class="addthis_button_google_plusone" g:plusone:count="false"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_facebook"></a>
		<a class="addthis_button_twitter"></a>
		
		<a class="addthis_button_email"></a>
	</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 		//AddThis thing
		addthis_share = window.addthis_share || {};
		addthis_share.url_transforms = {
			add: {
				utm_source: 'addthis',
				utm_medium: 'referral',
				utm_campaign: 'addthis',
				utm_content: 'A%2BStepping%2BAhead%2B-%2BThe%2BCore%2Bi7-975%2BExtreme%2BEdition%2Band%2Bi7-950'
			}
		}
		
		addthis_config = window.addthis_config || {};
		addthis_config.data_track_clickback = true;
		addthis_config.data_ga_property = 'UA-166763-1';
		//window.addthis && addthis.toolbox (".addthis_toolbox");
		 
	});
//]]>
</script>		<div class="content resizeable">
						<div id="page-1" class="page">
		 		<h2 class="page-title">A Small Step Forward</h2>
		 		<h3 class="page_title">A Small Step Forward</h3>
<p>The past few months have seen AMD restore some semblance of competition in the mainstream and even performance<br />
enthusiast CPU segments. The Phenom II has undoubtedly been a major reason for this, with the latest X4 955 Black Edition rivaling the performance of almost all of Intel's older Core 2 quad-cores and even venturing into Core i7-920 territory.</p>
<p>Intel of course, has no reason to be overly concerned when it comes to the performance crown, since its highest end Core i7 processors remain untouchable. Hence, for all of AMD's newfound competitiveness, the chip giant has only responded with price revisions for its older quad-core processors, while bidding time for the launch of its Core i5 (Lynnfield) chips now expected in September.</p>
<p>Despite the apparent lack of competition in the high-end segment however, Intel has not stopped tweaking the Core i7 processors and today sees the official introduction of two new, revised Core i7 models, the i7-975 Extreme Edition and the i7-950. Reported to eventually replace the existing i7-965 Extreme Edition and i7-940 respectively, these new models have the same specifications as the existing models, bar a slight bump in clock speeds.</p>
<p class="rtecenter">
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1" align="center" width="95%">
    <caption>The New Core i7 Models</caption>
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <th align="center" valign="middle" rowspan="1" colspan="9">New Core i7 Processors</th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Processor Model</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Clock Speed</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">L2 Cache</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">L3 Cache</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">QuickPath Interconnect</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Max TDP (W)</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Suggested Retail Price (US$)</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Current Retail Price (US$)</th>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Availability</th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Core i7-975 Extreme Edition</th>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">3.3GHz</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">256KB x 4</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">8MB</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">6.4QT/s</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">130</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">$999</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">~$1100</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">Now</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th align="center" valign="middle">Core i7-950</th>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">3.06GHz</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">256KB x 4</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">8MB</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">4.8QT/s</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">130</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">$562</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">~$649</td>
            <td align="center" valign="middle">Now</td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>
</p>
<p>While we have mentioned that today is the 'official' date for the release of these two models, some of these chips have recently made their way into retail channels and some consumers have already been using it. There are no price cuts for these chips (Intel has no competition in this segment after all), with the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition costing around US$1000 for orders of a thousand or more. A more likely figure for the consumer is around the US$1100 mark, according to online retailers. In short, these chips look as expensive as the models they are expected to replace. Since they are rather new and are short in supply, this further inflates the retail price from the recommended price set by Intel.</p>
