Core i7 2600k | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:11:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Core i7 2600k | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Motherboard review (mATX) https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/zardon/asus-maximus-iv-gene-z-motherboard-review-matx/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/zardon/asus-maximus-iv-gene-z-motherboard-review-matx/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:11:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=50647 If you enjoyed our review of the new Sapphire Mini ITX H67 motherboard, then today's review product will be just as appealing. We are looking at the latest Micro ATX Asus Maximum IV Gene-Z motherboard which brings the Z68 chipset to the HTPC audience. The Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard is no ‘cut down' half …

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If you enjoyed our review of the new Sapphire Mini ITX H67 motherboard, then today's review product will be just as appealing. We are looking at the latest Micro ATX Asus Maximum IV Gene-Z motherboard which brings the Z68 chipset to the HTPC audience.

The Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard is no ‘cut down' half assed product. As it is a ‘Republic Of Gamers' product, it brings a wealth of enthusiast grade overclocking and tweaking options to the table. It supports the latest Sandybridge ‘K' range of processors and officially can support 32gb of DDR3 memory up to a frequency of 2400mhz. It has onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 2 for ultimate sound quality and also supports both CrossfireX and Sli configurations. The Z68 platform is set to give Intel a ‘fresh’ start for Sandybridge.

Specifications

CPU Intel® Socket 1155 for 2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 Processors
Supports Intel® 32 nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list
Chipset Intel® Z68
Memory 4 x DIMM, Max. 32GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333 Hz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
* Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
* Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.
Graphic Integrated Graphics Processor
VGA output support : HDMI port
– Supports HDMI with max. resolution 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Multi-GPU Support Supports NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
Supports AMD CrossFireX™ Technology
Supports LucidLogix® Virtu™ Technology
Expansion Slots 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x8)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x4
Storage Intel® Z68 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), gray
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
Support Intel® Smart Response Technology on 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processor family
JMicron® JMB362 controller : *1
2 x eSATA 3Gb/s port(s), red
LAN Intel®, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
Audio SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
– Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
Audio Feature :
– X-Fi® Xtreme Fidelity™
– EAX® Advanced™ HD 5.0
– THX® TruStudio PRO™
– Creative ALchemy
– Blu-ray audio layer Content Protection
– Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
USB Ports ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller :
4 x USB 3.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board)
Intel® Z68 chipset :
12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (8 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
Overclocking Features ROG Connect
Extreme Engine Digi+ :
– 8 -phase CPU power design + 4 -phase iGPU power design
– 2 -phase Memory power design
Mem TweakIt
ROG Extreme OC kit :
– Debug LED
ProbeIt
UEFI BIOS features :
– ROG BIOS Print
– GPU.DIMM Post
GameFirst
iROG
Extreme Tweaker
Loadline Calibration
Overclocking Protection :
– COP EX (Component Overheat Protection – EX)
– ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Special Features ASUS TurboV EVO :
– CPU Level Up
ASUS Exclusive Features :
– MemOK!
– Onboard Button : Power/Reset/Clr CMOS (at back IO)
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution :
– ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS EZ DIY :
– ASUS Q-Shield
– ASUS O.C. Profile
– ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
– ASUS EZ Flash 2
– ASUS MyLogo 2
ASUS Q-Design :
– ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
– ASUS Q-Slot
– ASUS Q-DIMM
– ASUS Q-Connector
Back I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
1 x HDMI
2 x eSATA 3Gb/s
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
2 x USB 3.0
8 x USB 2.0 (white port can be switched to ROG Connect)
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
6 x Audio jack(s)
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
Internal I/O Ports 1 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.0 port(s)
2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
2 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
4 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s)
2 x CPU Fan connector(s)
3 x Chassis Fan connector(s)
1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP)
1 x System panel(s)
6 x ProbeIt Measurement Points
1 x Power-on button(s)
1 x Reset button(s)
1 x ROG Connect switch(es)
1 x Go Button(s)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper(s)
Accessories User's manual
I/O Shield
2 x SATA 3Gb/s cable(s)
1 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
1 x SLI bridge(s)
1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)
1 x ROG Connect cable(s)
1 x Cable ties pack(s)
1 x ROG theme label(s)
1 x 12 in 1 ROG Cable Label(s)
BIOS 64Mb Flash ROM, EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI2.0a Multi-Language BIOS
Manageability WfM2.0, DMI2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE
Support Disc Support DVD:
– Drivers and applications
* ASUS AI Suite II
* ROG CPU-Z
* ROG GameFirst Utility
* Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 Utility
* ROG Mem TweakIt Utility
* ASUS AI Charger+
* DAEMON Tools Pro Standard
* Kaspersky® Anti-Virus 1-year license
Form Factor uATX Form Factor
9.6 inch x 9.6 inch ( 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm )
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Building a Core i7 HTPC with Sapphire Mini ITX H67 https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/building-a-core-i7-htpc-with-sapphire-mini-itx-h67/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/zardon/building-a-core-i7-htpc-with-sapphire-mini-itx-h67/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:53:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=48802 This year AMD's Fusion low cost platform has hit the spotlight, offering hardware accelerated performance with miniscule power demands and heat output. While this will suit many people, some of the enthusiast audience will want to spend more money and aim higher up the food chain. Today's article should tickle the tastebuds as we will …

