anandtechIntel Core i7 4960X (Ivy Bridge E) Review

[VulgarDisplay]

I really thought Ivy-E would release the full potential for OCing the Ivy Bridge architecture with a soldered IHS. If 4.4GHz is the best it can do, it's certainly a disappointment.

Isn't motherboard support flaky at best right now? That could account for all the instability of their overclocks at the moment.

 

[Gikaseixas]

4770K here i come. Naf said :\

 

[Stoneburner]

How did Intel manage to start pawning off last gen tech to the enthusiast crowd? Even Apple couldn't manage something this profoundly perverse.

 

[isamu99]

What is the highest I can expect to OC a Haswell 4770k and still be relatively safe....if I couple it with a Corsair H-100? 4.6Ghz? 4.8Ghz?

 

[cmdrdredd]

How did Intel manage to start pawning off last gen tech to the enthusiast crowd? Even Apple couldn't manage something this profoundly perverse.

I kind of feel that way myself. Their most expensive CPUs should be no compromise. You shouldn't be slower at anything and it should use the latest tech. That's my opinion.

I am still saddened that Intel expects us to spend $555 for 6 cores. When will 6 cores come down to the level of a 4770k? I had thought that by now we could get hexacore CPUs in the mainstream level. Kind of sucks.

 

[Grooveriding]

This release gives the impression that Intel has a couple guys in a derelict office somewhere in charge of the extreme CPU lineup. Sitting around waiting for the server guys to toss them some scraps to release over a year after they've been ready.

The plan may be to take mainstream CPUs to BGA and then anyone who wants to have a stand-alone CPU and motherboard will be relegated to two year old over-priced tech with more coars.

 

[Idontcare]

What is the highest I can expect to OC a Haswell 4770k and still be relatively safe....if I couple it with a Corsair H-100? 4.6Ghz? 4.8Ghz?

4.6 GHz

Anything higher will require voltages and temperatures (even with the H100) that pretty much no sane person would consider to be "relatively safe".

This release gives the impression that Intel has a couple guys in a derelict office somewhere in charge of the extreme CPU lineup. Sitting around waiting for the server guys to toss them some scraps to release over a year after they've been ready.

The plan may be to take mainstream CPUs to BGA and then anyone who wants to have a stand-alone CPU and motherboard will be relegated to two year old over-priced tech with more coars.

LOL, and you might just be right

 

[Fox5]

This release gives the impression that Intel has a couple guys in a derelict office somewhere in charge of the extreme CPU lineup. Sitting around waiting for the server guys to toss them some scraps to release over a year after they've been ready.

The plan may be to take mainstream CPUs to BGA and then anyone who wants to have a stand-alone CPU and motherboard will be relegated to two year old over-priced tech with more coars.

With most of Intel's advancements going into low power and integrated graphics, that may not be so bad.

Ivy bridge coming out when Haswell is here hurts because TSX and AVX2 mean that Haswell will outperform Ivy Bridge-E within the life span of the chips. But are there any big advancements on the horizon past Haswell?

 

[Smartazz]

This release gives the impression that Intel has a couple guys in a derelict office somewhere in charge of the extreme CPU lineup. Sitting around waiting for the server guys to toss them some scraps to release over a year after they've been ready.

The plan may be to take mainstream CPUs to BGA and then anyone who wants to have a stand-alone CPU and motherboard will be relegated to two year old over-priced tech with more coars.

Don't the bigger Xeon chips come out at the same time as the enthusiast platform?

 

[AdamK47]

The Micro Center local to me has them in stock, but they wouldn't sell one to me. They can only start selling them on the 10th.

 

[tweakboy]

Ill grab a 4930k ,,, OC to 4.6Ghz thx gb

 

[tweakboy]

Ya for you candle in the wind.... no difference for you. Enjoy your CPU with sexy 12 threads Ivy E 22nm

 

[nanaki333]

not gonna bother upgrading from a 3960x. taking overclocking in to account, it's about the same performance in anything i would use. my next upgrade will be haswell-e.

 

[exar333]

not gonna bother upgrading from a 3960x. taking overclocking in to account, it's about the same performance in anything i would use. my next upgrade will be haswell-e.

