Reviews - Intel 32nm Core i5 661 Westmere CPU+GPU chip review

[HEXUS]

Intel Clarkdale

The most important launch of the year brings a 32nm process and CPU-and-GPU integration. Read on to find out what you may well by buying in 2010.

Read more.

[kalniel]

Nice review(s), though I'm getting thoroughly confused by Intel's model numbers - not sure there's anything Hexus could do to try and explain it any better though!

[Phage]

Great review. I can see that I'll be coming back to that quite frequently.

[Terbinator]

So, it would of been better to drop the IGP and bang these babies into a P55 board and get some good old Core 2 loving type performance/overclocking. Joking/wishful thinking aside those TDP numbers are quite impressive, again though the pricing of these chips is going to be the deal breaker and we don't get any real insight into there performance when we only get to view the highest performing part of 6 CPU's :\

[chis]

Hmm, now that Intel have the "mainstream" area covered, it looks like the best way to go upgrading from a Q6600 is an i5-750. 3Delight and Ableton push my Q6600 too hard now...

[Jimbo75]

Ok I get the innovation award but 80% for this 661? Come on it loses horribly to the Phenom II at the same price and what about the Athlon II 620 at half the price almost?

Can we please stop giving intel high marks by default? This is a weak product on price performance - innovative yes but nowhere near deserving of an 80% award.

[Terbinator]

Ok I get the innovation award but 80% for this 661? Come on it loses horribly to the Phenom II at the same price and what about the Athlon II 620 at half the price almost?

Can we please stop giving intel high marks by default? This is a weak product on price performance - innovative yes but nowhere near deserving of an 80% award.

Theres just the issue of the new CPU's being a lot more efficient, and in some cases performance is better than AMD's IGP offerings at said price points.

[Jimbo75]

Theres just the issue of the new CPU's being a lot more efficient, and in some cases performance is better than AMD's IGP offerings at said price points.

Sure I can see the plusses but I think 80% is too high. Dual cores are dead, even with SMT and yes the IGP portion is clearly better than the last GMA.

You can pick up an Athlon II X4 and 790gx mobo for the same price as this 661 and I'm pretty sure the Athlon will win handily in most benchmarks. A bit of realism and consistency is in order because at those projected prices, this isn't an 80% cpu.

[Terbinator]

You'll have to wait for final pricing before we can start comparing to other products.

[Jimbo75]

You'll have to wait for final pricing before we can start comparing to other products.

I think we can figure out that it isn't going to deviate a huge deal from the projected price of £145.

That makes it more expensive than the Phenom II 965 Black Edition, a cpu which scored 70% when released. I fail to understand where the extra 10% of this slower cpu is gained.

It doesn't just compare poorly to the Phenom II, it compares horribly to the Athlon X4 at half the price and also to the i5 priced a little higher. Sure it has onboard graphics but a motherboard is still required.

Sorry but 80% for this at even £100 would still be far too high, at the projected price of £145 it is a bit of a joke.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Core i5 661 makes more sense at between £100 to £120 and even then it will be competing with Phenom II X4 and X3 processors and the Q8000 series quads too. Motherboard pricing is going to be an important factor with the Core i3 and hopefully Intel won't follow the same pricing model as with the P55 based motherboards. I still cannot understand why they are so expensive especially when most of the motherboard functionality has been shifted onto the CPU!! Even Crossfire has been kibbled on many of the sub £100 P55 based motherboards!!

Regarding the Intel IGP I am glad that things have improved but everything is still not as rosy as it seems:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/I...661_GPU/1.html

Also ATI will probably refresh the IGPs on its motherboards after the release of the 890FX in the next few months.

[Zhaoman]

I'm not interested in these until Ultra Low Voltage versions come out. I'm on the lookout for a new slim laptop ^^)

[Blackmage]

The Core i5 661 makes more sense at between £100 to £120 and even then it will be competing with Phenom II X4 and X3 processors and the Q8000 series quads too. Motherboard pricing is going to be an important factor with the Core i3 and hopefully Intel won't follow the same pricing model as with the P55 based motherboards. I still cannot understand why they are so expensive especially when most of the motherboard functionality has been shifted onto the CPU!! Even Crossfire has been kibbled on many of the sub £100 P55 based motherboards!!

Regarding the Intel IGP I am glad that things have improved but everything is still not as rosy as it seems:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/I...661_GPU/1.html

Also ATI will probably refresh the IGPs on its motherboards after the release of the 890FX in the next few months.

I Agree 100%, Does Intel not seem to understand I can get a QUAD CORE PROCESSOR for the same or less.

I was hoping for the below £100 Mark.

[Biscuit]

I agree on the above points about price and comparisons to AMDs CPUs. If someone is looking for a low-mid system why on earth would they spend more money to get less performance just for that tiny little bit of improved efficiancy. In mobile world it makes sense but otherwise total fail product. Great review by Hexus with a totally wrong conclusion.

How long till the die shrink of the i7s?

[Terbinator]

How long till the die shrink of the i7s?

Later this quater with Gulftown isn't it ?

[kalniel]

How long till the die shrink of the i7s?

There isn't one, unless you count the 6 core+ monsters coming down the line.

Intel are purposefully keeping the i7 800s and low-mid 900 chips as 45nm - there's no competition for them so they can keep prices high to maintain margins, freeing up 32nm fabs for volume market chips.