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This year AMD's Fusion low cost platform has hit the spotlight, offering hardware accelerated performance with miniscule power demands and heat output. While this will suit many people, some of the enthusiast audience will want to spend more money and aim higher up the food chain. Today's article should tickle the tastebuds as we will be building a small form factor PC with a new Sapphire mini ITX motherboard, passively discrete cooled graphics card, Core i7 2600k CPU and Intel 6GBps Solid State Drive.

What defines the terminology ‘Media PC' ? Some will claim that it should be a low power, low noise system capable of playing music and video files. Processing power is basically irrelevant – if it can handle high definition media then that is enough. That said, a section of the enthusiast audience will take things further, wanting a more diverse system capable of powering through media and perhaps to be used as a general all round workhorse, with occasional gaming capabilities.

So we can already see there are several views as to what makes for an ideal media PC. Most of us will agree however that a media PC needs to be as quiet as possible. A whirring computer in the corner of the room will often ruin the mood when enjoying a movie.

The biggest complaints normally associated with a low cost media center are weak processing power, limited mini ITX motherboard capabilities and slow hard drive speeds. Today we are building a system to rectify all these problems, but while ensuring that noise levels don't become intrusive.

For the system build today we are using the new Sapphire H67 Pure Platinum motherboard. This product offers Core i3, i5, i7, USB 3.0 and S-ATA3 6GBps support and can cater for up to 8GB of DDR3 memory.

To ensure the fastest possible processing experience, we are using the Intel Core i7 2600k, kindly supplied by Intel for this review.

While the Sapphire H67 Pure Platinum has onboard graphics support we want to improve upon this. Sapphire kindly supplied their new HD6670 Ultimate Edition graphics card, which is not only a huge step up when compared to the integrated graphics, but is passively cooled.

This card will generate no additional noise and should be capable of 720p gaming via a High Definition television without too many compromises. We all know that by adding a HD6970 or GTX580 the performance of the overall system will increase significantly, but for many people considering an ‘all in one' media oriented unit for the living room or bedroom, the noise penalties would be too much to deal with.

Nothing can slow down overall performance as much as using a sub standard hard drive, so today Intel have supplied the 250GB version of their 510 Series Solid State Drive. We are using this as the boot drive, paired up with a Samsung 2TB mechanical drive which will be used for storage.

We decided to use ADATA 4GB DDR3 2000mhz rated memory today because it offers a competitive price point with some mid sized heatspreaders which will help to ensure optimal performance within a confined chassis.

The chassis is one of the most important decisions for a media center. Choosing badly means you can end up with a system that either emits a lot of noise, or runs much hotter than it should. We settled on the Thermaltake Armor 30 case. We have looked at this case before, and while it is slightly larger than some of the HTPC case designs currently available on the market, it offers reasonably high airflow levels while emitting a very modest 30 dBa. It is important that the Core i7 2600k gets a reasonable level of ambient airflow, especially with a passively cooled graphics card in close vicinity.

