Intel Core i7-980X Processor Review

Generally speaking, most users barely tap the potential of their computer system. Applications and video games are usually more affected by clock speed than they are processor cores, and many programs still are single-threaded. But again, this applies to most users. The differences between hardware enthusiasts or power-users and their casual PC user counterparts are acute and to the point that they have little in common with each other. While mainstream users concern themselves with browsing the web and checking email, enthusiasts are constantly looking to push their hardware with powerful overclocking experiments and power users create multiple virtual machine profiles for commercial application.

Intel offers something for everyone, as their extensive product line can prove. The chipmaker produces desktop, notebook, server, and personal digital appliance CPUs, Ethernet and Wi-Fi network processors, and countless co-processor units. Keep this in mind as Benchmark Reviews presents the Intel Core i7-980X processor, a six-core Westmere 32nm CPU. Codenamed Gulftown, this 3.33GHz Extreme Edition processor features an unlocked clock speed multiplier with twelve computing threads and a 12MB cache. Built for the Intel X58-Express enthusiast platform, Benchmark Reviews tests the BX80613I7980X retail part in gaming, computing, and overclocking performance.

While Gulftown's six-core processor architecture may be the most intriguing aspect of Intel's Core i7-980X CPU, it wouldn't be possible without Westmere's 32nm process technology. Although the consumer software industry has been slow to develop applications that can utilize multiple CPU cores and/or threads, there are many commercial programs which handle four or more processor threads very well... and even a few video games. Our benchmarks will determine how important multiple cores are to gaming later in this article, but it goes without question that Virtual-Machine applications receive immediate benefits from the added Hyper-Threading. Some already-popular productivity software titles also utilize multi-threaded processor cores, such as: Adobe Photoshop and Premiere-Pro, AutoDesk Maya and 3DS-Max, Microsoft Excel and Windows Live Movie Maker, Sony Vegas and Acid, and also VirtualDub.

About Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation is the world's largest semiconductor company founded by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, and widely associated with the executive leadership and vision of Andrew Grove, Intel combines advanced chip design capability with a leading-edge manufacturing capability. Originally known primarily to engineers and technologists, Intel's successful "Intel Inside" advertising campaign of the 1990s made it and its Pentium processor household names.

Intel pushes the boundaries of innovation so our work can make people's lives more exciting, fulfilling, and manageable. And our work never stops. We never stop looking for the next leap ahead-in technology, education, culture, manufacturing, and social responsibility. And we never stop striving to deliver solutions with greater benefits for everyone. Intel is making PCs more accessible and affordable through innovative PC purchase programs. Through public and private collaboration, Intel has worked closely with government and industry leaders to develop more than 200 programs in 60 countries. With the onslaught of wireless broadband communication technologies like WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and 3G and wireline ADSL and cable, Intel in collaboration with local governments is connecting more people in more places than ever before-no matter how remote.

Intel is committed to improving education on a global scale. With an ongoing focus on students and teachers, we're making an impact with technology solutions that support the development of 21st Century skills, including digital literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking. As citizens use the Internet, the need to create localized content is the key. Intel-sponsored programs provide localized content and services to connect technologies to villages, suburbs, and cities around the world to deliver access to community information, education, and healthcare.

Intel Gulftown i7-980X Features

Six-Core Processing

Provides six complete execution cores in a single processor package, delivering 12 computing threads to help operating systems and applications deliver additional performance, so users can experience better multitasking and multi-threaded performance across many types of applications and workloads.

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Delivers two processing threads per physical core for a total of 12 threads for massive computational throughput, allowing highly threaded applications to get more work done faster.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom when operating below specified limits. Get more performance automatically, when you need it the most.

Intel Smart Cache

This large last-level cache enables dynamic and efficient allocation of shared cache to all six cores to match the needs of various applications for ultra-efficient data storage and manipulation.

Intel QuickPath Interconnect

Intel's latest system interconnect design increases bandwidth and lowers latency, while achieving data transfer speeds as high as 25.6 GB/s.

Integrated Memory Controller

An integrated memory controller with three channels of DDR3 1066 MHz offers memory performance up to 25.6 GB/s. Combined with the processor's efficient prefetching algorithms, this memory controller's lower latency and higher memory bandwidth delivers amazing performance for data-intensive applications.

Intel HD Boost

Includes the full SSE4 instruction set, significantly improving a broad range of multimedia and compute-intensive applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, allowing a new level of processing efficiency with SSE4-optimized applications.

AES-NI Encryption/Decryption Acceleration

Provides 12 new processor instructions that help to improve performance for AES encryption and decryption algorithms.

BX80613I7980X Specifications

Closer Look: Intel Core i7-980X

The Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition series desktop processor is built on the 'Westmere' 32-nm process and is intended for high-performance high-end desktop computer systems. Several architectural design and microarchitectural enhancements have been added to Gulftown, including six processor cores in the CPU package and increased shared cache memory buffer. The Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition multi-core processor utilizes an integrated memory controller technology and uses up a 130-Watt thermal design power (TDP). The codename Gulftown processor features an Intel QPI point-to-point link capable of up to 6.4 GT/s, 12 MB Level 3 cache, and an integrated triple-channel memory controller.

Gulftown supports all the existing Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2), Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (SSE3) and Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4). The Intel Core i7-980X also processor supports several Advanced Technologies: Intel 64 Technology (Intel-64), Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel-VT), Turbo Boost Technology, and Hyper-Threading Technology.

Packaged as the BX80613I7980X retail box kit, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor Benchmark Reviews received for testing came with the Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution. This CPU cooler offers either a Quiet or Performance fan setting, and our test results (published in our Best CPU Cooler Performance Q1-2010 review article) indicate that it cools to the same level of many top-end aftermarket thermal solutions. As of the initial Gulftown announcement, there are no plans to sell the Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution as a standalone product.

