By now you've no doubt read all about Intel's new Core i7 processor. You know that the CPU otherwise known as Nehalem is based on an all-new architecture, complete with four cores (or eight, if you count Hyper-Threading), three levels of cache, an integrated memory controller, and a QuickPath Interconnect replacement for the front-side bus. You know that the Core i7 is unequivocally the fastest desktop processor around, and that in some cases, it's a fair bit quicker, clock-for-clock, than Intel's already impressive Penryn designs. Naturally, you want one. Badly.
Saddling up a Core i7 won't be as easy as plugging one of the new chips into your current system, though. Nehalem is built on a new LGA1366 package that isn't compatible with the existing LGA775 infrastructure. Without a front-side bus, the Core i7 also requires a chipset compatible with its QuickPath Interconnect: Intel's own X58 Express. You'll need a whole new motherboard to join the Core i7 party, then. But which one?
Intel has its own X58 board, of course—the latest in a series of attempts to effectively cater to overclockers and PC enthusiasts. As one might expect, Taiwanese giant Asus has an iron in the fire, too. We've had the P6T Deluxe in the labs for weeks now, and it's laden with all the rich features you'd expect from a perennial favorite.
To find out which of these two is the best option for those eager to adopt Intel's latest microarchitecture, we've run them through a grueling gauntlet of performance, peripheral, power consumption, and overclocking tests. Read on for a detailed look at the first Core i7 motherboards to make it into the Benchmarking Sweatshop.
0 comments:
Post a Comment