Lastly, we are using an Antec High Current Pro 850W power supply – this is a great semi modular design that is a previous MUST HAVE award winner on Kitguru delivering 80 Plus Gold certification and excellent all round stability. An ideal choice for futureproofing if you ever wanted to add a more powerful video card to the media center at a later date.

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Can the Intel Core i7 2600k @ 5.1ghz slay its 980x Goliath? https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/zardon/can-the-intel-core-i7-2600k-5-1ghz-slay-its-980x-goliath/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/zardon/can-the-intel-core-i7-2600k-5-1ghz-slay-its-980x-goliath/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:00:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=28253 The world's fastest desktop processor is the 6 core, 12 thread, Intel Core i7 980 Extreme Edition which comes purring out of its box at 3.33GHz. Costing more than £800 from UK stores, it's a monster in terms of raw processing power. Upon opening the latest shipment of second generation Intel Core processors, KitGuru was …

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The world's fastest desktop processor is the 6 core, 12 thread, Intel Core i7 980 Extreme Edition which comes purring out of its box at 3.33GHz. Costing more than £800 from UK stores, it's a monster in terms of raw processing power. Upon opening the latest shipment of second generation Intel Core processors, KitGuru was fascinated to know just how far the £250 model would clock and, once clocked, how would it fair against the world's fastest chip? Sirens were sounded, blast-proof lab doors shut and another 75p dropped in the electric meter.

In the world of technology, carefully prepared plans don't always travel the path we want. The Intel launch today is one such plan that ended up throwing a spanner in the works for us. We had set aside extra time for careful, in-depth overclocking analysis of Intels new ‘K' processors and, just after Christmas, we were told the launch had been pulled forward by a couple of days. When you see the speed at which KitGuru labs builds, tunes, tests and disassembles rigs while overclocking – you'd understand that , in our terms, a couple of days makes a huge difference.

If you haven't already read our review of the 2500k and 2600k, then we advise you to check it out first. It is stuck to the front page.

The overclocking in this particular article was achieved with the Intel DP57BG ‘Burrage' motherboard and the latest bios BGP6710J.86A.1780. Due to severe time constraints we are focusing solely on the i7-2600k today. We used the Noctua NH D14 for this extreme air overclocking. We would like to thank Noctua for supplying all our coolers for these reviews, we have so many NH D14's in our labs right now we can outfit all our systems.

Its not a hard choice, really.

Achieving 4.8ghz was easy enough as the processor only required 1.47 volts, but pushing past this required quite a lot of tweaking. Our final clock of 5.1ghz was stable with the settings below.

System validation is available over here.

Here are the settings we used to get to the relevant clock speeds during our limited testing. Depending on the motherboard and processor revision you may need to be make some changes for complete system stability. We did manage to get the system posting at 5.2ghz, but it wasn't 100% stable.

Processor Overrides 4.6ghz 4.8ghz 5.1ghz
Host Clock Frequency 100 100 100
Processor Voltage override (v) Auto 1.47v 1.6v
CPU PLL Auto 1.85 v 2.00v
Processor System agent Auto Auto 1.25v
Processor I/O Auto Auto 1.25v
Processor V Droop control Auto Low Low
TDC Current Limit override auto auto 200
Internal PLL voltage override Disable Enable Enable
Maximum non turbo ratio 34 34 34
Processor Idle state High performance High performance High performance
Turbo Boost Technology Enabled Enabled Enabled
Burst Mode Enabled Enabled Enabled
Burst mode power limit 98 998 998
Sustained mode time 1 1 1
Voltage offset 0 40 100
Ratio limit core 1-4 34 48 51

Pushing past 4.8ghz requires a lot of voltage. Is 1.6v safe long term? probably not, so 4.8ghz might be the best bet, for long term use anyway.

So how much of a difference did this make to performance results? Let's find out…

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