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Intel Core i7 2600S
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Socket | 1155 | ||
| Number of cores | 4 | ||
| Clock rate | 2.8 GHz | ||
| Cache | 8 MB | ||
| Thermal Design Power | 65 W | ||
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| Technology | 32 nm |
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Régis Jehl
Translator: Sam McGeever
Test date: June 21, 2011
Translator: Sam McGeever
Test date: June 21, 2011
Intel's Range
The Core i7 2000 range was launched in January 2011 and only features quad-core processors with Hyper-threading. They also have a Turbo mode which boosts the clock speed from between 100 to 400 MHz depending on how many cores are used.
Based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, the i7 2000 CPUs have 8 MB of L3 cache and fit 1155 sockets. Engineered at 32 nm, they have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 95 W. There are also 'Low Power' versions, the i7 2000S range, which have a TDP of 65 W and a lower basic speed.
The Core i7 2000 processors come in either 'K' or 'basic' versions. The 'K' versions have a built-in HD Graphics 3000 chipset and give users access to advanced overclocking features. The basic version doesn't have overlocking, but does have other tools designed to tempt pros like VPro, TXT, VT-d and SIPP.
Based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, the i7 2000 CPUs have 8 MB of L3 cache and fit 1155 sockets. Engineered at 32 nm, they have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 95 W. There are also 'Low Power' versions, the i7 2000S range, which have a TDP of 65 W and a lower basic speed.
The Core i7 2000 processors come in either 'K' or 'basic' versions. The 'K' versions have a built-in HD Graphics 3000 chipset and give users access to advanced overclocking features. The basic version doesn't have overlocking, but does have other tools designed to tempt pros like VPro, TXT, VT-d and SIPP.
The processors that use Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture come in several families which can easily be identified by looking at the last letter of their name. The Core i7 2600S which features in our review today is from the S range, which is designed to be more energy efficient than the others. We put that to the test when we decided to see how it performed compared, especially when up against the Core i7 2600K.
The Sandy Bridge Architecture
But before we take a closer look, let's stop to familiarise ourselves with the three different versions of the Core i7 2600 processor from Intel. First up is the Intel Core i7 2600K, which is the most powerful of the three with a HD Graphics 3000 chipset and advanced overclocking options.Next comes the 'basic' version of the i7 2600, with no suffix. It runs at the same clock speed as the first of the three—3.4 GHz with a 3.8 GHz Turbo mode—but has a HD Graphics 2000 chipset. Instead of the advanced overlocking, there are extra features designed to appeal to professionals including vPro, TXT, VT-d and SIPP.
Finally, it's the turn of today's star, the Core i7 2600S, with a basic clock speed of just 2.8 GHz. Its Turbo mode—which we explained in our test of the Core i7 2600K—nevertheless allows it to climb to the same maximum speed of 3.8 GHz.
The TDP has been reduced from 95 W to 65 W, but the other features are the same as on the standard version of the i7 2600.
Test Results: An Excellent Processor
The results from the Core i7 2600S place it between the Core i5 2400 and the Core i7 2500K, and it easily beats processors like the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T or the Core i7 870.There is a fall in performance of around 12% compared to the 2600K, which is mostly visible with programmes that usually make the most of multiple-core processors. That's logical because the Turbo mode is less useful and the processor has to fall back on its basic clock speed, which is lower here.
General overall average.
Click on the graph to see all of our results and compare this CPU to other models.
Click on the graph to see all of our results and compare this CPU to other models.
With video games on the other hand, the performance of the K and S versions is virtually identical, which is a great strength allowing the 2600S to easily beat a processor as good as the Core i7 870.
The energy consumption has also been reduced and is 6 W lower on standby and 23 W when in active use.
| Power Use |
Performance: Applications |
Performance: Games |
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| View Performance Index Table |
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Intel Core i7 2600S
Pluses
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Performance with applications
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Performance with video games
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Hyper-threading
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Reasonable energy consumption
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Integrated graphics can improve decoding/encoding video and support Blu-ray 3D
Minuses
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Integrated graphics don't support DirectX 11 which would have improved the bitrate in some games
Intel's latest generation of processors picks up where the last one left off, with a noticeable uptick in performance and a reduction in energy consumption. This all-rounder is a real succes story.
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