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
Broadwell-E Conclusion
Intel’s latest Broadwell-E platform is the next iteration of their high-end desktop strategy, which involves bringing the low-to-mid range professional processors into the consumer market and adding a few features (such as overclocking), but removing others (ECC). For this launch, Intel introduced four processors, ranging from six cores to ten cores and varying in price from $434 to $1723.
At AnandTech we have tested Intel’s Broadwell cores before, both in our Broadwell desktop processor review of the Core i7-5775C and the professional level Broadwell-EP Xeon E5-2600 v4 processor review. We noted a 3-5% increase in clock-per-clock performance compared to the previous generation ‘Haswell’ parts at the time. This review tests all the new Broadwell-E parts for direct comparison to the Haswell parts.
Performance
The move from Haswell-E to Broadwell-E is a change from 22nm to 14nm process technology but the microarchitecture is mostly the same, barring minor adjustments. These adjustments include an improved memory controller (now qualified on DDR4-2400), a faster divider, slightly improved branch prediction, a slightly larger scheduler, and a reduction in AVX multiply latency from 5 cycles to 3 cycles.
Due to this, the performance of the new Broadwell-E parts is somewhat predictable. Adding more cores and adjusting for frequency is a good marker, as is adjusting for the new memory speed. That means a move from the i7-5960X to the i7-6950X gives two more cores at the same frequency, or about 25% more performance. The downside of this upgrade is the price: the i7-5960X was launched at $999/$1049, whereas the new i7-6950X is $1723. That’s a big price increase by any standard.
Turbo Boost Max 3.0: A Troubled Implementation
For Broadwell-E, Intel introduced a new technology called Turbo Boost Max 3.0. With an appropriate driver, BIOS, BIOS settings, and software, this allows the system to pin a single threaded program to the best performing single core at a higher-than-listed frequency. It sounds as if it has potential, but the implementation means that very few users will ever see it.
Firstly, the driver/software implementation is perhaps easily overcome when the driver gets pushed through Windows 10 updates, similar to Speed Shift on Skylake processors which is now fully active. The part where it breaks down is in the BIOS and BIOS settings requirements. Ultimately the BIOS controls which P-states are in play (when the OS selects them), but the BIOS settings can override anything the processor might want by default. Because TBM3 involves an increase in frequency, this requires a number of settings in the BIOS to be enabled. But, because each processor is different, motherboard manufacturers are most likely going to run these options at a very conservative value so none of their users have a bad experience. In the end, whether it's used is going to depend on if the motherboard manufacturers enable it in the first place. In the motherboard we tested, we were told that it was a management decision to have it disabled by default. Because most users never touch the BIOS, especially in a prosumer/professional markets, it will most likely never be used in this case.
We didn’t get time to run a full benchmark suite with TBM 3.0 enabled, and will most likely follow up to see where in our tests it can make the most difference.
Market
The pricing will be prohibitive to most. Many enthusiasts who have played in the HEDT space for a number of years are used to the $999/$1049 price point for the most expensive processor, even when the number of cores has increased. However, this time Intel has decided to increase the top chip's cost by almost 70%. This has complications as to what product is best for prosumers looking to upgrade.
For $1721, if a user wants to invest in the i7-6950X but does not want the overclocking, they can invest in either the 14-core E5-2680 v4 for $1745 giving 40% more cores at a lower power with a slight decrease in frequency, or get double the cores in a 2P system and using the E5-2640 v4 processor: a 10-core 2.4 GHz/3.4 GHz part, running at 90W, for $939. Two of these runs a $1878, which is slightly more but having double the cores available might be the more important thing here. However because these CPUs are not often found at retail, it means that users may have to approach a system builder/integrator in order to source them.
One would assume that Intel is interested in retaining the long term HEDT hold-outs still on Nehalem, Westmere and Sandy Bridge-E processors. These prices (and the overclocking performance) might make these users feel that they should hold on another generation, or invest in Haswell-E. That being said, the low-end Broadwell-E pricing is higher than that of the low-end Haswell-E, which will extend the pricing gap between the mainstream and the high-end desktop platform.
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SAAB340 - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
If possible, can you have a look in to RAM overclocking as well. I believe the memory controller in Haswell-E isn't particularly great. The one in Skylake is way better. I wonder if Broadwell-E has improved there?I know RAM speeds in general don't make that much difference but in certain applications it does.