Much of what separates the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition from the rest of the Core-i7 family is on the inside, in the form of hexa-Core Gulftown. None of this would be possible if it weren't for the new 32nm Westmere fabrication process, which allows the i7-980X CPU to fit within a small 248mm² die package similar to previous 263mm² Bloomfield quad-core processors. In fact, there's no discernable difference between the outward appearance of any 1366-land LGA packaged Intel Core-i7 processor. The integrated heat spreader (IHS) is identical to past versions, and shares a similar 35g mass weight.

For the purpose of simplification, think of the Intel 980X as an Extreme Edition Core i7-975... only with two more cores and their corresponding L3 cache. The processor's DC voltage range is a familiar 0.80~1.375V, and the Integrated memory controller (IMC) retains triple-channel DDR3 1066MHz compatibility, which makes it easy for experienced enthusiasts to pickup their overclocking project where they left off on the i7-975. Unlike Lynnfield processors, Gulftown abstains from an integrated DMI on the chip, and follows with traditional Bloomfield design for reliance on the X58 Northbridge.

Intel's TurboBoost technology stopped at 3.6GHz on the 3.33GHz i7-975, but with the 980X it moves up to 3.46GHz using multi-core turbo mode. Other than two new CPU cores, which yield four additional processor threads and 2MB L3 SmartCache each, the new Gulftown 980X also brings twelve additional Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI) to the Core-i7 family.

With the basics covered, let's look closer at the Gulftown architecture and how the Westmere microarchitecture has improved the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition...

Intel Core i7 Gulftown

Gulftown is Intel's codename for the hexa-core design architecture used for the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor, which introduces several architectural and microarchitectural enhancements. This new design improves upon Intel's Bloomfield architecture by adding two additional processor cores to the die, which each retain their respective 256KB-L2 and 2MB-L3 cache. Bloomfield-based Core-i7 processors sported 731-million transistors on a 263mm² 45nm die, whereas Gulftown architecture ups the count to 1.17-billion transistors fit onto a smaller 248mm² 32nm die package. As a result of the new Westmere 32nm process, Gulftown's idle power draw is rated for only 12 watts.

Intel Core-i7 Processor Family

For more information on Intel's Core i7 series, please visit our Featured Reviews: Processors section which includes comprehensive articles on the Core i7-920 (BX80601920) and Core i7-965 Extreme Edition processors.

32nm Westmere Process Technology

Westmere is the Intel codename for the 32nm microarchitecture technology. Formerly named formerly Nehalem-C, Westmere technology is used to produce the six-core Intel Gulftown processor.

Intel Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Instructions Set R3

Intel AES instructions are a new set of instructions available beginning with the all new 2010 Intel Core processor family based on the 32nm Intel microarchitecture codename Westmere. These instructions enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption, using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which is defined by FIPS Publication number 197. Since AES is currently the dominant block cipher, and it is used in various protocols, the new instructions are valuable for a wide range of applications.

The architecture consists of six instructions that offer full hardware support for AES. Four instructions support the AES encryption and decryption, and other two instructions support the AES key expansion. The AES instructions have the flexibility to support all usages of AES, including all standard key lengths, standard modes of operation, and even some nonstandard or future variants. They offer a significant increase in performance compared to the current pure-software implementations.

Beyond improving performance, the AES instructions provide important security benefits. By running in data-independent time and not using tables, they help in eliminating the major timing and cache-based attacks that threaten table-based software implementations of AES. In addition, they make AES simple to implement, with reduced code size, which helps reducing the risk of inadvertent introduction of security flaws, such as difficult-to-detect side channel leaks.

CPU Testing Methodology

Benchmark results are only as good as their test methodology, and there are several different methods to compare product to one-another. Unless otherwise noted, all comparisons use system memory configured to operate at 1333MHz with CL 7-8-7-21-1 timings.

Since all of the benchmarks we use for testing represent different game engine technology and graphic rendering processes, our battery of tests will provide a diverse range of results for you to gauge performance on your own computer system. Although many gamers and enthusiasts are still using Windows XP, Benchmark Reviews has made the switch to Microsoft Windows 7 as the Operating System of choice for our test platforms.

Each benchmark test program begins after a system restart, and the very first result for every test will be ignored since it often only caches the test. Each test is completed five times, with the highest and lowest scored removed. The average results of the three remaining tests are displayed in our article.

Intel X58 Test Platform

• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 (Intel X58/ICH10R/Marvell SE9128) with F6a BIOS
• Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield/Nehalem 2.66GHz (BX80601920)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown/Westmere 3.33GHz (BX80613I7980X)
• CPU Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems (fan attached to PSU - not motherboard)
• System Memory: 6GB 2000MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX (KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX)
• Primary Drive: OCZ Agility-EX SLC SSD OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G firmware 1.50
• Graphics Adapter: ATI Radeon HD 5970 Hemlock (Catalyst 10.2)
• Power Supply Unit: OCZ Z-Series Gold 850W (OCZZ850)

Benchmark Software

• Operating System: Windows-7 Ultimate Edition 64-Bit
• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.30
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage v1.0.1.1901 64-Bit
  • TV and Movies
  • Gaming
  • Music
• Maxon CINEBENCH R11.5 64-Bit
• Crysis Warhead v1.1 with HOC Benchmark (DX10, Very High Quality, 4x Anti-Aliasing, 16x Anisotropic Filtering, Airfield Demo)
• Resident Evil 5 Benchmark Demo (DX10, Super-High Quality, 8x MSAA)
• SPECviewperf-10:
  • UGS Teamcenter Visualization Mockup
  • PTC Pro/ENGINEER 2001
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA V5R12
  • 3ds Max 3.1
  • Dassault Systemes Solidworks 2004
  • Alias Maya 6.5
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat Benchmark Demo (Ultra-Quality, Enhanced DX10 light, 4x MSAA, SSAO on and off)
• Unigine Heaven Benchmark Demo (DX11 and DX10, High-Quality Shaders, Tessellation, 16x AF, 4x AA)
  

