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Intel Core i5-661 'Clarkdale' Performance Preview January 03, 2010 |
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Summary: With a 3.33GHz stock clock speed, integrated DX10 graphics core, and 32-nm manufacturing process, Intel's Core i5-661 is designed to make Core 2 Duo obsolete. But does it accomplish its mission? See how it performs with and without its integrated graphics in today's article!
 Intel Core i5-661 Performance Preview | Page:: ( 1 / 11 ) |
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Thanks to their new architecture (which shared many similarities with AMD’s latest processors), these CPUs blew the doors off the fastest Core 2 CPUs, and did so while remaining energy efficient.
Upgrading to one of these CPUs wasn’t cheap though. A motherboard based on Intel’s X58 chipset is required, and as anyone who’s ever shopped for an X-series chipset can tell you, these extreme motherboards can get pretty pricey. Even today a stripped-down X58 motherboard usually goes for $170-$200, while midrange boards sell for $250+. A fully loaded X58 motherboard is priced over $300.
Therefore in order to appeal to the more price conscious crowd, Intel introduced their first mainstream CPUs based on the Nehalem architecture last September. These CPUs are based on Intel’s “Lynnfield” core and are designated as the Core i5-750, Core i7-860, and Core i7-870.
With their aggressive Turbo Mode settings and large cache, these CPUs were able to deliver the same blazing performance we saw from Bloomfield at the end of 2008, but with lower CPU and platform costs. Core 2 Quad instantly became overpriced and obsolete. We’ve been recommending Lynnfield processors for all but the most demanding hardware enthusiasts and gamers.
Now Intel’s got their sights set on dual-core computing. Today Intel’s rolling out their first dual-core CPUs based on the Nehalem architecture. These CPUs rely on Intel’s “Clarkdale” core.
That’s not the only first for Clarkdale though. Clarkdale is also Intel’s first processor to utilize their brand new 32-nm manufacturing process. Historically Intel has reserved new process introductions exclusively for their high-end CPUs where volumes are lower; this allows them to work out any kinks in the process without potentially running into supply issues.
However, Intel’s so confident with their 32-nm process they’re starting with the high-volume parts first; Intel’s 32-nm CPU for the high-end segment, the 6-core Core i7-980X “Gulftown”, isn’t expected to debut until Q2’2010.
Clarkdale’s 32-nm manufacturing process isn’t the CPU’s most dramatic new first though. That honor goes to its integrated 3D graphics core, which is built into the same package as the CPU.
Integrating graphics into the CPU is quite a coup for Intel. It wasn’t long ago that we expected AMD to finish first here…
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The race to bring 3D graphics to the CPU
It all began on July 24th, 2006.
On that day, AMD announced their plans to acquire graphics maker ATI in a deal valued at $5.4 billion. The news shook up the CPU and graphics landscape, setting off a chain of events that has helped lead us to today’s Core i5 and Core i3 “Clarkdale” CPU introductions.
As AMD saw it, one of the keys to taking CPU share away from Intel was to offer more compelling platforms as a whole. Having the world’s fastest CPU was good, but to get to that next level, they felt they had to offer the complete package for PC manufacturers and vendors. This was particularly important on the mobile side, where Intel has enjoyed tremendous success with Centrino and other products. AMD’s K8 generation of CPUs never enjoyed much penetration in this space, and as we all know, the mobile segment is where most of the growth is in the overall PC market.
Key to executing on this strategy was AMD’s first CPU with integrated graphics. The first CPU+GPU core was initially codenamed “Fusion”. Back in 2006, AMD expected their first Fusion processor would debut sometime in 2008, which is when they originally planned to transition to 45-nm. Shrinking the manufacturing process down to 45-nm was critical for Fusion to occur, as the smaller process was needed to fuse graphics onto the CPU without the final product costing an arm and a leg for AMD to manufacture.
