Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge CPU Review - PAGE 1

Over the years Intel has managed to consecutively launch a new architecture annually, living up to their aggressive "Tick-Tock" strategy. Today’s launch of their 3rd generation Core architecture falls under the "tick" portion of that strategy, which in this case would refer to a refinement of the previous generation as opposed the massive performance increases traditionally associated with "tocks". This means Ivy Bridge is not going to beat the performance numbers of Sandy Bridge processors by a landslide, but since it is built on a new 22nm process, Ivy Bridge will be more power efficient, have better thermal performance and should scale higher than processors based on a 32nm design. In addition, Intel has slightly reworked the architecture for better single threaded performance via more efficient data structure.

The Ivy Bridge processor we are going to be examining in this review is the high-end Intel Core i7 3770K, which will be the desktop replacement for the 2700K, both in terms of pricing and performance. As the name suggests, this processor is part of the “K” or “Unlocked” series of processors, meaning the multiplier is unlocked which makes increasing the clock speeds infinitely easier than the previous method of overclocking via the base clock. The new Ivy Bridge processors also come with a built-in IGP which comes in two flavors; the Intel HD Graphics 4000 and 2500. As the faster of the two, the G4000 is integrated into high-end chips such as the 3770K we are examining, while the G2500 will be in mid-range to mainstream Ivy Bridge processors.

The G4000 is similar to the IGP found in Sandy Bridge, but the new graphics processor has been reworked and as a result actually becomes one of the more dramatic differences between Sandy and Ivy Bridge. Unlike the G3000, which had 12 execution units, the total amount of execution units available in the G4000 has be increased to 16. The clock speed has been set to 1.15GHz, which is slightly slower than the G3000. However, with the additional execution units and 22nm process, the overall performance should be better, all while consuming less power than the G3000.

Intel is releasing multiple Ivy Bridge processors, as you can see from the table below. The processor we are examining sits at the top of the stack, costing $313. Interestingly that is slightly cheaper than what the current generation 2700K retails for. Other processors in the Ivy Bridge family are all priced below $300, and go as low as $174 for the chips in the i5 series.