Intel's Core i7 970 Reviewed, (Slightly) More Affordable 6-core

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• cantpost - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link

  Good sample dunno.
  
  I've got mine at 4 gig with 1.2 vcore but with load line calibration enabled. Otherwise the vcore drops by 0.1v and bsod time.
  
  Reckon better overclockers than me could probably get 4.2 ghz out of it but I'm waiting for some hot weather too how it does when my room gets to 30C

• jonny30 - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link

  - until Intel provides a better ratio when we talk about price/performance I will not be impressed.........and I will not buy, off-course...........
  - and I am an owner of Q6600............
  - SO, I am sorry Intel, but you do not impress ME, at least..........
  - only disappoint ME, to be frankly............
  - for the price of a single CPU that is shown-ed today, I can buy a WHOLE PC, when we talk about AMD X6...........
  - and that so call performance of you new CPU, is only effective in tests, and in to a VERY small amount of applications...........
  - in every day usage, not even the 920 - that belongs to a very good friend of mine - shows that is up to the price...........
  - not these new versions of CPU...........
  - so............what can I say more?

• jlazzaro - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link

  ....................... ..... . .. what? .................................
  
  ...................
  .................... ...........

• ClagMaster - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link

  I agree.
  
  I too have a Q6600 that I bought for $200 using a DG965WH motherboard. It was excellent for its time.
  
  Unless Intel or AMD markets a replacement processor that is 2x as capable than the Q6600 for $200 - $250 then I am not interested in upgrading.
  
  Even the i7 920 or i5 760 does not provides that kind of cost/power normalized performance.
  
  If my Q6600/DG965WH were to drop dead tomorrow, I would purchase a 95W Phenom II X4 955 Black with an ASUS 890G/SB850 chipset (for the ECC memory) because this provides the best value and connectivity for the dollar. I do not have applications that really need six cores. However, I can fully utilize four cores with media encoding and MNPC analysis.
  
  AMD may not be first rate in processor performance, but this highly competent company and its partners offer excellent value parts.

• bupkus - Friday, July 30, 2010 - link

  If you're like most people then you're busy pricing the hard drive and memory size you need first. From there you look for an affordable combination of cpu and motherboard. If you really could use a better cpu lets say for your work but the funds aren't available you compromise as best as you can.
  However, if you're not from Main Street but instead from Wall Street the chances are you buy the best available. It is for this class of customers that Intel offers their Gulftown series. If not for these customers Intel would not have a $1k desktop processor.
  I'm not saying Intel is involved with the progressive redistribution of wealth to the top 1%, but I feel confident that marketers will be targeting the customers with the most money first and let second tier builders like AMD pick up the rest of us where the less attractive profit margins are found.
  This is not a moral statement, just a practical one related to what is brought to the market. Don't get me wrong, I could get moral, but this is after all a technical site.

• cauchy2k - Saturday, July 31, 2010 - link

  If i get to buy an around $1000 cpu I'd go with the 980x,simply because it's the best and its next lower cpu is only $100 cheaper.When you get to spend around $1000 in a cpu $100 it's no big deal when you can get more advantadges.

• Mensinnylopard - Monday, August 2, 2010 - link

  That's good software and I suggest to you please read care fully and take more information...

• mapesdhs - Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - link

  
  The rendering page intrigued me, 25505 for the 970. Just for reference, my i7 860 oc'd to
  4GHz gives 19140, enough to outpace a stock 1090T and come close to a 975. Of course,
  these can be oc'd aswell, but just thought I'd mention since people were commenting on
  how the lesser CPUs oc'd would compare.
  
  What is especially interesting though is the result for an i7 930 system I found while trawling
  for Cinebench data, namely 24972 at 4.3GHz - not that much less than the 970 (by comparison,
  a stock 930 gives about 17200).
  
  As the author says, as long as there's no competition from AMD, Intel can charge what it likes and
  that part of the market will happily pay. Heck, if money really wasn't an issue, I'd buy them. :D But
  then again, for rendering, if money really wasn't an issue I'd buy a 256-CPU Altix UV 1000, hehe...
  
  Ian.

• bustermk2 - Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - link

  I do 3d for a living and this is actually a cost effective replacement for my aging xeon rig.
  
  It is the 6 cores that won me over plus the fact that there probably won't be anything better coming out until late next year.
  
  Having said that I wouldn't buy it for a home rig.