| Intel Core i5-750 Processor BX80605I5750 |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Processors | |
| Written by Mathew Williams | |
| Tuesday, 08 September 2009 | |
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Page 15 of 15
Core i5-750 ConclusionIntel promised Nehalem-level performance with their new Lynnfield platform and they definitely delivered. In nearly all of our benchmarks today, the Core i5-750 had a clear lead over the AMD Phenom II X4 965 and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450. In fact, in many tests, it even matched the Core i7-920. Needless to say, the BX80605I5750 kit earns top marks in performance. The Core i5-750 also scores well in construction quality. It ran through our torture tests without a hint of instability and was for the most part error-free. However, as I noted previously, there were a few compatibility issues with our HD 4850. Until we can determine the source of the problem, though, I'll reserve my judgement. Moving on to features, the Intel Core i5-750 has them in abundance. It seems its true strength lies in the Turbo Boost Technology. With it, the processor can automatically overclock all four of its cores independently to match the workload at hand. Down-clocking worked equally as well. Thanks to new power saving features, the Core i5-750 actually consumed the least amount of power out of all of the processors tested. The only thing it is lacking compared to the other Lynnfield processors is hyper-threading.
Of course, with a little extra voltage and an increase to the bus speed, that deficit can be somewhat minimized by overclocking. We were able to push our Core i5-750 sample to an impressive bus speed of 180 MHz. That translates to a base clock speed of 3.6 GHz and a maxiumum turbo clock speed of 4.32 GHz. Disabling Turbo Boost allowed us to push all four cores further, but not quite high as the single core was able to reach with it enabled. Whichever method you chose, rest assured that this chip has plenty of headroom. As of launch, NewEgg offers the Core i5-750 BX80605I5750 retail kit for $209.99. At that price, Core i5-750 outperforms every direct competitor is has, and even the higher-priced Phenom II X4 965. For that, it's simply a great value. Of course, you'll need a new LGA1156 motherboard to go with it, but thanks to the single chip Ibex Peak P55 chipset, motherboard pricing should be significantly lower than we saw with the X58 launch. The bottom line: if you're looking to upgrade your current system, or build a new one, the Core i5-750 is a great place to start. Pros:
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