<p>The clock speed for the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition at 3.3GHz is marginally higher than the 3.2GHz on the current Core i7-965 Extreme Edition. With Turbo Boost enabled, this brings the load desktop clock up to the 3.48GHz mark. The same goes for the Core i7-950, which at 3.06GHz is one multiplier (133MHz) faster than the i7-940 model, excluding Turbo Boost.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img src="http://images.hardwarezone.com/upload/files/2010/02/79e57205c2.jpg" title="A quick way to distinguish between the two Core i7 steppings is to check if the small vertical marking (highlighted in red) is present. CPUs with the new D0 stepping do not have this marking. So in this case, the chip on the left is the new Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. " alt="" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">These new processors come with a new D0 stepping that's said to have improved power efficiency and thermal dissipation, leading to higher overclocks and improved power consumption. Whether that is intended to retake the overclocking momentum (based solely on raw clock speed, not overall performance) surrounding AMD's newer Phenom II chips is up for speculation, though the internet is rife with reports of the i7-975 Extreme Edition reaching more than 5GHz.</p>
<p class="rtecenter"><img src="http://images.hardwarezone.com/upload/files/2010/02/a95c69064b.bmp" title="Thanks to Turbo Boost (which increases the multiplier to 26 by default), the typical desktop clock for the Core i7-975 XE is around 3.48GHz. " class="caption" alt="" /></p>
<p class="rteleft">But before we take a look ourselves at its overclocking potential, we'll be running the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition through our usual benchmarks. Using the unlocked i7-975, we'll also be simulating the results for a i7-950 by changing the multipliers accordingly (since both of these are based on the new D0 stepping).</p>			</div>
		</div>
			<div class="pagination" >
		<span class="desc">Page 1 of 14</span>
		<ul>
			<li class="prevnext prev"><a href="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950" class="disabled">&lsaquo; Prev</a></li>
			<li class="skip">
				<form id="PageAddForm" method="post" action="/go"><fieldset style="display:none;"><input type="hidden" name="_method" value="POST" /></fieldset>					<select name="data[Page][url]" class="page-selector" id="PageUrl">
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950" selected="selected">A Small Step Forward</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/quad-core-processors-compared">Quad-Core Processors Compared</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/test-setup-12">Test Setup</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-spec-cpu2000-v13">Results - SPEC CPU2000 v1.3</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-sysmark-2007-preview-5">Results - SYSmark 2007 Preview</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-futuremark-pcmark05-pro-4">Results - Futuremark PCMark05 Pro</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-lightwave-3d-75-1">Results - Lightwave 3D 7.5</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-3ds-max-8-sp2-0">Results - 3ds Max 8 (SP2)</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-cinebench-10-and-xmpeg-503-divx-68-encoding-0">Results - Cinebench 10 and XMpeg 5.03 (DivX 6.8 Encoding)</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-futuremark-3dmark06-and-aquamark3">Results - Futuremark 3DMark06 and AquaMark3</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/results-world-conflict-and-crysis">Results - World in Conflict and Crysis</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/power-consumption-14">Power Consumption</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/better-overclocking-really">Better Overclocking, Really?</option>
<option value="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/conclusion-17">Conclusion</option>
</select>					<input type="submit" class="submit" value="Go" />				</form>			</li>
			<li class="prevnext next"><a href="/feature-stepping-ahead-core-i7-975-extreme-edition-and-i7-950/quad-core-processors-compared" class="">Next &rsaquo;</a></li>
		</ul>
	</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var container = document.getElement ('#product-review'),
			content = container && container.getElement ('.content'),
			pagination = container && container.getElement ('.pagination'),
			form = pagination && pagination.getElement ('form'),
			menu = form && form.getElement ('.page-selector'),
			links = {
				prev: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.prev a'),
				next: pagination && pagination.getElement ('.next a')
			},
			page = -1,
			desc = 'Page {curPage} of {lastPage}'
		;

// Tag as Javascript-enabled
		pagination.addClass ('js');

menu.addEvent ('change', function (e)
		{
			var curPage = this.selectedIndex + 1,
				lastPage = this.length,
				url = this.get ('value'),
				pageContent = container && container.getElement ('.page')
			;

