Testing methodology
Comparison Processor Configurations |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel |
AMD |
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Core i7-5960X |
Core i7-4960X |
Core i7-3960X |
Core i7-4790K |
Core i5-4690K |
FX-9590 |
FX-8350 |
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| CPU TDP | 140W |
130W |
130W |
88W |
88W |
220W |
125W |
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| Socket | LGA 2011-v3 |
LGA 2011 |
LGA 2011 |
LGA 1150 |
LGA 1150 |
AM3+ |
AM3+ |
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| Fabrication | 22nm |
22nm |
22nm |
22nm |
22nm |
32nm |
32nm |
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| Motherboard | Asus X99 Deluxe |
Gigabyte X79-UD3 |
Asus Z97-A |
Asus Crosshair V |
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| BIOS | 5501 |
F20 |
1304 |
1703 |
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| Chipset Driver | Intel 9.4.2.1019 |
AMD Catalyst 14.4 |
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| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4x4GB) |
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4GB) |
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) |
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| Memory Timings | 15-15-15-36-2T @ 2,133MHz |
9-9-9-24-2T @ 1,600MHz |
9-9-9-24-2T @ 1,600MHz |
9-10-9-27-2T @ 1,866MHz |
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| Graphics Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB |
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| Graphics Driver | ForceWare 340.52 WQHL |
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| Disk Drive | Crucial MX100 512GB |
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| Power Supply | Corsair AX760i (760W) |
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| Cooling | Noctua NH-D15 |
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| Operating System | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
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CPU and Memory Benchmarks |
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| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places | |||||||||||
| Cinebench R15 | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores | |||||||||||
| wPrime 2.1.0 | Another number-crunching benchmark that stresses all available CPU cores/threads | |||||||||||
| AIDA64 v4.60.3120 | Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency | |||||||||||
Multimedia Benchmarks |
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| HandBrake 0.9.9.1 | Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores (64-bit) | |||||||||||
System Benchmarks |
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| PCMark 8 v2.0.228 | System-wide examination that uses the Home preset, run with OpenCL acceleration | |||||||||||
| 3DMark v1.3.708 | DX11, run at the Fire Strike default test | |||||||||||
| SiSoft Sandra 2014 SP3 | Aggregate score that takes a composite of 12 system-wide benchmarks | |||||||||||
Gaming Benchmarks |
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| BioShock Infinite | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 3,840x2,160, ultra quality | |||||||||||
| Batman: Arkham Origins | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 3,840x2,160, enhanced quality | |||||||||||
| Total War: Rome II | DX11, 1,920x1,080 and 3,840x2,160, ultra quality | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| Power Consumption | While idling and when running HandBrake and Batman: Arkam Origins | |||||||||||
Notes
We have tested every platform and CPU from the ground up. The seven CPUs all use a discrete EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB graphics card.
All CPUs are run with their maximum supported memory frequencies, and all benchmarks were the latest build as of 23/08/2014.
Games are run at both 1080p and 4K, to see if resolution makes much of a difference. We expect the Core i7-5960X to be the fastest CPU for multi-core benchmarks, but it will be interesting to see how it fares in gaming and when overclocked.