Support Hardware

• P3 International Kill-A-Watt EZ (model P4460) Power Meter

Cinebench R11.5 Benchmarks

Maxon Cinebench is a real-world test suite that assesses the computer's performance capabilities. Cinebench is based on Maxon's award-winning animation software, Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. Maxon software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more. Cinebench Release 11.5 includes the ability to more accurately test the industry's latest hardware, including systems with up to 64 processor threads and the testing environment better reflects the expectations of today's production demands. A more streamlined interface makes testing systems and reading results incredibly straightforward.

The Cinebench R11.5 test scenario uses all of a system's processing power to render a photorealistic 3D scene, "No Keyframes" the viral animation by AixSponza. This scene makes use of various algorithms to stress all available processor cores. The OpenGL graphics card testing procedure uses a complex 3D scene depicting a car chase with which the performance of your graphics card in OpenGL mode is measured. During the benchmark tests the graphics card is evaluated by way of displaying an intricate scene that includes complex geometry, high-resolution textures, and a variety of effects to evaluate the performance across a variety of real-world scenarios.

Using processor-only graphics computation and ignoring the available video card, Cinebench R11.5 reveals performance results illustrated in the chart below:

Single-threaded CPU performance offers a per-core baseline reference in Cinebench, and the speed differences between processors in our test group illustrates the separation. These differences are amplified as the CPU mult-threaded tests are conducted, producing 4.29 points for the Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz processor just before the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 3.33GHz Gulftown CPU nearly doubles it. With a score of 7.95 the stock-clocked Intel Core i7-980X processor does well, but overclock all six cores to 4.0GHz and configure the Intel XMP memory profile and the score jumps to 9.44 points total.

In the Cinebench OpenGL tests, the Core i7-920 produces 28.7 FPS and sets our baseline reference. The Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor immediately raises this to 31.4 FPS, but by overclocking the system Gulftown reaches 36.4 FPS.

While Cinebench does show a distinct level of separation between processors, these differences appear rather tame until you look closer. Some portion of increased performance could be attributed to dissimilar speeds and not CPU cores or threads, but only to a small extent. Consider that the i7-920's four core produce a multi-threaded score of 4.29, but could theoretically produce a score of 6.44 with six cores operating at 2.66GHz; still 24% short of the 7.95 actually produced on the 3.33GHz i7-980X. The 12MB SmartCache may seem like more, but it still amounts to 2MB per core. So its got to be in the speed, right?

Here's what I did (visitors only browsing charts won't get this): by reducing the Intel Core i7-980X processor down to only four cores (via BIOS) each clocked to 2.66GHz (via multiplier), I retested. The results produced a single core MP Ratio score of 0.94 and a multi-threaded score of 4.71, both of which are only slightly higher than the Core i7-920 but also had the benefit of a larger cache (which doesn't disable with cores). Oddly enough, the OpenGL performance nearly matched with 28.59 FPS despite this buffer advantage.

SPECviewperf 10 Tests

SPECviewperf 10 is a synthetic benchmark designed to be a predictor of application performance and a measure of graphics subsystem performance. SPECviewperf 10 provides the ability to compare performance of systems running in higher-quality graphics modes that use full-scene anti-aliasing, and measures how effectively graphics subsystems scale when running multithreaded graphics content. The SPECopc project group's SPECviewperf 10 is a performance evaluation software requiring OpenGL 1.5 and a minimum of 1GB of system memory. It currently supports 32/64-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows Operating System.

UGS Teamcenter Visualization Mockup

The tcvis-01 viewset is based on traces of the UGS Teamcenter Visualization Mockup application (also known as VisMockup) used for visual simulation. State changes such as those executed by the application - including matrix, material, light and line-stipple changes - are included throughout the rendering of the model. All state changes are derived from a trace of the running application. The state changes put considerably more stress on graphics subsystems than the simple geometry dumps found in older viewsets. This viewset uses the glDrawArrays primitive to pass data through the OpenGL API.

PTC Pro/ENGINEER 2001

The proe-04 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by the Pro/ENGINEER 2001 application from PTC. Mirroring the application, draw arrays are used for the shaded tests and immediate mode is used for the wireframe. The gradient background used by the Pro/E application is also included to better model the application workload.

Two models and three rendering modes are measured during the test. PTC contributed the models to SPEC for use in measurement of the Pro/ENGINEER application. The first of the models, the PTC World Car, represents a large-model workload composed of 3.9 to 5.9 million vertices. This model is measured in shaded, hidden-line removal, and wireframe modes. The wireframe workloads are measured both in normal and antialiased mode. The second model is a copier. It is a medium-sized model made up of 485,000 to 1.6 million vertices. Shaded and hidden-line-removal modes were measured for this model.

VisMockup received a 9% advantage when using the Intel Core i7-980X when compared to the i7-920, but further extended its gains to 12% by overclocking this Extreme Edition processor to 4.0GHz and enabling increasing DDR3 memory speeds from 1333 to 1866MHz. Pro-E also showed a 9% boost with the 980X, and nearly 14% when overclocked.

