Comparative testing of 12 processors from AMD and Intel
12 different processors from competing manufacturers - Intel and AMD - came to our test. Our main task is to identify the best among them, than we are doing now. But first, a few words about the platforms.
This article presents the processors on sockets 1366 and 1156 from Intel, and on AM2 + / AM3 from AMD. At the moment, quite a lot of motherboards have been released for them, so choosing a “mother” for your needs will not be difficult.
Another thing is that the transition to new Intel platforms will cost you a pretty penny. For example, the average motherboard for socket 1366 will cost around 6,000 rubles, to this amount you must add the price of the processor. But for AMD the figure will be more modest - about 2000-2500 rubles. AMD solutions are available to a larger circle of people, which is what is emphasized. Moreover, you can buy a processor for AM3 and install it in an old motherboard under AM2 +. So you can save a little and go to AM3 a little later. The choice, of course, remains only for you.
And now a few words about the testing methodology.
Testing methodology.
Testing was carried out in two settings profiles:
1. Default - performance evaluation occurred at nominal frequencies and voltages;
2. Overclocking - the processors were overclocked to the frequency of 3,600 MHz. This frequency was not chosen by chance. It is on it that all processors can work around the clock from the average user. Many processors can show a greater frequency, but for the purity of the experiment, we stopped at this point.
')
Now about the tests:
• To begin with, we chose one of the most famous processor tests, the Super Pi, and counted a million decimal places. This benchmark gives a good idea of ​​the computing power of the "stone".
• Next to Super Pi comes wPrime, which is a multi-threaded test, which is important for multi-core processors. Performance evaluation in this test was made in the modes of 32M and 1024M.
• Here comes the turn to PiFast. Its main feature is to check the speed of the processor-memory, as well as the CPU itself.
Test stand.
We have collected 3 test booths.
For the Intel socket 1366 platform:
• Asus P6T6 WS Revolution motherboard
• DDR3 3x1Gb Kingston 1333MHz CL7 1.5V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
Intel socket 1156:
• Gigabyte P55M-UD4 motherboard
• DDR3 2x1Gb Kingston 1333MHz CL7 1.5V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
AMD socket AM2 + / AM3:
• Asus M4A79 Deluxe motherboard
• DDR2 2x1Gb Kingston HyperX 1066MHz CL5 2.2V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
It is time to consider processors in more detail.
Intel Core i5 750
Our review opens the brainchild of Intel'a Core i5 750. Concerning other processors of this manufacturer, its cost is low. In all tests, he showed himself to be a "middling", although he was the slowest among the creations of Intel. Unfortunately, the Intel Core i5 750 does not support Hyper-Threading, so this processor does not have virtual cores.
Intel Core i7 860
The Intel Core i7 860 is also based on the Lynnfield architecture. This processor has received support for Hyper-Threading technology, which gives a good performance boost in a lot of flow tests. Its performance is almost the same as that of the Core i5 750, but in wPrime it showed itself better due to virtual cores. But the price of it, in our opinion, is too high. For its price, you can purchase an Intel Core i7 920 socket 1366 with a three-channel memory controller.
Intel Core i7 870
This is the last representative of the platform 1156 in our review. The Core i7 870 differs from the Core i7 860 only by a higher multiplier. At the moment, it is the fastest processor for the LGA 1156. But then come the disadvantages. With equal frequencies in our tests, the Intel Core i7 870 and the youngest model 860 show almost identical results, although their cost differs almost twice. In our opinion, this processor is not worth the money. Intel Core i7 860 or Intel Core i7 920 look more reasonable solutions.
Intel Core i7 920
Now consider the processors at the Bloomfield core. The cheapest is the Core i7 920, which we rate as a fairly reasonable purchase. At a cost of 9-10 thousand rubles, it shows a fairly high level of performance in all tests. It is also worth considering that the next model Intel Core i7 950 is already 19-20 thousand rubles, thereby creating a large price gap. Intel Core i7 920 has a good overclocking potential, so it’s not too difficult for the user to increase the frequency to 4 GHz. But for those who need large frequencies, multiplier 21 will not be enough.
Intel Core i7 950
The difference of this processor from the younger model is a higher multiplier of 23, and the maximum multiplier of 25 can be achieved using 1 core. This processor is interesting in terms of overclocking due to the increased multiplier, but its price is not justifiably high compared to the younger model. Architecturally, they are identical.
Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition
And here is the first “pebble” with a free multiplier in our review. This is a Hi-End class processor that is used by many overclockers. With it, you can achieve high frequencies in extreme cooling. But unfortunately it was produced only on the stepping C0, so that other representatives of the line can achieve the same results at the same frequency, as can be seen from our diagrams. At the moment, the model is discontinued.
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition is the flagship of the company and the absolute leader in our testing. He showed the best results in all tests. Currently, a large number of world records set on this processor. Some specimens were even able to overcome the 6 GHz threshold. Of course, because of its cost, the average user is unlikely to decide to purchase it, but for overclockers and enthusiasts this is an excellent choice.