Of course by now we all know how things ultimately played out. AMD’s 45-nm transition didn’t occur until early 2009, and AMD changed course, deciding to wait until 32-nm before they integrate 3D graphics into the CPU. This won’t occur until AMD’s “Llano” core is introduced sometime in 2011 -- some 3 years later than AMD’s initial projections, and a year behind Intel.
In AMD’s defense, their original goal with Fusion was to integrate a more robust graphics core akin to the one used in their 780G IGP. Intel’s approach with Clarkdale is a little more conservative: its graphics core is largely based on their existing GMA 4500 IGP used in their G45 chipset. We’ll be going over the tweaks Intel has integrated into Clarkdale’s graphics core on the next page, as well as the changes to the CPU die itself as well.
| Clarkdale specs | Page:: ( 2 / 11 ) |
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Meet the Clarkdale family
While the focus of today’s article is on the Core i5-661 CPU only, Intel’s introducing 12 new Clarkdale CPUs this week, of which the Core i5-661 is one of them.
On the desktop, Intel’s launching six new Clarkdale CPUs on January 7. Four of the new processors are designated under the Core i5 brand, with the range including the Core i5-670, Core i5-661, Core i5-660, and Core i5-650. Two new Core i3 CPUs are also being introduced, the Core i3-540 and the Core i3-530. Later this quarter, Intel will also be rolling out a new Pentium G6950 CPU that’s based on Clarkdale.
For mobile users, Intel is introducing 6 new Arrandale CPUs, including four Core i5s (the Core i5-540M, Core i5-520M, Core i5-520UM, Core i5-430M) and two Core i3s (the Core i3-350M, Core i3-330M).
To run alongside the new processors, seven new chipsets are being introduced this week, with the Q57, H57, and H55 being offered for desktops, and the QS57, QM57, HM57, and HM55 chipsets being offered for notebook PCs.
Also being introduced this week are five new Core i7 mobile parts based on Intel’s Arrandale core.
All of the Clarkdale CPUs are based on the same Nehalem architecture first launched by Intel in 2008. Key Nehalem features like the integrated memory controller, L3 cache, Turbo Boost (in the case of Core i5 CPUs), and Hyper-Threading are all carried over. Intel’s merely scaled the number of processing cores down to two, chopped the L3 cache in half (down to just 4MB L3, versus 8MB in Lynnfield), and added graphics capability to the CPU, negating the need for a dedicated graphics card.
Physically Clarkdale is a 2-chip solution, with one chip consisting of the 32-nm CPU die, which measures in at 81mm2 with 383 million transistors. In comparison, Lynnfield’s die size is over 3X larger: 296mm2 with 774 million transistors, while Bloomfield’s die is 233mm2 with 731 million transistors.
The second chip in Clarkdale is made using Intel’s 45-nm manufacturing process. This chip contains the PCI Express (16 lanes), dual-channel memory controller and graphics core and measures 114mm2 with 177 million transistors. You can see what a Clarkdale processor looks like underneath its heatspreader here:
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And here is what the CPU die itself looks like (with accompanying block diagram mapping out where everything is located on the die):
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| Intel's Clarkdale Desktop CPU Lineup | |||||||
| As of January 7th, 2010 | |||||||
| CPU | Stock Clock Speed | Max Turbo Speed | # of Processing Cores/Threads | L3 Cache Size | Memory Speed Support | Max TDP | Price |
| Core i5-670 | 3.46GHz | Up to 3.73GHz | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 73W | $284 |
| Core i5-661 | 3.33GHz | Up to 3.6GHz | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 87W | $196 |
| Core i5-660 | 3.33GHz | Up to 3.6GHz | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 73W | $196 |
| Core i5-650 | 3.2GHz | Up to 3.46GHz | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 73W | $176 |
| Core i3-540 | 3.06GHz | N/A | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 73W | $133 |
| Core i3-530 | 2.93GHz | N/A | 2/4 | 4MB | DDR3-1333MHz | 73W | $113 |
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Notes
One new addition that’s been added to Clarkdale that isn’t mentioned in the chart above is AES-NI (Advanced Encryption Standard-New Instructions). These are six new instructions that have been added to potentially speed up applications that use the AES algorithm for encryption and voice-over-IP. Popular examples of real-world apps that use AES include Windows bitlocker encryption and Winzip.