This.

I guess I have to wait for Haswell-E for an upgrade from my 2011 (yes the year 2011 and socket 2011) system... :/

 

[crashtech]

I don't know, selling an existing SB-E CPU makes it pretty cheap to get into one of the fastest desktop CPUs ever.

 

[mindbomb]

as i said in another thread, im really surprised that the 4820k is getting ignored by everyone.

the 4770k performs basically the same, the 8 series chipset benefits are exaggerated imo (how many ssd's and usb 3 devices do most ppl have?), meanwhile you get double the memory bandwidth and more ram support (for ramdisks), and that sweet solder for overclocking.

 

[AdamK47]

It's available today. How many of you guys are going to rush right out and get one of these CPUs?

 

[NTMBK]

With most of Intel's advancements going into low power and integrated graphics, that may not be so bad.

Ivy bridge coming out when Haswell is here hurts because TSX and AVX2 mean that Haswell will outperform Ivy Bridge-E within the life span of the chips. But are there any big advancements on the horizon past Haswell?

Skylake is getting AVX-512, which is yet another big step forward.

 

[AdamK47]

Whew! I just got back from Micro Center. Arrived at the store just before they opened the doors. There was a huge crowd waiting outside for the launch of these processors. As soon as the doors opened the crowd surged through causing some people to get knocked over in all of the chaos. They were yelling and screaming while pushing each other out of the way as they ran towards the CPU display cabinant. There was one lone salesman standing by the display. The sugring crowd nearly knocked him off balance while he opened the cabinant. He reaches in and pulls out the CPUs box by box. The CPUs get snached up just as quickly as he's pulling them out. I panic thinking that they would be out of 4960X CPUs by time I get close enough. With all of my might I leapt over the massive mob of people. Timing it just right to do a mid-air grab of a 4960X right as the salesman pulls it out.

Anyway, here it is.

 

[AdamK47]

And... it's in.

 

[Arkaign]

And... it's in.

Saweeet, good sir!

I still think it's a bit needless for 39xx users, but for a new build or for someone just itching for something new to jack with, it's still pretty boss (provided you can use 6C/12T stuff).

 

[Makaveli]

And... it's in.

Update sig!

are you planning to push it more or will that be your 24/7 clock?

 

[AdamK47]

Update sig!

are you planning to push it more or will that be your 24/7 clock?

Possibly push it more. I just wanted to try the settings my 3960X ran at. Took the pic only a few minutes after first booting it up. What I settle on could be higher, or could be lower.

 

[guskline]

Thanks for the info Adam. Keep us posted. Did you have to update the BIOS?

 

[know of fence]

as i said in another thread, im really surprised that the 4820k is getting ignored by everyone.

the 4770k performs basically the same, the 8 series chipset benefits are exaggerated imo (how many ssd's and usb 3 devices do most ppl have?), meanwhile you get double the memory bandwidth and more ram support (for ramdisks), and that sweet solder for overclocking.

As I'm trying to rationalize this purchase to myself, I agree.

+ There are "normal" x79 boards out there with just 2x PCIe for around 200 bucks, with no need to look for C2 steppings.
+ It appears to be the last of the soldered consumer grade CPUs and the only (allegedly) Indium-soldered chip available in 22nm.
+ Even at stock the 4820K comes with a high base frequency. (3.7-3.9 Turbo)
+ There is an option to upgrade to a six core in the future.
+ promising OC Results http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...i7-4930k-i7-4820k-ivy-bridge-e-review-17.html

- Idle power consumption is higher, and 40 something W for the Z87 mainstream configs and 60+ Watt for a X79 system may just be the difference between effectively silent and audible. Wikipedia lists TDP for X79 as 7.8 W, about twice as high as that of Haswell.
- Here's to hoping for working BIOS updates.
- Personally I can't really take advantage of Quad Channel RAM and/or PCIe lanes.

Dang, I probably should just buy an i3/i5 or Richland APU and hand it down to relatives a year later, or I'll be stuck with a somewhat loud and wasteful system for the foreseeable future. It's hard to feel anything but ambivalence about what CPU makers are offering right now.