Intel's Core i7 870 & i5 750, Lynnfield: Harder, Better, Faster Stronger
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 8, 2009 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
The Best Gaming CPU?
When I first previewed Lynnfield I theorized that its aggressive turbo modes would make it the best gaming CPU on the market. Most games these days use between two and four threads, not enough for Hyper Threading to be truly beneficial. As a result, Nehalem never really did all that well in games. It was generally faster than the competition, but not much and not on a performance-per-dollar basis.
I ran a few new game tests under Windows 7 to accompany our usual game benchmarks. The competitors here are limited to Lynnfield (of course), Bloomfield, Penryn and AMD's Phenom II.
Dawn of War II doesn't actually shatter any expectations. While turbo clearly benefits Lynnfield, it isn't enough to dethrone Bloomfield. The Core i7 920 is marginally faster than the new i5 750. Here's where things get interesting though: look at minimum frame rates. In both Lynnfield platforms, the minimum frame rates are higher than the competing Bloomfield system. That appears to be Lynnfield's aggressive turbo modes at work. While they're not constantly pushing Lynnfield to a higher clock speed, they do apparently help out when it matters the most.
The other thing to notice is the lowest Lynnfield is a faster gaming CPU than Intel's fastest dual-core: the E8600.
Sacred 2 is an example of performance standings in a more normal manner. Lynnfield can't seem to outperform Bloomfield, and the Core i5 750 actually falls slightly behind AMD's Phenom II X4 965 BE.
With World of Warcraft we're back to turbo mode having a very positive impact. The Core i7 870 is nearly as fast as the i7 975, while the i5 750 is a bit slower than the i7 920. Both are faster than the Phenom II X4 965 BE, which is in turn faster than the Q9650.
These three benchmarks seem to outline the three most realistic options for Lynnfield's gaming performance. In situations where its turbo modes can work, Lynnfield can be equal to if not faster than Bloomfield. In those situations where it doesn't kick in, Lynnfield is at least competitive with Phenom II and Bloomfield. In all situations the old Core 2 Quad Q9650 is at the bottom of the charts.
I'll throw in one more option just to complicate things. Have a look at this:
Not exactly the norm, but here we have the Phenom II X4 965 BE faster than everything - including the Core i7 975. Unfortunately there's no one benchmark that will sum up how these things perform, but overall it looks like Lynnfield is going to be one capable gaming CPU.
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JonnyDough - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
Anyone who buys a $1000 CPU has more money than brains. If you wait six months you can buy a newer budget processor for about 1/15 of the cost, overclock it and obtain the same result. I would think that $925 would be more valuable to someone with sense than bragging rights for six months. I was taught that when people brag they are vain morons. A person's value should not be estimated by the stuff they have, but by the choices they make. We all get a lot in life, it's what you do with it that sets you apart. Unfortunately our society is ruled by greed and capitalism. I choose to speak against that. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with the greedy capitalist complaint department. They don't care either.max347 - Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - link
Hmm, it would seem to me that someone who has $1k to spend on a cpu probably has "alot of brains", hence the better-than-average financial position, enabling the purchase in the first place.Also, you equate greed to capitalism. This is clearly false. People get what they work for in a capitalist society. I am not saying it is perfect, though what would be a better alternative? People are not going to be financially equal, as some work harder than others. To dispute this would demonstrate a lack of experience...to say the least.
Someone chooses to get the best. It's their money, their choice. But you're right, you should probably call them a greedy capitalist.
fullcooler - Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - link
wow, you said that way calmer than I would have. very classy reply to a young leftist. perhaps when obama passes the "free $1000 cpu's for lazy punk leftists" plan, you and I can pay for his cpu,and he wont be a sellout to the man by working for it.imaheadcase - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
I hate people who used that phrase "Has more money than brains". Doesn't it stand to reason, they have brains..if they have more money than you to buy the CPU... lolJNo - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
Not necessarily - they might have inherited the money for example.Maybe you have more money than brains too...
JonnyDough - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
Yep. These people sound like they have no idea how to be frugal with money. It's ok though, a fool and his money are soon parted.lyeoh - Thursday, September 10, 2009 - link
Stop doing that ok?If you discourage too many rich/stupid people from buying the bleeding edge stuff it just makes it harder for the rest of us.
Poor folks like me need those rich guys to rush out and buy the expensive CPUs (and GPUs etc) and work all the bugs out, get the production line ramped up etc.
Then 6-12 months later we have good and cheap stuff to buy.
The best CPU costs way less than an expensive house anyway, so it's not like he's going to cause some sort of nation wide or global financial crisis.
VaultDweller - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
Maybe they don't know how to be frugal with money.Maybe they don't NEED to be frugal with money.
Sure, a fool and his money are soon parted - but so is a brilliant rich man who has more money than he needs.
niva - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
I disagree with your first statement. There are people who simply want the best/fastest and will pay the money for it. Only in the last 3 or 4 years has top of the line performance become relevant only for gaming. A few years ago all sorts of pros needed the fastest they can get their hands on and purchases like $1k per CPU were actually justified.Now just because you can't afford a 1k CPU and never have been, doesn't mean people who buy such things are morons. Same goes for buying a Ferrari by the way. Quit being a jealous putz, thanks!
JonnyDough - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 - link
When you compare value ratios, yes. A $1000 CPU is soon worth about $75. A Ferrari sold as parts is worth about 1/15 of the price also. I didn't think I'd have to spell it out for you.