Intel Core i5 750 & i7 870 Review - PAGE 6

HandBrake is an open-source application used to transcode media files to other formats. It is multi-threaded so it exploits the power of modern quad-cores really well.

It's pretty obvious HandBrake really enjoys the HT-enabled processors, but it also craves for memory bandwidth. The i7 920 and its three memory channels takes the top stop above the the i7 870, which still shows great performance. The i5 750 alone isn't quite enough to beat the equally priced Phenom 955, but Turbo mode gives it enough extra power to pull ahead.

Enabling Turbo gives the i7 870 a modest 6% advantage, while it allows the i5 750 to cut its time by almost 7%.

POV-Ray, for Persistence of Vision Raytracer, is a 3D rendering software that has impressive photorealistic capabilities.

This benchmark also benefits from HT and especially high clocks, which takes the i7 870 above the i7 920. The i5 750's lower 2.66 GHz clock speed isn't enough to overtake either of the Phenom's. The previous generation Core 2's are, again, left at the bottom of the chart.

Intel's Turbo mode once again gives the new Lynnfield processors a welcome performance boost. The i7 870's nearly scores an extra 10%, while the i5 750 gains a more moderate 5%.