Unfortunately, Clarkdale’s Turbo Modes aren’t as aggressive as Lynnfield’s. Clarkdale CPUs can automatically OC themselves up to two speed bins, so in the case of the Core i5-661, up to 266MHz over the CPU’s stock frequency of 3.33GHz. With Turbo Mode, Lynnfield processors can be OC’ed up to five speed bins in apps that are single or dual-threaded (of course provided that the CPU remains cool and power consumption remains in check).
As a result, Clarkdale CPUs won’t be able to encroach too much on Lynnfield when it comes to performance, even though the i5-661 and i5-670 have a clock speed advantage over Intel’s fastest Lynnfield processors.
Wondering what the difference is between the Core i5-661 and the 660 part? For the 3D performance-minded, the Core i5-661 sports a faster 900MHz graphics core, while the other Clarkdale CPUs rely on a graphics core that runs at 733MHz. This results in a slightly higher TDP, but should allow the 661 to outrun the other processors in 3D apps.
The Core i5-661 also lacks support for Intel’s Trusted Execution Technology (although some will probably see this as a bonus), vPro and VT-d.
Intel HD Graphics
Speaking of the graphics core, as we mentioned earlier this isn’t a next-generation leap over G45. Intel continues to rely on the same basic DX10 graphics core as before, only it’s been tweaked to offer better audio/video capabilities for the HTPC crowd (including native support for bitstreaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD), and sports two additional shading units and higher clock speeds for 3D (up to 900MHz in the case of the Core i5-661). We’ve included a few slides from an Intel preso that highlights the new features that have been added to Clarkdale’s graphics core:
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Since this isn’t an all-new graphics core, 3D performance is improved, but not to the extent where cutting-edge games like Crysis suddenly become playable. Even with the lowest graphics settings, Crysis is still a slideshow.
Intel’s never targeted their IGPs toward the hardcore gamer though, instead their goal is to deliver just enough 3D performance for the mainstream and casual gaming crowd who’s playing titles like Sims 2/Sims 3, Spore, or Rollercoaster Tycoon.
That didn’t stop us from running a few benchmarks with Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 5, and Crysis though.
| Clarkdale Graphics benchmarks | Page:: ( 3 / 11 ) |
Because we’re a site that’s focused towards the middle and high-end gaming crowd, we knew from the outset that we wanted to focus on the Core i5-661’s performance as a potential replacement for the Core 2 Duo E8500 (which it’s priced similarly to), rather than its integrated 3D graphics performance.
We know that the majority of our readers are going to want to know which is faster: the E8500 or the Core i5-661, both paired with a discrete graphics card like the Radeon 4890 or GeForce GTX 275, but we still wanted to see how the Core i5-661’s integrated graphics performed with a few of today’s latest games. Let’s have a look shall we?
Crysis
Far Cry 2
Resident Evil 5
As you can see, Clarkdale just doesn’t have the shading power or the memory subsystem to handle today’s latest games at high resolutions or with moderate graphics settings. The CPU was able to deliver playable frame rates with Resident Evil 5, but we wouldn’t exactly call the experience memorable. Crysis was a complete slideshow.
At the same time though, we’re happy to report that the games actually worked flawlessly. Intel’s had problems displaying some high-end games in the past but fortunately we didn’t spot any graphical glitches or artifacts when running Clarkdale’s IGP. Hopefully Intel will be able to keep their graphics driver up to date as new 3D titles are released over the course of this year.
| System Setup | Page:: ( 4 / 11 ) |
Intel Core i5-750
Intel Core i5-661
Gigabyte P55-UD4P
Intel Core i5-661
Intel DH55TC (H55 Motherboard)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
ASUS P5E3 Premium
4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Platinum @ DDR3-1333 Speeds
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
ForceWare 195.62
500GB Western Digital Caviar SE16
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Benchmarks
Resident Evil 5
Crysis
Far Cry 2
3DMark Vantage
Cinebench 10
WinRAR 3.9
LAME MT
DivX 7
VirtualDub 1.9.6
Notes
We’re going all-Intel for today’s CPU article.