AMD Phenom X4 9850BE
It was the turn to talk about AMD processors. The first in our review is the model of the first generation Phenom. It should be said that these processors were among the worst in the history of AMD. Therefore, you should not expect high results from them. In our testing, he became an outsider - the last place in all benchmarks. And the average price of 3500 rubles is not very attractive. So it is better to choose a processor from the Phenom II model range.
AMD Athlon II X4 620
The Athlon II X4 line is positioned by the company as the lower segment of Middle-End solutions. Their performance has increased slightly compared with the first Phenomen and made the transition to the 45-nm process technology. But there is no longer a free multiplier in these processors, and they are no longer amenable to overclocking. They should be installed only in multimedia systems for watching videos and surfing the Internet.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE
The Phenom II line has become much better than the first Phenoms. With their appearance, it was possible to overcome the 8 GHz mark on AMD processors. AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE is also a good choice for overclocking on extreme cooling - above 6 GHz. For users collecting a powerful and inexpensive system, this processor will be a good solution. The disadvantages include a high level of heat generation and the impossibility of installing into an AM3 socket.
AMD Phenon II X4 955 BE
These processors were able to work in systems with AM2 + and AM3, as well as with memory. DDR3. In our opinion, this is a good solution for an upgrade if you already have a motherboard for the AM2 + platform. And in general, this processor is worth paying attention to because of the good test results and relatively low cost.
AMD Phenon II X4 965 BE
Differences with the younger model are insignificant - the frequency increased by 200 MHz and is 3.4 GHz. But there is a downside - heat has increased to 145 watts. We'll have to take care of better cooling. It should be noted that the frequency of 3.4 GHz can be achieved on all processors in the line, so buying AMD Phenon II X4 965 is not the most reasonable solution in our opinion.
Pifast, seconds, the less the better
SuperPi 1M, seconds, the less the better
wPrime 1024M, seconds, the less the better
wPrime 32M, seconds, the smaller the better
Findings.
Nobody especially doubted that Intel products will be the leaders, but their cost is quite high. For fans of this company, the most sensible solution is to purchase a Core i7 920, as the cheapest of the family and having good performance. In general, with the advent of the Phenom II line, you should pay attention to the AMD Phenom II X4 955. It can work on both the AM2 + platform and AM3. At the last significant advantage will be the support of DDR3 memory. In tests, it is slightly inferior to the Phenom II X4 965, so it is a good solution for the upgrade.
The processor receives the award as the most reasonable waste of money
The leader of our testing was the Intel Core i7 975 - a great solution for enthusiasts and overclockers, but because of its cost, not for the average user. One can only hope that the price of Intel products will change for the better for us. Nevertheless, according to the results of the test - it is exactly 975 that receives our award)
This article presents the processors on sockets 1366 and 1156 from Intel, and on AM2 + / AM3 from AMD. At the moment, quite a lot of motherboards have been released for them, so choosing a “mother” for your needs will not be difficult.
Another thing is that the transition to new Intel platforms will cost you a pretty penny. For example, the average motherboard for socket 1366 will cost around 6,000 rubles, to this amount you must add the price of the processor. But for AMD the figure will be more modest - about 2000-2500 rubles. AMD solutions are available to a larger circle of people, which is what is emphasized. Moreover, you can buy a processor for AM3 and install it in an old motherboard under AM2 +. So you can save a little and go to AM3 a little later. The choice, of course, remains only for you.
And now a few words about the testing methodology.
Testing methodology.
Testing was carried out in two settings profiles:
1. Default - performance evaluation occurred at nominal frequencies and voltages;
2. Overclocking - the processors were overclocked to the frequency of 3,600 MHz. This frequency was not chosen by chance. It is on it that all processors can work around the clock from the average user. Many processors can show a greater frequency, but for the purity of the experiment, we stopped at this point.
')
Now about the tests:
• To begin with, we chose one of the most famous processor tests, the Super Pi, and counted a million decimal places. This benchmark gives a good idea of ​​the computing power of the "stone".
• Next to Super Pi comes wPrime, which is a multi-threaded test, which is important for multi-core processors. Performance evaluation in this test was made in the modes of 32M and 1024M.
• Here comes the turn to PiFast. Its main feature is to check the speed of the processor-memory, as well as the CPU itself.
Test stand.
We have collected 3 test booths.
For the Intel socket 1366 platform:
• Asus P6T6 WS Revolution motherboard
• DDR3 3x1Gb Kingston 1333MHz CL7 1.5V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
Intel socket 1156:
• Gigabyte P55M-UD4 motherboard
• DDR3 2x1Gb Kingston 1333MHz CL7 1.5V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
AMD socket AM2 + / AM3:
• Asus M4A79 Deluxe motherboard
• DDR2 2x1Gb Kingston HyperX 1066MHz CL5 2.2V RAM
• AMD Radeon 5870 graphics card
• power supply Enermax Revolution 1050W
• hard drive OCZ Vertex 250Gb
It is time to consider processors in more detail.
Intel Core i5 750
Our review opens the brainchild of Intel'a Core i5 750. Concerning other processors of this manufacturer, its cost is low. In all tests, he showed himself to be a "middling", although he was the slowest among the creations of Intel. Unfortunately, the Intel Core i5 750 does not support Hyper-Threading, so this processor does not have virtual cores.