Dassault Systemes CATIA V5R12

The catia-02 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by the CATIAV5R12 application from Dassault Systemes. Three models are measured using various modes in CATIA. Phil Harris of LionHeart Solutions, developer of CATBench2003, supplied SPEC/GPC with the models used to measure the CATIA application. The models are courtesy of CATBench2003 and CATIA Community. The car model contains more than two million points. SPECviewperf replicates the geometry represented by the smaller engine block and submarine models to increase complexity and decrease frame rates. After replication, these models contain 1.2 million vertices (engine block) and 1.8 million vertices (submarine).

3ds Max 3.1

The 3dsmax-04 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by 3ds max 3.1. To ensure a common comparison point, the OpenGL plug-in driver from Discreet was used during tracing. The models for this viewset came from the SPECapc 3ds max 3.1 benchmark. Each model was measured with two different lighting models to reflect a range of potential 3ds max users. The high-complexity model uses five to seven positional lights as defined by the SPECapc benchmark and reflects how a high-end user would work with 3ds max. The medium-complexity lighting models uses two positional lights, a more common lighting environment.

Using the 3.33GHz Intel Core i7-980X, CATIA and 3ds Max both enjoyed a 9% increase in performance over the Core i7-920. Overclocking Gulftown to 4.0GHz results a 13.2% improvement in CATIA and 12.1% increase in 3ds Max.

Dassault Systemes Solidworks 2004

The sw-02 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by the Solidworks 2004 application from Dassault Systemes. The model and workloads used were contributed by Solidworks as part of the SPECapc for SolidWorks 2004 benchmark. State changes as made by the application are included throughout the rendering of the model, including matrix, material, light and line-stipple changes. All state changes are derived from a trace of the running application. The state changes put considerably more stress on graphics subsystems than the simple geometry dumps found in older viewsets.

Alias Maya 6.5

The maya-02 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by the Maya 6.5 application from Alias. The models used in the tests were contributed by artists at NVIDIA. Various modes in the Maya application are measured. Models used in this version of the Maya viewset contain many more vertices than those used in maya-01, better reflecting models used by animators in the real world.

Similar to our other SPECviewperf tests, Solidworks performance improves 12% and Maya jumps 13% with the Intel Core i7-980X over the mild-mannered i7-920. Overclocking actually makes its biggest impact in Solidworks, boosting performance nearly 20%, while Maya sees an 18% increase.

Based on the benchmarks of these professional productivity applications, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition does offer an apparent advantage over entry-level Core i7 processors. While it's not realistic to expect that business workstations will ever be fitted with the Intel 980X Extreme Edition processor, enthusiasts with demanding needs that cross work and play could possibly make the switch. Of course, overclocking adds a further-needed jolt to performance for engineering and design applications just as much as it boosts personal-use programs.

But will the 13%-stock and 20%-overclocked surge in performance extend past professional applications and into video games? Benchmark Reviews tests the Intel Core i7-980X using several multi-threaded games in our next section...

Video Game Benchmarks

PC-based video games can depend heavily on the CPU if the attached GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is less powerful, or the graphics settings are configured so low that they create no strain on the video card and rely purely system processing speed; a phenomenon known as CPU-dependence. The opposite is true when the video game has a powerful video card installed, and can handle all graphical demands without receiving assistance from the CPU. Considering that the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor costs nearly $1000, it's a very reasonable argument that enthusiast who can afford this CPU can also afford a high-end GPU. After concluding that gamers would never play at the CPU-bound 640x480 resolution, especially considering modern LCD panels support 1280x1024 as the minimum setting, our gaming benchmarks use the equally-extreme ATI Radeon-HD 5970 video card to best represent real-world usage.

Intel has decided to market the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition as a component capable of boosting video game performance, and goes so far as to claim it is the "Ultimate Gaming Weapon" that will help you "Experience smoother and more realistic gaming made possible by distributing AI, physics, and rendering across six cores and 12 threads, bringing 3D gaming to life for the ultimate desktop experience". This is a bold claim, and one that I've seen before from system memory manufacturers. Fortunately for us, this is 2010. Video cards have come a very long way from the days when a monitor couldn't display maximum settings at full resolution without begging for help from the CPU. So how much of a difference will Gulftown make for gaming?

Starting with Crysis Warhead, which was tested at the suggestion of Intel because it's one of the few games that can handle multi-threaded processor cores, we see that the ATI Radeon HD 5970 video card can produce 45 FPS average at 1680x1050 (19-22" LCD monitor resolution) and 39 FPS average/14 FPS minimum at 1920x1200 (24-28" LCD monitors) when the 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-920 is installed with 1333MHz DDR3 system memory. Switching out the processor for a 3.33GHz Gulftown CPU doesn't appear to change our results at all (although the 1920x1200 minimum FPS was raised to 15 FPS). It is not until we overclock the Core i7-980X to 4GHz and utilize Intel's XMP profile for 1866MHz memory that we see graphics performance move up one frame at each resolution.

Resident Evil 5 is another multi-threaded game, and because it's not as demanding as Crysis we're hoping to see more variation in benchmark performance. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough to justify discussion. In the high-strain Area-3 test, there was only a 1.4 FPS difference between a stock Intel Core i7-920 and an overclocked 980X. The Area-4 tests delivered a similar 1.9 FPS difference between processors.

Stalker: Call of Pripyat is a multi-threaded video game with DirectX-11 SSAO features and DX10 backwards compatibility. Our first tests utilized DX11 SSAO on the Radeon HD 5970, and produced a 0.2 FPS anomaly between the 2.66GHz i7-920 and overclocked 4.0GHz Gulftown. Removing SSAO and using DX10 settings increased frame rate performance, and the spread increased with it to 0.4 FPS.

