The Intel Broadwell-E Review: Core i7-6950X, i7-6900K, i7-6850K and i7-6800K Tested
by Ian Cutress on May 31, 2016 2:01 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Enterprise
- Prosumer
- X99
- 14nm
- Broadwell-E
- HEDT
GRID: Autosport
No graphics tests are complete without some input from Codemasters and the EGO engine, which means for this round of testing we point towards GRID: Autosport, the next iteration in the GRID and racing genre. As with our previous racing testing, each update to the engine aims to add in effects, reflections, detail and realism, with Codemasters making ‘authenticity’ a main focal point for this version.
GRID’s benchmark mode is very flexible, and as a result we created a test race using a shortened version of the Red Bull Ring with twelve cars doing two laps. The car is focus starts last and is quite fast, but usually finishes second or third. For low end graphics we test at 1080p medium settings, whereas mid and high end graphics get the full 1080p maximum. Both the average and minimum frame rates are recorded.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
The final title in our testing is another battle of system performance with the open world action-adventure title, Shadow of Mordor. Produced by Monolith using the LithTech Jupiter EX engine and numerous detail add-ons, SoM goes for detail and complexity to a large extent, despite having to be cut down from the original plans. The main story itself was written by the same writer as Red Dead Redemption, and it received Zero Punctuation’s Game of The Year in 2014.
For testing purposes, SoM gives a dynamic screen resolution setting, allowing us to render at high resolutions that are then scaled down to the monitor. As a result, we get several tests using the in-game benchmark. For low end graphics we examine at 720p with low settings, whereas mid and high end graphics get 1080p Ultra. The top graphics test is also redone at 3840x2160, also with Ultra settings, and we also test two cards at 4K where possible.
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RealLaugh - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Why are there no 4k resolution benchmarks, did I miss something?Surely the consumer base for this tech are not going to be playing on 1080p?!
Isn't that where the CPUs would start to get ahead of the i5 and i7 products?
Call me out if I'm mistaken!
dannybates - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
You are mistaken.Lower Res = More CPU Dependent, Less GPU Dependent
Higher Res = More GPU Dependent, Less CPU Dependent
Lowering the resolution of a computer game or software program increases the dependency on the CPU. As the resolution decreases, less strain is placed on the graphics card because there are fewer pixels to render, but the strain is then transferred to the CPU. At a lower resolution, the frames per second are limited to the CPU's speed.
RealLaugh - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
ok thanks now I know.adamod - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
i shall purchase a xeon e5 2699 v4 and a GT210.....i was to play crysis at 800x600 but ULTRA!!!Ph0b0s - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
The only thing for gaming might be scaling with more cores. With Directx 12, it makes better use of multi-core CPU's. It would be good for Anandtech to do a story on how Directx 12 scales with more cores, now we can have up to 10. I don't know if there are enough DirectX 12 games to do this yet? If you don't get an benefit for having more that 4 cores then Broadwell-E will not be needed for gaming. If you get a benefit over 4 cores that will be the case for needing Broadwell-E for gaming.jabber - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Yeah I'm looking forward to playing some DX12 games in 2018 with my DX14 capable GPU. C'mon folks that's how it always works.adamod - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
here is some limited date....it shows ashes and gears at least along with some synthetics:http://www.pcworld.com/article/3039552/hardware/te...
Wardrop - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Good banner photo! Liking it.r3loaded - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Yay, price gouging!AMD pls save us.
ochadd - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Pricing is just prohibitively high imho. I'm still rocking SandyBridge and was hoping the lowest end would basically by a 5820 with 40 lanes unlocked. Would have made a great upgrade. With the pricing I think it's best to wait until the next version of the regular desktop (Kaby Lake?) to pull the trigger.