Intel's Core i7 870 & i5 750, Lynnfield: Harder, Better, Faster Stronger

343 Comments

View All Comments

• strikeback03 - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  How would you have graphics then? You would be limited to the 4xPCIe off the P55 on motherboards which support it, as there are no integrated graphics (yet)

• MX5RX7 - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  I'm not sure that CPU/GPU integration is a good thing, from a consumer standpoint. At least in the short term.
  
  For example, in the article you mention how the majority of modern games are GPU, not CPU limited. The current model allows us to purchase a very capable processor and pair it with a very capable GPU. Then, when the ultra competitive GPU market has provided us with a choice of parts that easily eclipse the performance of the previous generation, we either swap graphics cards for the newer model, or purchase a second now cheaper identical card and (hopefully) double our game performance with SLI or Crossfire. All without having to upgrade the rest of the platform.
  
  With the current model, a new graphics API requires a new graphics card. With Larrabee, it might very well require a whole new platform.
  
  

• Ben90 - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  Yea, im really excited for Larrabee, who knows if it will be good or not... but with intel kicking ass in everything else, it will at least be interesting
  
  With overclocking performance seemingly being limited by the PCI-E controller, it seems like an unlocked 1156 would be pretty sweet
  
  All in all i gotta admit i was kinda bitter with this whole 1156 thing because i jumped on the 1336 bandwagon and it seemed that Intel was mostly just jacking off with the new socket... but this processor seems to bring a lot more innovation than i expected (just not in raw performance, still great performance though)

• chizow - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  Was worried no one was going to properly address one of the main differences between P55 and X58, thanks for giving it a dedicated comparison. Although I would've like to have seen more games tested, it clearly indicates PCIE bandwidth becoming an issue with current generation GPUs. This will only get worst with the impending launch of RV8x0 and GT300.

• Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  PCIe bandwidth on Lynnfield is only an issue with two GPUs, with one you get the same 16 lanes as you would on X58 or AMD 790FX.
  
  If I had more time I would've done more games, I just wanted to focus on those that I knew scaled the best to see what the worst case scenario would be for Lynnfield.
  
  In the end 2 GPUs are passable (although not always ideal on Lynnfield), but 4 GPUs are out of the question.
  
  Take care,
  Anand

• JumpingJack - Thursday, September 10, 2009 - link

  Anand, a few other sites have attempted SLI/Xfire work ... on in particular shows 4 GPUs having no impact at all on gaming performance in general -- well, 3 or 4 FPS, but nothing more than a few percentages over norm.
  
  Could your configuration with beta or just bad first release drivers be an issue?
  
  Jack

• JonnyDough - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  Would it be possible to incorporate two GPU controllers onto a die instead of one or is that what they'll be doing with future procs? I would think that two controllers with a communication hub might supply the needed bandwidth of x16 + x16.

• Comdrpopnfresh - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  with two gpu's being passable- do you foresee that applying to both two independent gpus, as well as the single dual-card gpus?

• Ryan Smith - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  Yes. The only difference between the two is where the PCIe bridge chip is. In the former it's on the mobo, in the latter it's on the card itself.

• Eeqmcsq - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link

  Talk about bringing a bazooka to a knife fight. AMD better be throwing all their innovation ideas and the kitchen sink into Bulldozer, because Intel is thoroughly out-innovating AMD right now.