// Disable controls
			menu.set ('disabled', 'disabled').blur ();
			if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', .5);

new Request.HTML ({
				'url': url,
				'method': 'get',
				'link': 'cancel',
				'update': content,
				'onSuccess': function ()
				{
					// Update controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					links.prev
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage > 1)? curPage - 2: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage > 1)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					links.next
						.set ('href', menu.getChildren ('option')[(curPage < lastPage)? curPage: curPage - 1].get ('value'))
						[(curPage < lastPage)? 'removeClass': 'addClass'] ('disabled')
					;
					pagination.getElement ('.desc').set ('text', desc.substitute ({ curPage: curPage, lastPage: lastPage}));

captureIntraLinks ();
					new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement (container);
				},
				'onFailure': function ()
				{
					// Restore controls
					menu.erase ('disabled');
					if (pageContent) pageContent.setStyle ('opacity', 1);
				}
			}).send ();
		});
		$$([links.prev, links.next]).addEvent ('click', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			if (!this.hasClass ('disabled'))
				menu.set ('value', this.get ('href')).fireEvent ('change');
		});
		form.addEvent ('submit', function (e)
		{
			e.stop (); this.blur ();
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		})

// Capture all intra-page links and hook to js
		function captureIntraLinks ()
		{
			content.getElements ('a[href^="#"]').flatten().each (function (link)
			{
				var target = link.get ('href').substr (6).trim ();
				if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length)
					link.addEvent ('click', function (e)
					{
						e.stop (); this.blur ();
						menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
						menu.fireEvent ('change');
					});
			});
		}
		captureIntraLinks ();

// Trigger initial pagination state
		var target = location.hash && location.hash.substr (6).trim ();
		if (target && target.match (/^\d+$/) && target <= menu.length && target != page)
		{
			menu.selectedIndex = target - 1;
			menu.fireEvent ('change');
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>
				</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent ('domready', function ()
	{
 
		var section = $('tab-product-content-review'),
			dropdown = section.getElement ('#reviews-list'),
			tId = 0
		;

if (section && dropdown)
		{
			var list = dropdown.getElement ('ul'),
				links = list.getElements ('li a')
			;

dropdown.addClass ('js');
			list.set ('morph', { 'link': 'cancel' });

$$(dropdown, list).addEvents ({
				'mousemove': function ()
				{
					$clear (tId);
				},
				'mouseenter': function ()
				{
					list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 1 });
				},
				'mouseleave': function ()
				{
					tId = function () { list.set ('morph', {'duration': 'short'}).morph ({ 'opacity': 0}); }.delay (1000);
				}
			}).fireEvent ('mouseleave');

links.addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				//unescape the 'alt' prooperty
				var o = new Element('i', { 'html': this.get ('alt')});
				new Request.HTML ({
					'url': o.get('text') + '&as=ajax',
					'method': 'get',
					'link': 'cancel',
					'update': section.empty().grab(new Element('div')
						.addClass ('waiter')
						.grab (new Element ('span', {
							text: 'Please wait while we load your article ...'
						}))
					)
				}).send ();
			})

section.getElements ('.footer .comments a').addEvent ('click', function (e)
			{
				e.stop ();
				new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($('tab-product-details'));

var href = this.get ('href').match (/#.+$/), target = href && href[0];
				if (target)
					(function () { new Fx.Scroll (window).toElement ($(target.substr (1))); })
						.delay (3000);

$('tab-product-comments').getChildren ('a')[0].fireEvent ('click');
			})
		}
		if( $$('.image-caption-container').length < 1 )
		{	
			$$('.article .content img[title]').each (function (img)
			{
				// skip if title is empty
				if (!img.get ('title')) return;
			
				new Element ('span', {'class': 'image-caption-container'})
					.addClass (['left', 'right'].contains (img.get ('align'))? img.get ('align'): '')
					.set ('width', img.get ('width'))
					.replaces (img)
					.grab (img)
					.grab (new Element ('div', {
						'class': 'image-caption',
						'html': img.get ('title').trim ()
					}))
				;
				img.erase ('align');
			
				var link = img.getParents ('a');
				if (link) link.addClass ('captioned');
			});
		}
 
	});
//]]>
</script>

CPU Guide

Intel Core i7-950

Filter by Manufacturers

You may also be interested in...