StevoLincolnite - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
I'm still happily cruising with a 3930K. The 5930K was the twice the price of the CPU alone for what I paid for my 3930K, but it certainly doesn't offer twice the performance and the 6850K looks to be more expensive again.My 3930K still has a few years of life left in it, hopefully AMD can bring Intel's prices downward.
Witek - Thursday, June 16, 2016 - link
@SteveoLincolite - agreed, I am still on 3930K for more than 3 years now, and I would be happy to switch to something faster, but 6800K is essentially same speed, only faster in specialized workloads, and probably 2 time more costly. Going from 6 to 8 cores, only gives me 30% boost, for almost 4-5 times the prices. The 10 core one is a joke.3930K (and it overclocks easily too - 3.2GHz -> 4.2GHz with water cooling non stop in my setop), is still the best value out there probably.
prisonerX - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
It cracks me up that people pay say $300 for a mainstream i7 which is 65% graphics which they don't use, but employ that same silicon for a few more cores and the price is $1000+.People belittle AMD for not having the fastest silicon and then touch their toes price wise for whatever scraps Intel throws them. Particularly funny since mainstream processors were 5% slower in the last generation. It's like people are suffering Stockholm syndrome or something.
Alexey291 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Well it's little wonder that the cpu market is slowing down since there are no actual products worth buying from a mainstream purchasers' point of viewEden-K121D - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
People on Haswell are well and good until something extraordinary comes out of intel/AMDMichael Bay - Wednesday, June 1, 2016 - link
When the most exciting thing about a platform refresh is a goddamn usb3.something type-whatever port, writing is on the wall.beginner99 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
Exactly. It's not slowing down because of smartphones or tablets but because 5% performance increases takes 10 years for the average user to be worth an upgrade.Ratman6161 - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
To take that one step further, for the average user it isn't even 5%. They aren't doing anything with the machine that isn't entirely adequate with what they have. I don't consider myself to be the average user by any means, but my i7-2600K system i built in the spring of 2011 is still more than fast enough for anything I do let alone spend money on a 6700K let alone any of these.mapesdhs - Thursday, June 9, 2016 - link
Indeed! This week I need to put a system together for handling SD video. I have at my disposal a whole range of SB/SB-E i7s, but they're overkill, so I'm going to reuse the parts from my brother's old PC instead, a P55 with an i7 870 which, at 4.2GHz, is still rather good (people forget it was a particularly low latency platform for its time, with boards that really did push what features one could include, some good innovation with slot spacing and other things). My own general tasks system, a 5GHz 2700K, I can't see becoming obsolete for a long time, it handles everything with ease (scores 880 for CB R15).And this is the key problem: it's the very tasks that would benefit the most from real performance and feature improvements where newer products have helped the least, baring in mind the upgrade costs involved and the lack of feature enhancements over the years (how long was it until Intel finally added native USB3 to the top-end chipset?). Given the cost, the gains of the latest top-end CPUs over what was available in 2011 just aren't worth it, which perhaps explains why I see comments even from X58 6-core owners saying they'll stick with their setups for now). Meanwhile, for anyone on a budget who doesn't want to consider 2nd-hand items, it's hard to ignore the value of AMD's current 4c and 6c offerings (heck, the PC I built for my gf is an old Ph2 X4 965 and it's more than adequate), given that really, for response and feel of a normal PC, having an SSD is more important than having the higher IPC of a costly Skylake vs. an FX 6300 or something.
I was shocked at the launch price of the 6700K, and I didn't think Intel would make the same mistake again, but they have. One of the main things I do is offer free upgrade advice for prosumers on a limited budget (typically self-employed artists); atm, the 6950X is so expensive that I'd recommend a 2-socket XEON setup instead without hesitation. 3 years ago this wasn't the case, back then there was a solid rationale for (example) an AE user on a limited budget to build an oc'd 3930K. Today though, what Intel is doing will only help reduce the enthusiast market even further, and I was told by a high street shop owner that the top-end items are the ones which provide the best margins (he said his store couldn't survive on the mainstream level sales). There will be long term self-reinforcing consequences if Intel doesn't change direction. Perhaps Zen will achieve that; certainly many seem to hope it will.