Intel Core i7 4960X "Unboxing" & Overview
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2014-05-07
·
1,015 words · ~5 min read
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adata xpg V2 memory kits are optimized for the latest Intel gaming platforms
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check the link in the video description for more details welcome to my unboxing
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and overview of ivybridge e it is finally here so for
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those of you who don't keep up with Intel code names the last few
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generations of Core Series processors have been codenamed sandybridge
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ivybridge and Haswell so Sandy Bridge
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largely refers to second generation core processors ivybridge generally refers to
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third generation core processors and Haswell is the very latest fourth
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generation core series processor that you'll find on LGA 1155 now when it has
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an e after it that denotes the higher-end LGA 2011 socket which has
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some advantages so this is the old
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3960x this is the new
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4960x meaning third generation versus fourth generation Al they use one
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generation back core technology so to
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speak but the point is on this platform you have some advantages that you will
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likely never see on the mainstream platform number one is the motherboards
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support quad Channel memory up to 8 dims
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so that means that with modern 8 gbyte dims you could actually install 64 gigs
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of just regular old consumer grade RAM on a regular old Gaming board or
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workstation board on LGA 2011 with a single CPU next up is more PCI Express
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Lanes so ivybridge e will have support for PCIe 3.0 and you can run dual
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graphics cards in 16x 16x full bandwidth
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this doesn't generally translate to any kind of a performance Improvement in the
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real world versus an 8X 8X configuration that you can achieve on LGA 1155 1156 or
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1150 but it definitely gives you bigger
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bragging rights in your pants um so there's that that it's got going for it
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and finally the part that matters most to me personally is that LGA 2011 is
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where you'll find six core or eight core processors now the extreme Edition 4960x
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which runs at a nominal frequency of 3.6 GHz and a max turbo turbo boost
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frequency of 4 GHz is a six core
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processor however there are zons available which will work in boards like
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ASUS's WS series or in server grade
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boards or even multi- CPU configurations
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that will give you even more performance in highly parallel workloads that is
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multi-threaded workloads such as you'll find in 3D rendering or Adobe After
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Effects high-end video editing and those kinds of applications so this is where
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LGA 2011 is great for us because we use LGA 20111 Platforms in all of our video
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editing workstations so we're using uh last generation extreme editions 3960 XS
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what do you get with the new one well you'll get improved power consumption you will also get slightly improved
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performance I shouldn't say slightly it's about a 10% clock for clock
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Improvement in performance so that is IPC and you should be able to achieve
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pretty much the same top end clock speed giving you a tangible performance
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Improvement couple that with some of the per core Performance Tuning options that
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ASUS has been talking to me about and we should be looking at a performance
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Improvement that while not necessarily what some people were expecting um will
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be noticeable and for those of you who are expecting anything other than an
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improvement in IPC of about 10% over Sandy Bridge e you probably didn't
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really have your expectations aligned correctly because this is exactly what
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we saw on the LGA 1150 platform going from something like a 2600k to a
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3770k now I personally was hoping for an
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8 Core Extreme Edition I did not get my wish I feel that if AMD had put a little
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bit more pressure on Intel to release like you know uh I mean these are 30 wat
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TDP Parts already um I mean I feel like if AMD had put a little bit more
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pressure on Intel to retake the performance crown or something like that
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they might have done a very high TDP liquid cooling recommended 8 Core
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Extreme Edition or something along those lines but alas we didn't get that so
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it's left for xeons for the moment either way last but not least is
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motherboard compatibility you can slot one of these babies into your existing
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LGA 2011 motherboard you should only need a BIOS update but double check with
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your manufacturer to make sure which I think is cool because LGA 2011 has
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gotten a very very long life cycle out of it going from you know a across
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processor architectures having quad core or six core CPUs available for it with
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that said uh the 4930k and the 4960x are
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really the ones I'd recommend from the new uh Ivy Bridge e the
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4820k is not something that I feel very like I can recommend very strongly
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because while it is a lower priced option it all you're really getting is
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more PCIe lanes and more memory support it's still a quad core and it won't
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actually perform quite as well as a 4770k so unless you really need that RAM
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and you're not willing to Pony up for a 4930k then uh then that that that might
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be the route to go um although the really The Sweet Spot I feel is the
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4930k thanks for checking out this unboxing where I actually in case you
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guys didn't notice never removed it from the box haha uh don't forget to
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subscribe to L Tech tips for more unboxings reviews and other computer I mean come on it's a CPU um like the
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video if you liked it dislike if you disliked it and comment and let me know
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if it's okay to do an unboxing where I don't actually open the box see look the
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CPU in there it looks like every other CPU here's an open box