The Official Conroe Benchmark Thread

[Kougar]

Okay, what I've found so far:


http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1839/core2intro5ic.jpg


Anandtech: Intel's Core 2 Extreme & Core 2 Duo: The Empire Strikes Back (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795)
ByteSector: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (http://www.bytesector.com/data/bs-article.asp?id=661)
ExtremeTech: The Core 2: Intel Goes for the Jugular (http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1988744,00.asp)
GotFrag Hardware: The Core 2 Duo (http://hardware.gotfrag.com/portal/story/33492/)
HardOCP: Intel Core 2 Music, Images, & Movie Performance (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTExMCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==)
HardOCP: Intel Core 2 Gaming Performance (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==)
HardOCP: Intel Core 2 Duo & Extreme Power Consumption (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTExMSwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==)
Hardware Secrets: Core 2 Duo E6700 and Core 2 Extreme X6800 Review (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/348)
Hot Hardware: Intel Core 2 Duo & Extreme Processors and Chipsets (http://www.hothardware.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=845&cid=1)
Legion Hardware: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 & Core 2 Extreme X6800 - Pentium: A Thing of the Past! (http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=569)
Legit Reviews: Intel Unleashes Conroe: X6800 and E6700 Reviewed (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/362/1/)
MadBox PC: Review Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 CONROE E.S. (http://www.madboxpc.com/contenido.php?id=2394&pag=1)
Overclockers Australia: "NetBurst" Leaves, "Core" Arrives (http://www.overclockers.com.au/article.php?id=489587)
PC Magazine: Falcon Northwest Mach V with Core 2 Extreme (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1985983,00.asp)
Phoronix: Intel Core 2 Duo Family Preview (http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=512&num=1)
SharkyExtreme: Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 & Core 2 Duo E6700 Processor Review (http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/article.php/3620036)
The Tech Report: Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors - Conroe at last (http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2006q3/core2/index.x?pg=1)
Tom's Hardware Guide: Game Over? Core 2 Duo Knocks Out Athlon 64 (http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/14/core2_duo_knocks_out_athlon_64/)
Trusted Reviews: Intel Core 2 Duo 'Conroe' E6400, E6600, E6700, X6800 (http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=3161)
TweakTown: Core 2 Duo is here – could it be Intel's day to shine? (http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/923/intel_core_2_duo_is_here_could_it_be_intel_s_day_t o_shine/index.html)

Important Notes:
More than a few sites are using old Engineering Samples which are B0 stepping revision 4, and B1 stepping 5 CPUs. Retail models are OCing better and are marginally more power efficient.

HardOCP has for whatever reason skewed their power effciency numbers using a reason I've never heard of before outside of overclocking, which they were not testing for. I left the link in my post if anyone wants to see just how much of an impact this has had on their power numbers.

Oh, and if anyone finds some CPU-Z shots of a retail/shipping model Conroe I'd really appreciate a link to it... ;) It should be a B2 stepping, Revision 6 model if I got it right...

[werty316]

I also posted a huge list here (http://www.bjorn3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9164).

The fact of the matter is that real-world gaming performance today greatly lies at the feet of your video card. Almost none of today’s games are performance limited by your CPU. Maybe that will change, but given the trends, it is not likely. You simply do not need a $1000 CPU to get great gaming performance as we proved months ago in our CPU Scaling article (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTAwMiwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0).

When it comes to playing games, the only persons that need to be even a little concerned with upgrading their CPU to a Core 2 processor might be those with high-end SLI, CrossFire, or GeForce GX2 video cards and we have yet to prove that due to the testing limitations we ran into. Then, and only then, you might see an Intel Core 2 processor deliver a performance advantage.

Lastly, I would advise everyone that is thinking of rushing out and purchasing their latest upgrade that we are sure to see HUGE pricing slashes out of AMD before the end of the month.
Source (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwxMSwsaGVudGh1c2lhc3Q=)
Very good insight I must say.

[Kougar]

Since you edited both of your posts, I edited mine too. :-P

This space is reserved to promote Anandtech's article. Go read it! :paw:

[werty316]

Must make up for something else :lol:

To provide some idea of overclocking abilities with other Core 2 Duo processors, we ran quick tests with E6700 (2.67GHz), and E6600 (2.4GHz). The test E6700 reached a stable 3.4GHz at default voltage and topped out at 3.9GHz with the Tuniq Cooler. The 2.4GHz E6600 turned out to be quite an overclocker in our tests. Even though it was hard-locked at a 9 multiplier it reached an amazing 4GHz in the overclocking tests. That represents a 67% overclock...

...Enthusuasts have not seen overclocking like this since Socket 478 days, and in fact Core 2 may be even better. The 2.4GHz E6600, which outperformed the FX-62 in most benchmarks at stock speed costs $223, and overclocked to 4Ghz with excellent air cooling. With that kind of performance, value, and overclocking the E6600 will likely become the preferred chip for serious overclockers - particularly those that are looking for champagne performance on a smaller budget.
Source (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795&p=18)

Talk about a good OC'ing with the E6700 & E6600 CPUs. Doesn't look like Intel bins down lesser quality chips.

[Kougar]

Holy smokes, they took a non-retail model E6600, 2.4ghz part to 4ghz on air?? I'd expect that from a E6700, but an E6600... If that is par for the course AMD is going to be dropping those prices lower than previously reported, as one rumor I found says...

