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Intel readying Core i7 2700K to rain on AMD's FX parade?

by Tarinder Sandhu on 7 October 2011, 09:54

Tags: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

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Intel is remaining characteristically tight-lipped over the matter, but it appears that another Sandy Bridge chip is about to make a splash with enthusiasts.

Seemingly sure to bolster the LGA1155 line of processors, the chip giant is readying the Core i7 2700K, supplanting the incumbent 2600K as the fastest non-Extreme CPU.

From what we can gather by piecing together rumour and fact, the 2700K is a minor clockbump over the 2600K, which is available for around £230 today. Fleshing it out, here's how the new processor should compare with other K-series chips.

Intel Sandy Bridge K-series

Processor Intel Core i7 2700K Intel Core i7 2600K Intel Core i7 2500K
Processor Frequency 3.5GHz 3.4GHz 3.3GHz
Top Turbo Speed 3.9GHz 3.8GHz 3.7GHz
Cores / Threads 4/8 4/8 4/4
TDP 95W 95W 95W
Graphics HD 3000+ HD 3000+ HD 3000
Pricing £250? £230 £160

Enthusiasts will know the 2600K is able to run way past its default clocks, with 4.5GHz-plus a routine overclock with reasonable air cooling. This tells us the 2700K is merely a 2600K with a modified specification at the factory.

The conservative clockspeed bump is standard Intel fare, opening up the possibility of a Core i7 2800K in the future, though Intel needs to be careful how it plays out the positioning between regular Sandy Bridge and Extreme chips - we'd be especially interested to see comparative performance figures of the unreleased 2700K and also-soon-to-market Core i7 Extreme 3820.

Heck, Intel may just be releasing the 2700K to rain on AMD's FX CPU parade, as it appears as if the headline act, FX-8150, can't give the 2600K a good licking. We'll know soon enough.

But you won't be buying a 2700K for its stock-clocked performance, we imagine, and folks over at coolaler's forum have ratcheted up an engineering-sample 2700K to 5GHz (50 x 100MHz BCLK) on air cooling. Nice! Core i7 2700K or FX-8150? Decisions, decisions, especially if the new Intel chip's arrival is a catalyst for price-cutting on other K-series processors.



HEXUS Forums :: 12 Comments

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Not that impressive. Had a 2500K @ 5.2Ghz on air (1.55v) during a benching session, so being capable of reaching that speed is nothing. Being able to stay at that speed, at reasonable volts, temps and with degredation, then we are talking…

Non headline from Intel for my money.
It's 100Mhz faster at stock then the previous release, it's not going to rain on anyones parade…..unless they reduce the prices of all i5 and i7 cpus.
Tattysnuc
Not that impressive. Had a 2500K @ 5.2Ghz on air (1.55v) during a benching session, so being capable of reaching that speed is nothing. Being able to stay at that speed, at reasonable volts, temps and with degredation, then we are talking…
+1 on this. Plus if Hick12's earlier calc's of UK pricing are correct then the 8150's still going to be £30-40 cheaper. (and it's stock speed is slightly faster). So sure, the 2700K is a darned good chip, but I need many cores, so the FX still looks like a winner to me - assuming that AMD don't screw up the pricing.

On the other hand, I also realise that the overclockability of the 2700K is going to make it pretty compelling for other folks. Of course, there's not been a lot of copy on how OC'able the FX's are… My current PhenomII 1090T sits quite happily/stably with at 3.8GHz which I'd categorize as a very mild OC.

Got to say that if you're in the market for an 8-thread capable processing engine then it's going to be a very interesting time coming up.
crossy
+1 on this. Plus if Hick12's earlier calc's of UK pricing are correct then the 8150's still going to be £30-40 cheaper. (and it's stock speed is slightly faster). So sure, the 2700K is a darned good chip, but I need many cores, so the FX still looks like a winner to me - assuming that AMD don't screw up the pricing.

On the other hand, I also realise that the overclockability of the 2700K is going to make it pretty compelling for other folks. Of course, there's not been a lot of copy on how OC'able the FX's are… My current PhenomII 1090T sits quite happily/stably with at 3.8GHz which I'd categorize as a very mild OC.

Got to say that if you're in the market for an 8-thread capable processing engine then it's going to be a very interesting time coming up.

http://forums.hexus.net/2139113-post864.html
Tattysnuc
Not that impressive. Had a 2500K @ 5.2Ghz on air (1.55v) during a benching session, so being capable of reaching that speed is nothing. Being able to stay at that speed, at reasonable volts, temps and with degredation, then we are talking…

Non headline from Intel for my money.

It's more about the default speeds as that's how AMDs new chips will be compared in most benchmarks, irrespective of how easy overclocking is.