Intel Core i7 860
The Intel Core i7 860 is also based on the Lynnfield architecture. This processor has received support for Hyper-Threading technology, which gives a good performance boost in a lot of flow tests. Its performance is almost the same as that of the Core i5 750, but in wPrime it showed itself better due to virtual cores. But the price of it, in our opinion, is too high. For its price, you can purchase an Intel Core i7 920 socket 1366 with a three-channel memory controller.
Intel Core i7 870
This is the last representative of the platform 1156 in our review. The Core i7 870 differs from the Core i7 860 only by a higher multiplier. At the moment, it is the fastest processor for the LGA 1156. But then come the disadvantages. With equal frequencies in our tests, the Intel Core i7 870 and the youngest model 860 show almost identical results, although their cost differs almost twice. In our opinion, this processor is not worth the money. Intel Core i7 860 or Intel Core i7 920 look more reasonable solutions.
Intel Core i7 920
Now consider the processors at the Bloomfield core. The cheapest is the Core i7 920, which we rate as a fairly reasonable purchase. At a cost of 9-10 thousand rubles, it shows a fairly high level of performance in all tests. It is also worth considering that the next model Intel Core i7 950 is already 19-20 thousand rubles, thereby creating a large price gap. Intel Core i7 920 has a good overclocking potential, so it’s not too difficult for the user to increase the frequency to 4 GHz. But for those who need large frequencies, multiplier 21 will not be enough.
Intel Core i7 950
The difference of this processor from the younger model is a higher multiplier of 23, and the maximum multiplier of 25 can be achieved using 1 core. This processor is interesting in terms of overclocking due to the increased multiplier, but its price is not justifiably high compared to the younger model. Architecturally, they are identical.
Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition
And here is the first “pebble” with a free multiplier in our review. This is a Hi-End class processor that is used by many overclockers. With it, you can achieve high frequencies in extreme cooling. But unfortunately it was produced only on the stepping C0, so that other representatives of the line can achieve the same results at the same frequency, as can be seen from our diagrams. At the moment, the model is discontinued.
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition is the flagship of the company and the absolute leader in our testing. He showed the best results in all tests. Currently, a large number of world records set on this processor. Some specimens were even able to overcome the 6 GHz threshold. Of course, because of its cost, the average user is unlikely to decide to purchase it, but for overclockers and enthusiasts this is an excellent choice.
AMD Phenom X4 9850BE
It was the turn to talk about AMD processors. The first in our review is the model of the first generation Phenom. It should be said that these processors were among the worst in the history of AMD. Therefore, you should not expect high results from them. In our testing, he became an outsider - the last place in all benchmarks. And the average price of 3500 rubles is not very attractive. So it is better to choose a processor from the Phenom II model range.
AMD Athlon II X4 620
The Athlon II X4 line is positioned by the company as the lower segment of Middle-End solutions. Their performance has increased slightly compared with the first Phenomen and made the transition to the 45-nm process technology. But there is no longer a free multiplier in these processors, and they are no longer amenable to overclocking. They should be installed only in multimedia systems for watching videos and surfing the Internet.
AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE
The Phenom II line has become much better than the first Phenoms. With their appearance, it was possible to overcome the 8 GHz mark on AMD processors. AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE is also a good choice for overclocking on extreme cooling - above 6 GHz. For users collecting a powerful and inexpensive system, this processor will be a good solution. The disadvantages include a high level of heat generation and the impossibility of installing into an AM3 socket.
AMD Phenon II X4 955 BE
These processors were able to work in systems with AM2 + and AM3, as well as with memory. DDR3. In our opinion, this is a good solution for an upgrade if you already have a motherboard for the AM2 + platform. And in general, this processor is worth paying attention to because of the good test results and relatively low cost.
AMD Phenon II X4 965 BE
Differences with the younger model are insignificant - the frequency increased by 200 MHz and is 3.4 GHz. But there is a downside - heat has increased to 145 watts. We'll have to take care of better cooling. It should be noted that the frequency of 3.4 GHz can be achieved on all processors in the line, so buying AMD Phenon II X4 965 is not the most reasonable solution in our opinion.
Pifast, seconds, the less the better
SuperPi 1M, seconds, the less the better
wPrime 1024M, seconds, the less the better
wPrime 32M, seconds, the smaller the better
Findings.
Nobody especially doubted that Intel products will be the leaders, but their cost is quite high. For fans of this company, the most sensible solution is to purchase a Core i7 920, as the cheapest of the family and having good performance. In general, with the advent of the Phenom II line, you should pay attention to the AMD Phenom II X4 955. It can work on both the AM2 + platform and AM3. At the last significant advantage will be the support of DDR3 memory. In tests, it is slightly inferior to the Phenom II X4 965, so it is a good solution for the upgrade.
The processor receives the award as the most reasonable waste of money
The leader of our testing was the Intel Core i7 975 - a great solution for enthusiasts and overclockers, but because of its cost, not for the average user. One can only hope that the price of Intel products will change for the better for us. Nevertheless, according to the results of the test - it is exactly 975 that receives our award)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/77514/
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