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Intel Core i7 970 CPU Review

When I was in charge of DriverHeaven I wrote a scripted benchmark which was not only used to help users ascertain system specific performance levels but was useful in reviews to accurately measure performance in key areas. Leading tech sites such as Madshrimps, Hardware Canucks, Benchmark Reviews and Hardocp used my benchmark in their reviews also.

This version of the script has been thoroughly tested on Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS4 and is compatible with Photoshop 7. It is important to document however that different versions of Photoshop give different end results. Adobe have been fine tuning the program over the years and enhancing specific filters and algorithms for better performance (some filters were rewritten during the CS2 time period). This means ultimately that comparing times with users running other versions of Photoshop is not going to give consistent results. Please be aware that lower times are obviously better with this benchmark.

KitGuru PS Bench 1(4)
Intel 980x 4.48ghz
Intel 970 4.18ghz
AMD 1055T 4.4ghz
1. Texturiser (1)
1.7
1.8
2.1
2. CMYK
1.6
1.7
1.8
3. RGB
1.4
1.4
1.5
4. Ink outlines
26.9
27.1
27.8
5. Dust & Stratches
2.5
2.7
2.8
6. Watercolor
24.7
24.9
25.1
7. Texturiser (2)
1.8
1.9
2.1
8. Stained Glass
22.2
22.8
23.1
9. Mosiac Tiles
12.4
12.6
12.9
10. Extrude
147.8
148.5
156.5
11. Rough Pastels
11.2
11.4
11.7
12. Smart Blur
92.5
92.8
94.5
13. Underpainting
32.3
32.5
33.9
14. Mosiac Tiles
12.6
12.9
13.6
15. Spherize
2.6
2.8
3.1
16. Palette Knife
22.1
22.5
23.1
17. Sponge
39.3
39.5
41.3
18. Smudge Stick
12.4
12.5
13.2
Total:
468
472.3
490.1

All three highly overclocked CPU's deliver a fantastic Photoshop experience with the overclocked 980x putting in the fastest result yet at 468 seconds. The 1055T at 4.4ghz is no slouch mind you, breaking the 500 second barrier – another brilliant result for AMD.

It is worth mentioning that Adobe have still not written code which accesses all CPU cores and threads, tending to favour clock speed and core efficiency.

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22 comments

  1. superb review Zardon, I think while the 970 is a stunning product that the 980x at £90 more makes a valid competition product. I think a drop to around 600 in price also is a wise move, but I cant see it happening.

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  2. Intels high end solutions are so powerful its not even funny. the 1055T did well i think, considering its 160 quid, not 680 🙂

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  3. Surprised how low profile this launch was a few weeks ago, its a great product, but we would expect no less from Intel, especially in the high end sector.

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  4. Well let us hope that AMD can challenge these cpus at some stage down the line. its a tall order I know.

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  5. The Core i7 range is extremely powerful, no doubt about it. This just proves how far ahead Intel still are. 1055T to be fair mind you, did better than I thought,. at 4.4ghz its rather powerful indeed.

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  6. A lot of money for a processor, but in the right hands, a formidable weapon. Wouldnt buy one of these for gaming however. seems overkill 🙂

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  7. The cache really helps with these processors especially rendering.

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  8. I was contemplating one of these a while ago, but they really do need to drop the price on the 970 a little, its too close to the 980x imo.

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  9. Very good review Zardon – its a little out of my price point to say the least, but always good to see how powerful the ultra high end solutions are.

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  10. Well its hard not to be impressed, but at £680 it seems to be too closely priced against the 980x to be a solid purchase. I would assume a high percentage of the enthusiast audience who purchase these will be overclocking so the 980x makes more sense.

    970 dropped by £50 it might be better for everyone, even might get intel more sales.

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  11. Nice review – bit over my head in parts, but it seems a fast CPu.

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  12. Wow, that is smoe serious power, never read any reviews on the 980x so this is all new to me. my CPU is looking more ancient by the minute

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  13. These chips are so powerful and apple charge a MASSIVE premium for them. they are dominating the market so much lately its hard to see them dropping prices right now.

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  14. I bought one of these, and upped the fsb a little and its running at 3.7ghz for me. its more than enough. great processors, they make our clan video editing so much easier.

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  15. Intel rock my world !

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  16. The performance is insane, I do video editing myself on a little AMD chip which cost me 150 last year, it can be painful. I need to start saving.

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  17. a lot of readies, but you get a lot of performance. I still think the lower end chips overclocked make so much more sense for 99% of people. even those tempted to buy one of these. the 980x seems a better deal overall considering its unlocked. either that or they need to drop the price of the 970

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  18. That was a great all round review, love the fact you dont test with purely sythetic apps and have made several of your own benchmarks, such as photoshop and studio max, thats brilliant work Zardon.

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  19. only in my dreams, only in my dreams. but maybe someday 🙂

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  20. They cost even more where I live, but they are ideal for professional industries and for an audience who render or video edit on a regular basis. this is when they truly shine. Good review.

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  21. Best 970 review online by a long shot. Seems like a very good purchase, you just need deep pockets.

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  22. I like this product, it makes sense for professional users who wont overclock and the turbo boost will mean its comparible to 980x anyway.

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