I'm still at the part where Anandtech is comparing a 1.83ghz 2mb L2 cache part to a 1.83ghz 4mb L2 cache part... http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795&p=4 (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795&p=4)

Intel's Core 2 processors now offer even quicker memory access than AMD's Athlon 64 X2, without resorting to an on-die memory controller. While Intel will eventually add one, the fact of the matter is that it's simply not necessary for competitive memory performance today thanks to Intel's revamped architecture.
:lol:

[GIBSON]

Must say I like what I'm seeing from those overclocking results. I might be buying one of these for my cousin, you sure get a lot of bang for the buck with these oc's.
Intel attributes the significant reduction in memory latency to two things: the Advanced Smart Cache and Smart Memory Access features of the Core 2 processors. "Advanced Smart Cache" is the silly sounding marketing term for Intel's shared L2 cache, which helps reduce memory latency by keeping all cache to cache traffic off of the FSB and increasing L2 hit rate by only storing one copy of data needed by both cores. "Smart Memory Access" refers to Intel's memory disambiguation and the new data prefetchers that are found in the Core 2 processors. The result is better masking of memory latency, giving Intel many of the benefits of AMD's on-die memory controller but without actually including one.
Would it be possible the memory latency only is lower than the X2's in benchmarks, but not really in real life performance as it kind of masks the memory latency?

[Kougar]

Must say I like what I'm seeing from those overclocking results. I might be buying one of these for my cousin, you sure get a lot of bang for the buck with these oc's.

Would it be possible the memory latency only is lower than the X2's in benchmarks, but not really in real life performance as it kind of masks the memory latency?

More than likely yes, as I've seen a few memory latency benches where the X2 obviously does win.

But hell, if Conroe automatically equals a 4ghz overclock, then you can buy DDR2-800 RAM, then kick the FSB high enough to reach a 1:1 ratio on any of the chips. If you think this things perform great at Stock, and murders AMD once Overclocked, you probably ought to see what they will do at 4ghz with a 1:1 memory ratio being used!

[Kougar]

Okay, I am starting to get a bad suspicion about something...

Again, if anyone finds a reviews of a Revision 6 (Should be a B2 Stepping) or CPU-Z screenshots of this model Conroe, please post them here!

[werty316]

What kind of suspicion?

[Kougar]

What kind of suspicion?

It's rather unfounded as of yet, but still a few things are irking me... Not going to say anything though until I can get more info, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be able to happen until more retail Conroes are shipped and more sites review an actual shipping revision Core 2 Duo.

[Kougar]

Well, one thing is official. Intel went after NewEgg and a bunch of the other sites that were taking pre-orders for Conroe chips and told them to knock it off... People over at Xtreme Systems are even having their pre-orders canceled. Considering NewEgg was selling the $999 X6800 for $350 above MSRP I can see why Intel would do this though, some of the other prices were seriously inflated almost as bad as NewEgg's was...

[GIBSON]

Okay, I am starting to get a bad suspicion about something...

Again, if anyone finds a reviews of a Revision 6 (Should be a B2 Stepping) or CPU-Z screenshots of this model Conroe, please post them here!
Needn't to get suspicious IMHO, retail versions will be just about the same as the ones reviewed. I don't think intel would cherrypick them for the reviews, it would mean them being with their pants down shortly after the launch!

[werty316]

Kougar is hardcore Intel/Core2Duo fanboy and nit-picks if anything is funky.

[Kougar]

:P @ Werty

Before this spirals into a conspiracy thread, I am watching reports of Retail X6800s not making it past 3.46ghz OCs, when they should be hitting 4ghz minium with ease. I just want to silence that little nagging doubt I have that Intel may have decided one change to impliment with the Revision 6 processors is to limit them.

It's all but confirmed nVidia does this with their nForce5 570 SLI chipset to get hardcore overclockers to buy the full 590SLI instead for a higher profit off the same part, so I think it's within the realm of possibility that Intel may decide to implement a overclock limit so they don't undercut their entire high-end product lineup with just the E6600 processor.

Either that, or there be some bad apples or Bad Intel "Bad Axe" motherboards floating around... I'd need a larger sample size before I can disprove/prove that theory though, so hence my post. :)

[werty316]

Don't expect all chips to have the same OC'ing ability as they were meant to run at stock speed and weren't tested and made for the OC'ing. If they did that there wouldn't be no reason for the more expensive, faster CPUs. The low OC is probably just from a bad batch.

[Kougar]

Werty, these were all X6800 Conroes, they should be the best of the lot. I certainly can understand a few not so supurb CPUs, but this is either at the point where they had a not so good batch, or supplies are tight to the point these were the best of the lot that they had. These X6800s in question were dated from around July 5th, so they were certainly hot off the presses. They're plenty of explanations, I am just trying to pin down which one instead of sitting back and watching ;)

[GIBSON]

:P @ Werty

Before this spirals into a conspiracy thread, I am watching reports of Retail X6800s not making it past 3.46ghz OCs, when they should be hitting 4ghz minium with ease. I just want to silence that little nagging doubt I have that Intel may have decided one change to impliment with the Revision 6 processors is to limit them.

It's all but confirmed nVidia does this with their nForce5 570 SLI chipset to get hardcore overclockers to buy the full 590SLI instead for a higher profit off the same part, so I think it's within the realm of possibility that Intel may decide to implement a overclock limit so they don't undercut their entire high-end product lineup with just the E6600 processor.

Either that, or there be some bad apples or Bad Intel "Bad Axe" motherboards floating around... I'd need a larger sample size before I can disprove/prove that theory though, so hence my post. :)
I don't really think intel would do that, how large would the enthusiast market be compared to the number of average joes that buy a pc and that's it? Now, if you were intel, would you limit your cpu's then (while this is your chance to get back into the enthusiasts' hearts after all those failures for the last couple of years)

[Kougar]

I agree completely... that is why I'm hoping it was just a tight yield that forced them to relax their binning slightly. Should be pretty quick to figure this out once they officially start shipping them though.