Intel is a global market leader in PC processors. This brand produces the widest range of microchips in various price and technology segments. Among the most noteworthy solutions from the American corporation are Intel Core i7 3770 microprocessors. These chips are implemented, in particular, on the basis of the high-tech architecture Ivy Bridge. The microprocessors of the Intel Core i7 line are traditionally considered to be among the most high-performance in games. Chips of the appropriate type are also considered to be well overclocked and stably operating in the corresponding mode. To what extent are such characteristics typical for the Intel Core i7 3770 processor? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the corresponding chip?
CPU Basics
The Core i7 3770 processor operates at a frequency of 3.5 GHz. It is classified as a chip belonging to the 3rd generation of Intel Core chips. This type of solution is characterized by the highest performance. The chip is made as part of the 22 nm process technology based on the Ivy Bridge core. Installed on motherboards equipped with LGA1155 connector. It has 4 cores. Thanks to the concept of Turbo Boost 2.0, the processor frequency can be accelerated to an indicator of 3.9 GHz. The chip has an HD Graphics 4000 graphics accelerator. The performance of this hardware component allows you to solve both everyday user tasks - such as launching office applications, working with the Internet, and use it as a gamer tool. Among the most notable technological options of the processor in question are support for the Hyper-Threading option. This technology allows the microchip to carry out calculations in the framework of two threads on each core. Thus, in fact, the Core i7 3770 processor is an 8-core processor. The chip is equipped with a powerful cooling system, designed to work with heat, corresponding to the functioning of the 77 W microcircuit. Among other noteworthy characteristics of the processor is the presence of level 3 cache with a capacity of 8 MB.
Ivy Bridge Technology Features
The architecture on which the Intel Core i7 3770 processor is based is Ivy Bridge. It will be useful to study its features.
The technology under consideration is the result of further development of the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. In principle, there are not too many differences between the respective solutions. In particular, the updated microarchitecture operates on the same connector as the previous one - LGA1155. Accordingly, the motherboard for Intel Core i7 3770 can be used the same as for older chips based on Sandy Bridge. The communication between the processors based on the architecture under consideration and the system logic components is carried out on the same bus as in the case of using Sandy Bridge technology, namely DMI in version 2.0, which has a bandwidth of about 20 Gb / s.
The functional nodes of the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture are the same as those used in the previous one - Sandy Bridge. Microchips based on the corresponding technology can have 2 or 4 cores with a cache of 2 levels of 256 KB, 3 levels - up to 8 MB. In the structure of the chips on the microarchitecture under consideration there is a graphic core, a memory controller operating on 2 channels, a corresponding element for a graphics bus such as PCI Express, components responsible for the operation of Turbo technology and other related interfaces. The components of the chip based on Ivy Bridge are connected via the Ring Bus - as is the case with Intel's previous microarchitecture.
What are the fundamental differences between the Ivy Bridge technology on which the Intel Core i7 3770 processor is built from previous solutions? First of all, it is a technological process. The architecture in question is implemented at 22 nm. In this case, certain differences from previous circuits have an internal structure of transistors. According to information from the brand manufacturer, the corresponding components have a three-dimensional structure. Such a design allows, in particular, the chip to work with reduced voltage and lower heating intensity. So, the new architecture, on the basis of which the Intel Core i7 3770 processor - Ivy Bridge was created, based on official information from the manufacturer, is about one and a half times more efficient than Sandy Bridge technology in terms of performance per watt. According to IT experts, this property of Intel’s new microarchitecture creates the potential for the active distribution of relevant processors in the notebook segment.
The noted technological advantages of Ivy Bridge are supplemented by energy-saving algorithms, which Intel also implemented in chips based on the corresponding microarchitecture. Other notable solutions introduced by the brand include configurable TDP. The technological innovations considered by us, implemented in the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture, and in particular in the Intel Core i7 3770 chips, predetermined Intel's ability to release these chips with an area approximately 35% smaller than that of the Sandy Bridge-based chips. And this became possible despite the fact that about 1.4 billion transistors are present in the structure of the latest microprocessors from Intel. In turn, in chips based on the previous microarchitecture, there are 995 million corresponding components.
Comparison with competitors
What does the Intel Core i7 3770 processor look like against the background of competing solutions? Comparison of the considered chip and its analogues can be carried out based on the basic characteristics of the microcircuit. One of the competitors of the processor in question is the AMD FX-8350 chip, based on the Piledriver microarchitecture, which is the result of the development of Bulldozer technology. This processor operates on the Socket AM3 + platform, which is often regarded as competitive LGA1155.