Picking out an equivalent AMD processor is a tough call. Price-wise, the Core i5-661’s closest competitor is the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition. At the same time though we have a hard time seeing the 661 being shopped against the Phenom II 965. The two CPUs are completely different animals from a pure features perspective. Instead its most natural competitor would be a dual-core CPU like the Athlon II X2 250, which is nowhere near the Core i5-661 in price. Rather than make a call on this decision today, we’re going to defer until AMD’s next-gen DX11 IGP is ready later this year.
You’re probably more interested in seeing how the Core i5-661 compares to Intel’s Core 2 Duo E8500 “Wolfdale” core anyway. For clock-for-clock comparison’s sake, we also included an E8600. This has been the world’s fastest dual-core CPU for a little over a year now. Does the i5-661 have what it takes to dethrone it?
| Media Encoding/Rendering Benchmarks | Page:: ( 5 / 11 ) |
Valve Particle Simulation Benchmark
3DMark Vantage
| Far Cry 2 | Page:: ( 6 / 11 ) |
Far Cry 2 – Direct3D
| Crysis | Page:: ( 7 / 11 ) |
Crysis – Direct3D
| Resident Evil 5 | Page:: ( 8 / 11 ) |
Resident Evil 5 – Direct3D
| World In Conflict | Page:: ( 9 / 11 ) |
World In Conflict – Direct3D
| Overclocking and Power | Page:: ( 10 / 11 ) |
Armed with Gigabyte’s P55-UD4P, we were eager to see how far we could push our Core i5-661 CPU. With a simple BIOS update, the Gigabyte board was easily able to handle the Clarkdale CPU, and we proceeded to take it up to 3926MHz on stock voltage, the highest of any Nehalem CPU we’ve tested yet.
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Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get much further than that, topping out at 4025MHz. It’s possible that the P55 motherboard’s BIOS needs more fine tuning when it comes to Clarkdale OC’ing, or we may have received a sample from Intel that just doesn’t want to OC. Our OC on stock voltage suggests that the CPU should be able to scale much further with higher voltages, but we just couldn’t get the system to run with complete stability at higher speeds. We’ll have to re-examine this topic once newer BIOS is available.
Power Consumption
| Conclusion | Page:: ( 11 / 11 ) |
For over a year now the E8600 has been regarded as the world’s fastest dual-core CPU. With the debut of Clarkdale, that reign is now over. The fact that it’s able to do this while also integrating a more powerful graphics core is an impressive accomplishment. While Clarkdale isn’t up to the task of running Crysis comfortably, the new audio/video features Intel has added to Clarkdale should make it perfect for HTPC use. Simply drop the processor into an H55 or H57 motherboard and you have an instant home theater PC for just under $300. The Dells and HPs of the world could also use Clarkdale to build some pretty intriguing all-in-one PCs.
These are the two most intriguing scenarios that we see for Core i5 on the desktop at this time. Due to its high $196 price tag, Core i5-661 Clarkdale really doesn’t make much sense anywhere else: you can get the Core i5-750 for about the same amount of money, giving you true quad-core computing and with much better performance.
Unless you absolutely must have Clarkdale’s integrated graphics, Core i5-750 is easily the better buy.
Where Clarkdale could be more compelling is on the low end with Core i3. With prices of $113 and $133, the Core i3-530 and Core i3-540 don’t encroach on Lynnfield’s price point, and although they do lack Turbo Mode support, this can easily be overcome with a little bit of OC’ing. We’ll have to try and get our hands on a chip so we can see how it compares to similar dual-core offerings from AMD, but it looks like these chips could be significantly better than the Core 2 Duo E7000-series CPUs Intel had been offering previously for the low-end segment. Right now it's looking like these could be the most intriguing Clarkdale CPUs Intel is offering at the moment.