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Core i7 Overclocking and Graphics Performance Update

By Vijay Anand - 5 Nov 2008

Test Setup

Test Setup

Our test setup is quite similar to that used in the main review, with the exception of a reduced benchmark set and the use of GeForce GTX 260 graphics card for the two real-world game tests to revisit the usefulness of the new platform where gaming matters are concerned. Despite our low resolution testing of 1024x768 and 1280x1024, our usual GeForce 8800 GT seemed to be bottlenecked in performance. Thus, we'll be using a GTX 260 class graphics card to further bolster that subsystem and reassess the usefulness of the new platform's ability to extend gaming performance.

For the Intel Core Core i7- 965 Extreme Edition, the setup is as follows:-

  • Intel DX58SO Motherboard (Intel X58 Express chipset)
  • 3 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1333 (7-7-7-20) @1.62V
  • ASUS GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (ForceWare 169.21)
  • Zotac GeForce GTX 260 AMP! Edition (ForceWare 178.24) � for Crysis and World in Conflict only
  • Seagate 7200.10 200GB SATA hard drive (one single NTFS partition)
  • Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
  • Intel INF 9.1.0.1007 and Matrix Storage Manager 8.6.0.1007

For the Intel Core 2 Extreme (QX9770 only), the setup is as follows:-

  • Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 motherboard (Intel X48)
  • 2 x 1GB Patriot DDR3-1866@ DDR3-1600 (7-7-7-20)
  • Seagate 7200.10 200GB SATA hard drive
  • ASUS GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (ForceWare 169.21)
  • Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
  • Intel INF 8.3.1.1009 and Matrix Storage Manager 7.8.0.1012

For the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and Core 2 Duo E8500, the setup is:-

  • ASUS P5E3 Deluxe (Intel X38 Express chipset)
  • 2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1333 (CAS 7. 7-7-20)
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB SATA hard drive (one single NTFS partition)
  • ASUS GeForce 8800 GT 512MB - with NVIDIA ForceWare 169.21
  • Zotac GeForce GTX 260 AMP! Edition (ForceWare 178.24) for Crysis and World in Conflict only
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
  • Intel INF 8.3.1.1009 and Matrix Storage Manager 7.8.0.1012

For the AMD Phenom X4 9950, the setup is as follows:-

  • ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe Wi-Fi (AMD 790FX chipset)
  • 2 x 1GB Aeneon DDR2-1066@ DDR2-800 (CAS 5-5-5-15)
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 200GB SATA hard drive (one single NTFS partition)
  • ASUS GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (ForceWare 169.21)
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2

 

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were used in this review:-

  • SYSmark 2007 Preview (Patch 3)
  • 3ds Max8 (SP2)
  • Cinebench 10
  • XMpeg 5.0.3 (DivX 6.8 encoding)
  • Futuremark 3DMark06 v1.1
  • AquaMark3
  • World in Conflict v1.05
  • Crysis v1.1
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