Intel Turbo Boost Performance Advantage Revealed

Unlike the Core 2 processors, the new Core i7 processors have a monolithic design. That means the entire quad-core processor is fabricated on a single die. The quad-core version of the Core 2 processor, on the other hand, combines two dual-core dies in a multi-chip package (MCP). The Core i7 processor also introduces a slew of new technologies :

- an integrated DDR3 memory controller
- a three-tier cache design
- QuickPath Interconnect
- Intel Turbo Mode technology (now renamed Intel Turbo Boost)

This article will focus on the mysterious Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It has been bandied about by Intel as a nifty way to improve the Core i7's performance with older applications that cannot fully utilize its four processing cores, but what exactly is it?

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Link : Intel Turbo Boost Performance Advantage Revealed

 

Intel Turbo Boost Performance Advantage Revealed Rev. 2.0

Unlike the Core 2 processors, the new Core i7 and Core i5 processors have a monolithic design. That means the entire quad-core processor is fabricated on a single die. The quad-core version of the Core 2 processor, on the other hand, combines two dual-core dies in a multi-chip package (MCP). The newer Clarksdale core (powering some Core i5 processors) also uses the latest 32 nm process technology. Finally, the Core i7 and Core i5 processors feature a slew of new technologies :

- an integrated DDR3 memory controller
- a three-tier cache design
- QuickPath Interconnect (or Direct Media Interface for some Core i5 processors)
- Intel Turbo Mode technology (now renamed Intel Turbo Boost)

This article will focus on the mysterious Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It has been bandied about by Intel as a nifty way to improve the Core i7's performance with older applications that cannot fully utilize its four processing cores, but what exactly is it?

In this revision, we updated the entire article, expanded the list of Turbo Boost speed limits, added new x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 results and corrected mistakes in the other results.

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Link : Intel Turbo Boost Performance Advantage Revealed Rev. 2.0

 

Sorry, I forgot to clarify that. I have already fixed that as "it is also a disingenuous way to make the Nehalem processors seem faster than other processors on a clock-to-clock basis."

If we are to review the Core i7/i5 and compare it against other processors, we should enable Turbo Boost as that's how the processor really runs in the real world.

However, this auto-overclocking feature can skew our perception of its performance when it comes to a clock-to-clock comparison against other processors.

For example, a Core i7 processor may appear significantly faster than a Core 2 Quad processor in benchmarks. This gives us the perception that the Core i7 is significantly faster than the Core 2 Quad on a clock-to-clock basis. However, most of its speed boost may actually be attributed to Turbo Boost and not its architectural improvements.

This is important point for many hardware enthusiasts as the same effect can be gained by overclocking the processor. If the Core i7 is just 5-10% faster than the Core 2 Quad clock-for-clock, would you be quite so tempted to upgrade if you already have a very nicely-overclocked Core 2 Quad processor?