Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU BX80601920
by Intel
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Category: Personal Computer
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Manufacturer: IntelBrand: Intel
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: BX80601920
Publisher: Intel
Studio: Intel
Music Label: Intel
Product features:
- Intel Core i7-920
- 4.8 Intel QuickPath Interconnect
- 3 Channel Memory
- 8MB L3 Cache
- LGA-1366 package
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU BX80601920
Customer Review: The Core i7 920 Is the Bottom of the Barrel These Days
Summary: 3 Stars
The typical every-day user won't really notice much regarding the down-sides to the 920, but if you're looking to overclock with this chip, don't! At a minimum, you should go step up from the 920 and grab this beauty (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A6G3V2?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8). What many don't know is that all the 900 series chips come off the same wafer. The 920s used to be top of the bin, but now they're typically the lowest quality and lowest performing chips of the series.
Contrary to popular belief, CPU chip fabrication is really an imprecise art, and manufacturing perfection cannot be found in this industry. The same series of chips, in this case the i7 900 series, are all manufactured from the same wafer. Whether or not they get the extreme designation and specified number is based on testing done on each chip after the fabrication process is complete. However not every chip is tested for a specific range in the series (e.g. 975).
Like any company, Intel has manufacturing quotas, so a certain number of each higher-range chips have to be produced each month, but beyond that, they don't run the harder tests that are involved in the higher quality chips. So in reality, you could technically get something better than the 920 in the 920 mix, assuming all quotas were met for any chips above 920 in that particular month of fabrication. The same is true for any other chip and its better counterparts. The main reason for this is due to the more limited demand on the 950s or the 975s, meaning that in the end, it's more-or-less the luck of the draw.
But while technically you could purchase a 920 and actually end up with a chip matching the quality of a 950, the chances are more likely that you could get a 975 from the 950 batches, since both the 950s and 975s would come from the same vicinity on the wafer (that vicinity being the area that consistently yields the best chips) whereas the 920s are coming from a definitely known lesser-quality area of the wafer.
So if you're absolutely picky and you must have top-of-the-line equipment, go with a 950 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A6G3V2?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) and take your chances on getting something good. I've benchmarked several of the 900 series chips, including the 975, 965, 950 and 920. Overclocked, the 975 ran only 1.8% faster than the OC'd 950, but the 950 ran even better than the OC'd "extreme" 965. The OC'd 920 of course trailed the others, lagging behind the 950 by about 10%. In the end, I was certainly satisfied with the results of the 950 for the price, compared to the others.
For anyone on the fence with price vs performance, you certainly won't be dissatisfied with the 950. If you're not a power user though, you'd be ok with the 920... just know that it's growing older by the hour. The 920 could make you hungrier again sooner rather than later, as technology continues to change and advance. Of course, with the money you'd save, you could always go for a super-fast solid state hard drive (SSD) if you haven't gotten one already. That's where the real bottleneck is in computing performance these days, and you shouldn't ever run such a top-of-the-line system without having a high-speed hard drive!
For those who are curious, after benchmarking several of the 900 series processors, here is what I chose for my machine's final configuration:
Mobo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KA9PZK?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8
CPU: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A6G3V2?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8
Memory: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VNLDN8?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8
Hard Drive (SSD): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IGT7IU?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8
PSU: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M3G42W?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8
Description of Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8 MB LGA1366 CPU BX80601920
Crush your enemies, climb the tower of paperwork, or do both at the same time. Intel's Core i7 processor not only makes it possible, it makes it easy. The Core i7 920 has quad cores that run at 2.66GHz and shares 8MB of L3 cache.Quad cores means true multi-tasking and multi-threading. One core handles the usual action on your operating system, while the second can play a DVD on the TV, the third download a file from internet, and the fourth one sends audio to the kids in another room without lags or stutters. All this is made easier with Intel?s advanced Digital Media Boost.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories