Zaključak

Core i7-3960X je bez premca trenutno najbrži desktop procesor na svijetu, a ništa drugo od Intela nismo ni očekivali. U svim uvjetima briljira i postiže visoke performanse, bilo da je riječ o multi-threaded ili single-threaded aplikacijama, a čak je vrlo brz i u igrama. Nedostatak Quick Synca u odnosu na originalnu SB arhitekturu se gotovo niti ne osjeti, no ipak je u neku ruku šteta što ga nema u top Intelovom procesoru. Overclocking mogućnosti su odlične i ovaj glomazni 130W čip je u stanju svojih šest jezgri potjerati sve do 5GHz – impresivno. i7-3930K je pun pogodak, s tek malo slabijim performansama u aplikacijama koje znaju iskoristiti 3MB L3 memorije viška kod jačeg modela. Tu je naravno i 100MHz niži radni takt, no preporučena cijena od 550 USD, ga čini boljim odabirom. Slabiji je tek u overclockingu gdje s teškom mukom ide preko 4.8GHz. S obzirom da memorija nije radila u punoj quad channel konfiguraciji, memorijska je propusnost u ovom testu ostala na razini Sandy Bridgea, no to bi u idealnim uvjetima trebalo rasti za oko 50%. Zbog svih ovih prednosti, SBE procesori su odličan high-end proizvod u kojem će uživati oni s velikim potrebama i dubljim džepom. Običnim smrtnicima će i standardna SB platforma još uvijek biti dovoljna. Ukoliko pak imate nekakav Gulftown setup, pogotovo ako je riječ o 980X ili 990X procesorima, prelazak na SBE i nije pretjerano isplativ. Veća je razlika jedino u overclocking potencijalu.

Intelova DX79SI ploča je na kraju krajeva vrlo solidan proizvod, koji ima dvije mane – X79 čipset i nemogućnost izvlačenja maksimuma iz i7-3960X procesora. X79 čipset nije donio ništa revolucionarno osim teoretske PCIe 3.0 podrške i 40 PCIe stazica. Nema tu nativne USB3.0 podrške, samo su dva SATA 6Gbps kanala podržana, a i zagrijavanje je dosta visoko. Drugi će to proizvođači ploča riješiti dodatnim kontrolerima i ventilatorima na PCH-u, no zbog toga ova Intelova ploča djeluje prazno, tj. nedostojna ovako visoke klase proizvoda. Danas ćemo još testirati i dvije X79 ploče – Asusovu Sabertooth X79 i Gigabyteovu X79-UD5, pa stoga stay tuned.

 

Conclusion

Core i7-3960X proved to be the fastest desktop processor currently, but nothing less was expected from Intel. It has great performance, whether it is working with multi-threaded or single-threaded applications, and it is even very fast in games. We almost don`t feel the lack of Quick Sync to the original SB architecture, but it would be great if they could implement it their top product. Overclocking performances are great for this bulky 130W chip. It is capable of pushing its six cores to 5GHz which is pretty impressive. i7-3930K is also great, with only a bit weaker performance in applications that know how to use the extra 3MB of L3 memory in stronger model. There is of course the lower the clock speed of 100MHz, but recommended price of 550 USD makes it a far better choice. It is weaker only in overclocking where you can`t push it stable over 4.8GHz. Given that memory was not working at full quad channel configuration, the memory bandwidth in this test remained at Sandy Bridge levels, but it would ideally grow by about 50%. Because of these advantages, SBE processors are an excellent high-end product which will be enjoyed by those with greater needs and deeper pocket. For the rest, original SB platform will still be more than sufficient. If however, you have a Gulftown setup, especially when it comes to 980X or 990X processors, transitin to the SBE and is not overly profitable. The difference is only in the overclocking potential (Gulftown will hardly go past 4.5GHz).

Intel DX79SI board is ultimately a very solid product, which has two main disadvantages – X79 chipset and an inability to draw the maximum out of i7-3960X processor. X79 chipset did not bring anything revolutionary except the theoretical support for PCIe 3.0 and 40 PCIe lanes. There is no native support USB3.0, only two SATA 6Gbps channels supported, and the heat it generates is quite high. Other manufacturers will solve this problem by introducing additional controllers and fan cooling on PCH, but because of that the Intel board looks a bit empty, almost unworthy of such high-class product. Today we will also test two additional X79 boards – Asus˙s Sabertooth X79 and Gigabyte`s X79-UD5 so stay tuned.