The Intel Core i7 3770 processor is ahead of the competitor from AMD primarily in the process technology - AMD's solution is implemented at 32 nm. The AMD chip also has 8 cores. This technological advantage can be significant - but only if an application or game is launched on the computer that fully utilizes this resource. However, as we noted at the beginning of the article, in fact, the Intel Core i7 3770 processor is 8-core, due to the fact that it supports the concept of Hyper-Threading. Therefore, even if the two chips under consideration are launched in a similar environment - those applications that use 8 threads - the results will not always be in favor of a solution from AMD. According to IT experts, it is thanks to the 22nm process technology that Intel processor can be considered one of the most high-performance solutions in its price segment. The remaining characteristics of the chip become secondary. Direct competitors of the Intel Core i7 3770 processor, however, may be in demand for certain tasks requiring a narrow specialization of chips. For example, when launching games optimized for AMD chips.
Graphics Module Features
We study the features of some of the key components of the processor in question. In particular, the new graphics module - HD Graphics 4000, which is integrated into the chip from Intel, deserves attention. The main advantage of this hardware component is support for modern technologies, such as DirectX 11, Direct Compute, as well as the Shader Model in version 5.0. Moreover, the processor manufacturer has implemented support for GPGPU computing through the OpenCL interface version 1.1. The graphics module HD Graphics 4000, which is present in the processor structure of the Intel CPU Core i7 3770, can work with 3 independent displays. The overall level of chip performance has also increased due to the presence of additional actuators - there are 16. The noted advantages of the HD Graphics 4000 allow you to use it to run relatively demanding games, including on laptops, which is very important from the point of view of further spreading the influence of Intel in the corresponding market segment.
How productive is the Ivy Bridge architecture?
What is the performance gain of the chips based on the microarchitecture under consideration in comparison with the processors implemented on the previous technology - Sandy Bridge? According to IT experts, the new architecture from Intel does not provide a revolutionary increase in chip speed. As some tests show, you can observe an increase in Ivy Bridge performance of about 5% compared with the previous architecture - at the same chip frequencies. Experts attribute this to the fact that the new chips from Intel, in principle, have the same structure of computing cores as in previous processor models.
If we directly compare the Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge cores at the same frequencies and with the Hyper-Treading function disabled for the second in popular tests, then in some cases the advantage of the newer technology will be hardly noticeable. So, when testing the considered solutions in the Sandra program, arithmetic tests of the processor show almost the same results. Of course - if you are using a PC with the same characteristics of other hardware components. If desired, you can take turns to test the chips on the same PC. First, check the Ivy Bridge-based microcircuit, then install the Intel Core i7 3770 on the same computer.
PCI Express Performance
So, in terms of pure chip performance, the new Ivy Bridge technology has very few advantages over the previous microarchitecture. However, as we noted at the beginning of the article, support for PCI Express technology has been improved in the Core i7 3770 processor. Does this mean a practical increase in PC performance in terms of using the marked hardware component? As tests conducted by experts show, this is so. PCI Express technology is the interface responsible for the performance of key hardware components located inside the chip. The Ivy Bridge microarchitecture is compatible with the PCI Express controller in version 3. The throughput of the corresponding interface implementation is twice as high as that of the 2nd version, and is about 8 gigatransactions per second.
Features of the chip memory controller
Another noteworthy hardware component of the chip in question is the memory controller. Let's study its features.
In principle, its main characteristics in the new chip are not too different from those that are observed when studying the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. In particular, it supports dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM. At the same time, the new chip has the ability to fine-tune frequencies. So, when working with the corresponding parameter, the range of correction of frequency values can be 200 or 266 MHz. It can also be noted that the new processor supports a frequency corresponding to DDR3-2800 SDRAM memory modules.
CPU testing in games
Let us now examine the performance of the chip in question in games. According to experts, processors based on the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture are slightly faster when tested in the appropriate mode than previous models, but, as in the case with measuring the speed of chips in Sandra, not much. It can be noted that in many games, the processor under consideration from Intel is ahead of its competitor from AMD - the FX-8150 chip. Of course, testing chips in games involves the use of similar in performance related hardware components - primarily a video card. At the same time, experts recommend conducting processor tests with minimal graphics settings - in particular, with a low resolution. This is necessary so that the results of checking the performance of PCs in games are mainly based on the performance of the processor, and not the video card.