The final graphics test doesn't actually use a video game, but instead uses the Unigine Heaven DirectX-11 benchmark. Using DirectX-10 settings with 8x AA we discovered only 0.6 FPS difference between processors, and that disparity shrinks to only 0.2 FPS when DirectX-11 Tessellation is added. As far as our gaming tests are concerned, the Intel Core i7-980X has note added any additional value to the 3D graphics experience, and should not be purchased solely for the purpose of improving frame rate performance. It could be argued that our tests haven't allowed the CPU to take control, but that same position would go against the central purpose of enthusiast hardware; you're not going to find a gamer with this premium processor using an undersized monitor or an entry-level video card.

NVIDIA dominates the market on GPU physics at the moment with their PhysX for GeForce GPUs, which is why Benchmark Reviews decided to use the ATI Radeon HD5970 in our tests with the expectation that it might need assistance from the CPU to deliver "smoother and more realistic gaming made possible by distributing AI, physics, and rendering across six cores and 12 threads". Despite our best intentions, it seems that these physics-heavy multi-threaded video games weren't particular to which Intel Core-i7 they we using, and performed well with all of them. Based on these demonstrations I'm not confident that Intel should dub their Extreme Edition processors as the "Ultimate Gaming Weapon", especially considering how well the modern graphics card has firmly secured that title for itself.

PCMark Vantage Test Results

PCMark Vantage is an objective hardware performance benchmark tool for PCs running 32 and 64 bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. PCMark Vantage is perfectly suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista/7 PC from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops to dedicated workstations and hi-end gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has decided to use a few select tests from the suite to benchmark the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor in this article. Our tests were conducted on 64-bit Windows 7, with results displayed in the chart below.

TV and Movies Suite

• TV and Movies 1
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
  • Video playback: HD DVD w/ additional lower bitrate HD content from HDD, as downloaded from net
• TV and Movies 2
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
  • Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 19.39 Mbps terrestrial HDTV playback
• TV and Movies 3
  • HDD Media Center
• TV and Movies 4
  • Video transcoding: media server archive to portable device
  • Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 48 Mbps Blu-ray playback

Gaming Suite

• Gaming 1
  • GPU game test
• Gaming 2
  • HDD: game HDD
• Gaming 3
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • CPU game test
  • Data decompression: level loading
• Gaming 4
  • Three simultaneous threads
  • GPU game test
  • CPU game test
  • HDD: game HDD

Music Suite

• Music 1
  • Three simultaneous threads
  • Web page rendering - w/ music shop content
  • Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless
  • HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player
• Music 2
  • Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless
• Music 3
  • Audio transcoding: MP3 -> WMA
• Music 4
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Audio transcoding: WMA -> WMA
  • HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player

Beginning with the results from PCMark Vantage's TV and Movies benchmark, the Intel Core i7-980X outperforms the i7-920 by nearly 15% and continues to improve the experience up to 24% with a stable 4.0GHz overclock. PCMark Vantage weights CPU performance for 38% of the score, with graphics and storage drive performance making up equal parts of the remainder.

The Gaming benchmark reports an 8% improvement in performance with Gulftown, and by overclocking the i7-980X these results jump to over 32%. So where were these differences in the actual video game performance tests? After receiving less than 1-FPS difference between the 2.66GHz i7-920 processor and an overclocked Extreme Edition 980X, it seemed unusual that PCMark Vantage could have such dramatic differences. After reading their White Paper documentation for PCMark Vantage, we notice that in addition to CPU-bound graphics settings (1024x768 with no anti-aliasing or post-processing effects), PCMark Vantage Gaming tests (see page 19 of PDF) weigh the CPU performance for 37% of the score while GPU performance is weighted at only 23%. The CPU is somehow more important to gaming than the GPU? It's surprising then that the storage drive is considered equally important with 38% of the score's weight. It's a good thing that the Gaming benchmark can utilize up to sixteen processor cores... :)

Moving on to the Vantage Music tests, which weight the CPU for 75% of the score, we see just how well the added cores improve the transcoding process. While the Core i7-920 delivers 15129 points as a baseline, the Gulftown Core i7-980X improves upon it by adding 29% performance. Overclocking the BX80613I7980X processor increases this lead by more than 43%. Clearly, this is the ideal route for enthusiasts who encode their own video and transcode various audio formats.

While I'm not in agreement with the weighted importance of certain hardware components in the gaming tests, nor do I think that 1024x768 resolution without anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering effects is representative to the "consumer experience" as they put it, I will agree that the TV & Movies and Music test results are fairly representative of the real-world experience. In all of these tests the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition was favored heavily over its four-core brother, so there's certainly some weight behind that fact.

Everest CPU Benchmarks

Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition is an industry leading system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for enthusiasts PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. During system optimizations and tweaking it provides essential system and overclock information, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities to check the effects of the applied settings. CPU, FPU and memory benchmarks are available to measure the actual system performance and compare it to previous states or other systems. Furthermore, complete software, operating system and security information makes EVEREST Ultimate Edition a comprehensive system diagnostics tool that offers a total of 100 pages of information about your PC.

All of the benchmarks used in our test bed: Queen, Photoworxx, ZLib, and AES, all rely on basic x86 instructions, and consume very low system memory while also being aware of HyperThreading, multi-processors, and multi-core processors. While the EVEREST CPU tests really only compare the processor performance more than it measures platforms, it still offers a glimpse into what kind of power each platform possesses.

Queen and Photoworxx tests are synthetic benchmarks that operate the function many times over and over-exaggerate by several magnitudes what the real-world performance would be like. The Queen benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and misprediction penalties of the CPU. It does this by finding possible solutions to the classic queen problem on a chessboard. At the same clock speed theoretically the processor with the shorter pipeline and smaller misprediction penalties will attain higher benchmark scores.

