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CORE i7 REVIEW KIT
As you've surmised by now, we were among the recipients of
the Intel i7 press review package. Our kit included:
- Core i7 920 and Core i7 965 (non-retail processor samples)
- Intel DX58SO motherboard - Intel X58 chipset.
- Intel X25-M 80GB solid-state hard drive
- Stock Intel heatsink/fan for LGA1366
- Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme RT heatsink with fan
- QiMonda DDR3 RAM - PC3-1066, 3 x 1024
MB
For who are expecting pages and pages of benchmarks of the
above gear using programs you've never heard about or will
ever use, we will disappoint. SPCR's focus is on acoustics,
thermals and power. These are the aspects we'll focus on
using test tools you may be familar with from other SPCR reviews.
The physical details of the new platform are also important for
us to examine — CPU die size, heatspreader composition and
dimensions, heatsink mounting, etc. Finally, we designed a basic
test suite with a few time-sensitive operations that the majority
of users may find themselves doing from time to time. These tests
were run on two similarly equipped systems — one Core i7,
one Core 2 quad-core — for a comparison of practical
desktop performance diferences between the Core i7 platform and
its closest Core 2 equivalents.
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Core i7 in the LGA1366 package is physically larger than
the Core 2 socket 775 processors. It has some 731 million
transistors in a 263 mm² area made in the same 45nm
fabrication process for "Penryn" Core 2 chips, which
has 410 million transistors and a 107 mm² die. Two such dies
are needed for a quad-core Core 2 processor.
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LGA1366 processor on left, LGA775 on right.
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A Core i7 in its socket. Notice the screws in each corner —
they attach to a back plate on the trace side of the
motherboard. |
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The socket is slightly larger, and rectangular, to match the
processor.
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The heatsink mounting holes remain symmetrical, though the
push-pin system from the LGA775 cooler unfortunately remains. The
lever that locks the CPU in place is longer and more prone to
bending. Watch your fingers — the amount of force required
is similar to that of a mouse trap.
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The included stock cooler is somewhat taller than the stock
LGA775 cooler.
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The stock heatsink also has a larger diameter as the mounting
holes are further apart on LGA1366 motherboards. They form a 80mm
square — LGA775 mounting holes are 72mm apart.
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Thermalright's 1366 version of the Ultra-120 eXtreme. The actual heatsink is unchanged,
but it ships with a Thermalright branded fan with a re-designed
plastic mount — the wire clips have been done away
with.
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