Intel, along with the base model of the Intel Core i7 3770 chip, is releasing one that has an unlocked software multiplier coefficient. That is - adapted to overclock. This is an Intel Core i7 3770K processor. We will study the specifics of using the capabilities for overclocking this chip.
Overclocking the Intel Core 3770 chip
You can overclock the processor by increasing the factor to 63. By the way, the previous microarchitecture, Sandy Bridge, allows you to set the value to 59. As we noted above, the overclocked chip can operate in a mode corresponding to DDR3-2800 performance. Also, the processor supports the useful XMP function in version 1.3.
How productive is the Intel Core i7 3770 chip in appropriate mode? Overclocking the processor, experts say, is not accompanied by very impressive results. In particular, the maximum indicator of a stable frequency at which the microcircuit operates is about 4.6 GHz. That is, there is an increase in growth, in comparison with the nominal value, by about 20%. Experts estimate this performance as very modest - even against the background of previous models based on the Sandy Bridge architecture. In particular, chips such as the Intel Core i7-2600K, as well as the Intel Core i7-2500K processor, can be overclocked to values of about 5 GHz, subject to acceptable voltage indicators. At the same time, as experts say, the processor, in principle, does not heat up much, because the cooling system successfully copes with increasing the frequency of the chip. Problems arise with the stability of the chip as it accelerates. When starting the processor in this mode, it is not recommended to set the voltage frequency in excess of 1.2 V.
Thus, the overclocking potential of the Intel CPU Core i7 3770 chip is estimated by experts as very modest. However, Intel overclocking is open to enthusiasts of the Intel brand with the involvement of Sandy Bridge processors.
Summary
What conclusions can we draw by examining the Intel Core i7 3770 processor? The characteristics of this chip allow us to evaluate it as one of the most advanced in the segment. First of all, thanks to one of the most advanced technical processes - 22 nm. The implementation of support for the PCI Express technology chip in version 3 is very noteworthy. Noteworthy is also the advanced graphics processor core. Improved energy-saving chip technology.
However, in terms of actual performance indicators, the processor in question cannot be called revolutionary in comparison with the capabilities of the leading models of the previous line, based on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. When comparing the operation of microcircuits at nominal frequencies, the performance of new products is literally several percent higher, and even not in all modes. In games, such an advantage may not be noticeable at all. Regarding overclocking, the potential of the device in this mode of operation is not too high even against the background of previous models.
According to experts, the CoreTM i7 3770 processor is best adapted to promote the Intel brand in the mobile solutions market. In the desktop segment, it, in principle, has the same capabilities as older chip models. However, in the notebook segment it may well be one of the most competitive. The processor has these advantages due, firstly, to a reduced size, and secondly, to more energy efficient, as we noted above.
Reviews
Let's consider one more important aspect of research of processors Intel Core i7 3770 - responses. What do users say about testing the capabilities of the chip in question?
The opinions of owners of PCs equipped with the microcircuit in question are generally very positive. Yes, of course, some users share the opinions of experts regarding the modest overclocking potential of the device, as well as the minimum increase in its performance at nominal frequencies - when comparing the corresponding characteristics with previous models.
However, for many brand enthusiasts, the chips in question are advanced solutions. First of all, due to the manufacturability, which is expressed in support of the technologies mentioned above, in particular, PCI Express, the presence of a powerful graphics chip, software standards, such as DirectX 11, in accordance with the DDR3-800 frequencies. Many users purchase the chip as a separate hardware component - in the Intel Core i7 3770 Box format in order to install it in an existing PC and increase its performance. Judging by the reviews on thematic online portals, the processor owners are pleased with the corresponding improvement in their computers.
So, the most strong points of the Intel Core i7 3770 processor are:
- the presence of 4 cores with support for 2 computing threads on each;
- The use of a powerful graphics chip;
- support for the latest hardware and software standards;
- high performance in comparison with direct competitors in the market;
- low power consumption;
- small chip size.
Among the relatively weak sides of the chip: relatively low performance during overclocking, as well as a not too pronounced increase in performance compared to older models based on Sandy Bridge. In general, the processor in question is a highly competitive, high-tech chip that can be demanded by a variety of categories of users.