Showing a real edge over quad-core architecture, Gulftown pushes past the i7-920 with a 136% increase in raw processing power. Overclock the 980X to an ultra-stable 4.0GHz, and you'll see Queen CPU performance jump 184%!

Like the Queen benchmark, the Photoworxx tests for penalties against pipeline architecture. The synthetic Photoworxx benchmark stresses the integer arithmetic and multiplication execution units of the CPU and also the memory subsystem. Due to the fact that this test performs high memory read/write traffic, it cannot effectively scale in situations where more than two processing threads are used. The EVEREST Photoworxx benchmark performs the following tasks on a very large RGB image:

• Fill
• Flip
• Rotate90R (rotate 90 degrees CW)
• Rotate90L (rotate 90 degrees CCW)
• Random (fill the image with random colored pixels)
• RGB2BW (color to black & white conversion)
• Difference
• Crop

While not as dramatic as CPU Queen results, CPU PhotoWorxx leveraged the Gulftown 6-Core Extreme Edition processor past the not-so-extreme quad-core i7-920 by 39% in stock 3.33GHz form. Overclocked to 4.0GHz with 1866MHz memory, the 980X climbs 59% in PhotoWorxx processing performance.

The Zip Library test measures combined CPU and memory subsystem performance through the public ZLib compression library. ZLib is designed as a free lossless data compression library for use on virtually any computer hardware and operating system. The ZLib data format is itself portable across platforms and has a footprint independent of input data that can be reduced at some cost in compression.

Since I'm also the webmaster for Benchmark Reviews, I use file compression programs almost as much as I use the web browsers. This makes the CPU Zip library tests very important to me. Compared to the i7-920 quad core with eight total CPU threads available for the process, Intel's Core i7-980X improves this archiving process by nearly 81%. Since this is an Extreme Edition processor and I'm an enthusiast, the 4.0GHz overclock is something I'll actually have working in my favor for a 115% boost over the already-powerful i7-920.

The AES integer benchmark measures CPU performance using AES data encryption. It utilizes Vincent Rijmen, Antoon Bosselaers and Paulo Barreto's public domain C code in ECB mode and consumes 48 MB of memory.

Encryption is a technology that has come to the forefront of personal computing, and will become more common with everyday computing as the world becomes more competitive. In my opinion, the Intel Core i7-920 has already proven itself to be an outstanding enthusiast processor. So when the Gulftown 980X comes to the AES Encryption test and boosts performance another 1945%, it's time to sit up and take notice. Of course, overkill isn't enough until you've over-clocked, and doing so will fetch a 2336% increase over the i7-920.

The Everest memory tests are included for illustration, since the system memory bandwidth does not noticeably impact gaming performance and real-world experience. The real point to be made is how the quad-core Intel i7-920 actually outperforms the new Gulftown Extreme Edition processor... even when overclocked! In the memory-read tests, the i7-920 produced 14767Kbps with 1333MHz DDR3, while the Intel Core i7-980X produced only 13977 (5.3% difference) with the same exact kit and settings. Using the Intel XMP memory profile on our Kingston HyperX (KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX) kit, we see that only when the DDR3 is clocked to 1866MHz with a matching 4.0GHz CPU overclock on six cores does it finally beat a stock i7-920 at read performance. Unfortunately, the Gulftown 980X doesn't outperform the Intel Core i7-920 in memory-write or copy functions regardless of the overclock. Why? It's got to travel through more cores and a large (12MB) SmartCache.

Now for some fine print, placed away from the colorful charts so that our faithful readers can find it: after reducing the number of available CPU cores through the BIOS, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition was made to work like the quad-core i7-920. Although the SmartCache sizes were locked to the processor (8MB for the 920 and 12MB for the 980X), the memory/CPU clock speeds and cores/threads were both identical. Running back through the Everest CPU tests, the i7-980X still performed slightly ahead of the i7-920: 1.8% better in Queen, 6.4% in PhotoWorxx, and 0.3% in Zip Library. However, when it came for a clock-to-clock and core-to-core comparison on the AES Encryption test, the down-clocked/core'd i7-980X still outperformed the i7-920 by 1572%. Apparently the new revision-3 Intel Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Instructions Set introduced with Westmere is no joke, and even when matching cores and clock speeds against Nehalem the R3-AES technology is unrivaled.

If there's one things that appears to be the dichotomy of all Intel processors, especially Extreme Edition products, it has got to be the subject of overclocking. On the one hand Intel encourages overclocking with their Core i7-980X BX80613I7980X processor because only Extreme Edition CPU's ship with an unlocked clock multiplier. On the other hand, there's their encouraging disclaimer: "Intel has not tested, and does not warranty, the operation of the processor beyond its specifications". Still, we tweak our hardware, knowing that our money could go up in smoke (literally).

Absolute Power Ratings

The chart below specifies absolute maximum and minimum ratings, which lie outside the functional limits of the processor. Only within specified operation limits can functionality and long-term reliability be expected. At conditions outside functional operation condition limits, but within absolute maximum and minimum ratings, neither functionality nor long-term reliability can be expected. If a device is returned to conditions within functional operation limits after having been subjected to conditions outside these limits, but within the absolute maximum and minimum ratings, the device may be functional, but with its lifetime degraded depending on exposure to conditions exceeding the functional operation condition limits.

At conditions exceeding absolute maximum and minimum ratings, neither functionality nor long-term reliability can be expected. Moreover, if a device is subjected to these conditions for any length of time then, when returned to conditions within the functional operating condition limits, it will either not function or its reliability will be severely degraded. Although the processor contains protective circuitry to resist damage from Electro-Static Discharge (ESD), precautions should always be taken to avoid high static voltages or electric fields.

