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
Load Delta Power Consumption
Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single MSI GTX 770 Lightning configuration with a wall meter connected to the OCZ 1250W power supply. This power supply is Gold rated, and as I am in the UK on a 230-240 V supply, leads to ~75% efficiency > 50W, and 90%+ efficiency at 250W, suitable for both idle and multi-GPU loading. This method of power reading allows us to compare both the power management of the BIOS and the board's ability to supply components with power under load, and includes typical PSU losses due to efficiency.
Each of the Broadwell-E SKUs are rated at 140W, however they vary between 6 cores and 10 cores and with different frequencies. Normally one would assume that the core/frequency ratio would be adjusted to match TDP, but ultimately using more cores can consume more power. We see a distinct increase in power consumption moving up the product stack.
Prime95 Core Loading
For this review, we also looked into peak delta power draw when varying the number of cores using Prime95’s mode for peak power consumption. Prime95 identifies cores with multiple threads and adjusts its loading/pinning accordingly.
Broadwell-E Overclocking
Methodology
Our standard overclocking methodology is as follows. We select the automatic overclock options and test for stability with PovRay and OCCT to simulate high-end workloads. These stability tests aim to catch any immediate issues with memory or CPU errors.
For manual overclocks, based on the information gathered from previous testing, we start off at a nominal voltage and CPU multiplier, and the multiplier is increased until the stability tests are failed. The CPU voltage is increased gradually until the stability tests are passed, and the process repeated until the motherboard reduces the multiplier automatically (due to safety protocols) or the CPU temperature reaches a stupidly high level (100ºC+). Our test bed is not in a case, which should push overclocks higher with fresher (cooler) air.
Overclock Results
Due to time constraints we were only able to overclock the i7-6950X using the MSI X99A Gaming Carbon motherboard. MSI has improved its overclocking options as of late on the Z170 platform to make it easier to use, but our BIOS did not have those most recent updates, particularly for load line calibration. However, our sample hit 4.1 GHz at 1.30 volts before the OCCT load temperatures were prohibitive to move up any further. We saw similar things when testing the mainstream Broadwell parts with Iris Pro, which shows that this sort of overclocking performance might be indicative of the silicon itself.
That being said, speaking with our contacts at various motherboard manufacturers, we're told that 4.1 GHz is a reasonably average processor result for Broadwell-E. Some processors will hit 4.3 GHz on air at around the same voltage, whereas others need up to 1.4 volts, and thus results will depend on the cooling setup used or the thermal characteristics of the silicon. I have also been told that AVX is a different story: for any peak frequency attained normally, AVX overclock stable frequencies will be around 200-300 MHz lower.
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redfirebird15 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
There is data in the bench for 1070 and 1080 founders editions. The 1070 is on par with the 980ti, and the 1080 beats it in all categories. Review complete.HOOfan 1 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
I imagine they are getting more clicks without it being posted, than they would with it being posted.Once it is posted, people will read it and move on. Now people have to stop by every day to ask "are they finally done yet?"
Impulses - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
I get the impatience, even tho there's plenty of other places with decent reviews, but the aggressive and entitled attitude is a little bizarre. You can't every buy the cards right now, and you'd be silly to overpay for a Founder's already, so why are you stressing so much and spamming every other article about it?SkiBum1207 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Good quality reporting and reviewing takes a TON of time. Doing benches aren't as simple as firing up a few runs of 3DMark and calling it a day. Then on top of that, there's the analysis, conversations with the manufacturer to clear up any issues, and writing it in clear and concise prose.That's not easy to do. You can get raw benchmarks anywhere online, but getting actual deep analysis by people who actually understand their respective fields? That is hard to find.
Anandtech has always had a hallmark of taking their time, doing their research, and not shoving out hacked together reviews/articles. If anything, they have gotten better over time, rather than "used to be better".
@HOOfan1, that's literally the opposite of how journalism online works. The quantity of people who rapid-refresh a page for a single article is a vast minority in comparison to once an article is published. That's one of the reasons why publish-fast, fact check later publishing has become more prevalent.
@Ryan - I know things have gotten "noisier" the past 5 or so years on the internet and in the comments, but there are still some absolutely loyal readers which absolutely appreciate the work and detail you put into each article. Thank you, and keep up the amazing work.
Eden-K121D - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
You want a deep dive into pascal read this https://images.nvidia.com/content/pdf/tesla/whitep...HOOfan 1 - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
Plenty of other sites have given a lot more than benchmarks. Maybe not as much as a typical anandtech article, but certainly much more than just "raw benchmarks".Is George RR Martin writing graphics card reviews on the side?
Anandtech doesn't owe us anything, but I would say the fact that people are frustrated that there is no full review yet shows they are loyal readers. If they weren't loyal readers, they just wouldn't care.
HollyDOL - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Ouch, this definitely puts high perf line both out of my reach and interest.jabber - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Glad I didn't bother waiting when I bought the 5820k last month.getho - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Bonkers. I was holding out for this, but was forced to replace my 1366 system this year (and went with 5820). THere is no way i would've contemplated dropping $1700 on a CPU. If it was twice as fast, maybe. Even at $999 i think i'd look at dual xeons - and probably second hand at that.adamod - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
ive got an hp z600 with dual x5660's that consistently run at 3.1ghz al cores at 100 percent load...i love it....cheap r9 280x in there and a pair of ssds and its prety damn quick.....graphic card is older and kinda sucks but it DOES play crysis at 1080P which is, well just ok.....point is i plan to get a 1070 for it and i dont expect i will need to upgrade for another 5 years for gaming and CAD work that i do