Testbed and Methods

Since we got our hands on the engineering sample of the new processor stepping, we performed a brief express-test in the following platform:

• Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 (Intel X58 Express, BIOS version F7c);
• CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U12P with Enermax Magma UCMA12 fan (1500RPM);
• Memory: Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3K3/3GX (DDR3-1600 SDRAM, 3 x 2GB, 8-8-8-24);
• Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4890;
• HDD: Western Digital Raptor WD1500AHFD;
• PSU: SilverStone SST-ST85ZF (850 W);
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista x64 SP1;
• Drivers:
  • Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.1.0.1007;
  • ATI Catalyst 9.4 Display Driver.

We took the previous Extreme Edition solution – Core i7-965 XE (C0 processor stepping) – to compare against our today’s hero – Core i7-975 XE. We have already reviewed the 965 XE model before, so please see our article called New Hit from Remake King: Intel Core i7 Review for details.