Intel Core i7-980X Overclocking

Benchmark Reviews approaches overclocking a little differently than specialized websites that focus on the subject matter. Instead of seeing exactly how far our particular engineering sample could overclock using liquid nitrogen or some other advanced cooling mechanism, Benchmark Reviews looks for the most stable overclock by simply raising the clock multiplier. We use this same technique for memory module overclocking, and raise the speed without going beyond the specified voltage.

The nominal operating DC power range for Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor is 0.80~1.375 volts, while the absolute maximum (destructive) processor core voltage is 1.40 volts. After setting the motherboard BIOS to exactly 1.375V, we began our overclocking experiment by configuring the clock speed multiplier to a setting above the 25x default. As you've already seen throughout this article, our engineering sample was extremely stable at 4.0GHz using the 30x clock multiplier. Although 34x (4.52GHz) would pass the power-on self test (POST), it would crash immediately upon reaching the Operating System. Configuring 33x generates 4.39GHz and passes POST, but nearly every single O/S attempt ended in a instant BSOD. While 32x (4.26GHz) has some potential, it wasn't until 31x (4.12GHz) that Windows-7 would properly load and remain 'mostly' stable... depending on the test.

For optimal system performance, overclocking the processor should be paired to overclocked system memory. In our tests we used the 6GB (3x 2GB) 2000MHz DDR3 Kingston HyperX memory kit, model KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX. While this kit boasts a 2000MHz label, I found myself hearing the saying "all money isn't good money", meaning that getting a higher speed means sacrificing lower latency timings. This memory kit provides two different Intel XMP memory profiles: 1) 1866MHz CL7-8-7-20-1 or 2) 2002MHz CL8-8-8-21-1.

From the moment we nailed down the 30x clock multiplier, our focus could have easily moved towards finding the best QPI base clock and tweaking the Core i7-980X to give up every last Megahertz. We could have lapped the ICH and super-cooled the CPU. We could have over-volted to 1.6V. We could have used a different motherboard, different memory, or different BIOS revision. Are you seeing my point? It's all relative, and since this wasn't a retail sample we were working with, all of the extra minutia became meaningless. So 30x for 4.0GHz it is...

But anyone with a decent memory for the original Intel Core i7-920 launch will recall how this processor could reach 4GHz without much extra effort (although it was almost all through QPI and voltage). But still, overclocking to 4GHz is still 4GHz regardless, and paying $289 for the i7-920 is a lot more palatable than paying nearly $1000 for the Gulftown BX80613I7980X part. Right? I guess we're back to that dichotomy again...

Gulftown/Westmere Final Thoughts

This article has taught me two important lessons: Gulftown makes it possible for six cores to co-exist on the same processor with room for overclocking, and Westmere is the next major step in refined processor fabrication for which many new models with be born. The Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU, for all of its bulging SmartCache and rippling hexa-cores, is still an enthusiast desktop processor at the end of the day. To that extent, Westmere's 32nm microarchitecture becomes much more significant to computing than an over-pr... hmm... over-promoted enthusiast part. What should be creating some anxiety is the upcoming Intel Xeon 3600- and 5600-series enterprise server processors based on the same 32nm technology.

Discussing Gulftown at the reviewers level is a little disconcerting, because we test product X to produce result Y at the retail price of Z. But this isn't exactly 'another' Intel Core-i7 processor, not with six cores and twelve threads, and not with 12MB of L3 cache. So for me to equate the 980X to a six-core version of the i7-975 would be dismissing Westmere and all of the benefits that the new microarchitecture brings. Now, whenever I think 32nm Westmere, I immediately think AES-IN or Intel Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Instructions Set R3, and I think of how Gulftown just put a near-2000% performance smack-down on the aging 45nm Nehalem microarchitecture.

Forward Thinking: Intel

But what kind of future does Gulftown have? Well, first off, the 980X is tied to Intel's LGA1366 socket available only on the X58-Express motherboard platform. Back when Benchmark Reviews launched the Intel Core i7 CPU & X58-Express platform in November 2008, motherboard chipsets were changing with the seasons and nobody expected a year and a half (and counting) to pass before X68-Express would be revealed. So we're still seeing new X58 motherboards reach the market for old Bloomfield processors, somehow Intel P55-Express motherboards have also received Core i7 'Lynnfield' processors with faster on-chip memory management. Where's the brand loyalty?

Memory is another consideration, especially with six hungry processor cores waiting to be fed. With DRAM being sold at the lowest prices we've seen in many years, X58 motherboards willing to harness large amounts of DDR3 may be a blessing in disguise. Even though enthusiasts have yet to fall in love with 64-bit versions of the Windows Operating System, there has been renewed interest since the launch of Windows 7. Supporting up to 24GB of system memory on a consumer desktop motherboards was once considered impossible, but thanks to triple-channel support on X58 motherboards like the ASUS P6X58D-Premium and Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 this is now very possible. The downside, however, is that transaction times are far worse than if the Direct Media Interface was integrated into the processor such as on Intel's 'Lynnfield' Core-i5/i7 LGA1156 processors.

As the Intel P55 chipset has now demonstrated, the future is in PCH-based designs, and 32- (or 22nm) technology has paved the way for Moore's law to continue as predicted. A true Tylersburg refresh (X68) may deliver all of the hardware features we desire for modern computing, but this isn't Field of Dreams, and if you build it they won't come. Computer hardware needs more than speed and power; it needs purpose.

Random After-Thoughts

New and upcoming DirectX-11 software notwithstanding, video games have generally required the same graphical power as they needed over the past few years. Newer server and virtualization technology continues to refine efficiency and uses fewer CPU cycles. So essentially software is barely moving forward while hardware is making leaps and bounds. Which raises the question: to what end?

Software just hasn't been keeping up its end of the deal, and most people still use 32-bit technology (introduced back in Windows 95). it's sad but true. Games like Crysis helped give reason for advancing graphics technology, just like virtualization technology and Terminal Services helped push processor power. But the apex of software demands hasn't really changed in several years, and having massive amounts of system memory are only helpful if there's an application that requires it.

I used to overclock my Pentium 4 (and later Pentium D and Core 2) processor to get a few extra frames out of Battlefield 2 and earn more work units per day with Folding@Home. But now I have a graphics card that performs 600x better at folding proteins than my CPU ever did, and I have a Core-i7 processor that can encode my self-authored DVD's in a fraction of the time it used to take. We haven't hit the wall, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting very close.

If software doesn't come around soon, perhaps in the shape of widespread adoption towards 64-bit computing using Microsoft Windows 7, we'll soon share the same dilemma facing the automobile industry: high-horsepower engines with break-neck torque driving down roads with a 65-MPH speed limit. I personally feel that this has been the case ever since Intel launched the Core 2 processor, which is why we're now sharing the other auto-industry dilemma: power efficiency.

Intel Core i7-980X Conclusion

Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating for the sample received which may differ from retail versions.

Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. The first is performance, which considers how effective the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor performs in operation against similar desktop products. CPU benchmark performance was very high in Everest and PCMark Vantage compared to the i7-920, and encryption scores shot way off the charts. System memory tests seemed to favor fewer processor cores, even with the exact same settings applied, but not enough to be perceived in anything other than a synthetic benchmark. While Gulftown didn't create any conspicuous benefits to video game performance, it didn't harm frame rate, either. The new 32nm Westmere microarchitecture reduces power drain down to only 12W at idle, which is a 'Green' step in the right direction and conserves energy.

Intel has proven its commitment towards refining processor design and construction with the introduction of Westmere microarchitecture. 32nm die process technology is the future of modern processors, and their tick-tock mechanism is moving right along in step with Moore's law; at least until they can return with 22nm technology in the distant future. Built on the same Core-i7 LGA1366 package that's been home to several popular Bloomfield models, the 980X BX80613I7980X model delivers the same quality as previous Intel iterations.

Several architectural design and microarchitectural functionality enhancements have been added to the Intel Core i7-980X, including six processor cores in the CPU package and increased shared cache memory buffer. The codename Gulftown multi-core processor utilizes an integrated memory controller technology and uses up a 130-Watt thermal design power (TDP). The i7-980X processor features an Intel QPI point-to-point link capable of up to 6.4 GT/s, 12 MB Level 3 cache, and an integrated triple-channel memory controller. Other than two new CPU cores, which yield four additional processor threads and 2MB L3 SmartCache each, the new Gulftown 980X also brings twelve additional Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI) to the Core-i7 family. Gulftown supports all the existing Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2), Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (SSE3) and Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4). The Intel Core i7-980X also processor supports several Advanced Technologies: Intel 64 Technology (Intel-64), Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel-VT), Turbo Boost Technology, and Hyper-Threading Technology.

In terms of overclocking, the engineering sample Benchmark Reviews received for testing and evaluation was capable of reaching 4.0GHz by using only the clock speed multiplier and 1.375 volts. Retail version may offer greater headroom for additional QPI tweaks, although going beyond 1.4V could cause unexpected failure. Packaged as the BX80613I7980X retail box kit, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor comes with the Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution. This CPU cooler offers either a Quiet or Performance fan setting, and our test results indicate that it cools to the same level of many top-end aftermarket thermal solutions. Intel's TurboBoost technology stopped at 3.6GHz on the 3.33GHz i7-975, but with the 980X it moves up to 3.46GHz using multi-core turbo mode.

As of 20 March 2010, the Intel Core i7-980X BX80613I7980X retail kit is listed for $1140 at NewEgg. Additional online retailers also stock this Extreme Edition CPU, so compare prices before making a purchase.

In conclusion, the aptly-named Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor satisfies that insatiable need for enthusiasts to own a slice of the impossible. Our tests have shown that computational tasks such as media transcoding and compression archiving, and especially encryption, have all seen impressive gains. The added processor threads and L3 SmartCache will certainly help boost performance in VirtualMachine and VMWare environments, or professional design suites such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere-Pro, AutoDesk Maya and 3DS-Max, Microsoft Excel and Windows Live Movie Maker, Sony Vegas and Acid, and also VirtualDub. This could cause a divide between what Gulftown can do, and what enthusiasts will actually do with it. Gaming performance is solely dependant on the GPU when it comes to enthusiast hardware, and no amount of processor cores will improve what ATI or NVIDIA have already created in their products. Overclockers may be sorely disappointed if they expect the 980X to beat the i7-975 to 5GHz, because the extra cores make this chip a little less nimble when it comes to dancing around boundaries. Ultimately the Intel Core i7-980X is not meant to be a value-driving SKU, and the PC-hardware elite have always understood this. Much like Lexus automobiles, which are little more than decorated Toyota's, Intel saves the bells and whistles for their exclusive Extreme Edition product line.

UPDATE: Intel has formally announced their 32nm Six-Core Intel Xeon-5600 CPUs, which lists prices for the entire Westmere family.

Pros:

+ 6-CPU cores with 12-processor threads
+ 32nm Westmere die process technology
+ Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI)
+ Good for at least 4.0GHz overclock
+ 12-Watt idle power consumption
+ Excellent media transcoding or file compression performance
+ Includes Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution
+ Unlocked clock speed multiplier

Cons:

- Extremely expensive enthusiast product
- Additional CPU cores limit overclocking headroom
- Does not add performance to high-level gaming platforms

Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.

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