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The Radeon HD 5XX0 series is the latest generation of all ATI’s product lines, the main features of which are using more 3D technology and more advanced process of the chips. Plus, the product roadmaps of ATI and AMD are quite similar. The products are all built either with higher C/P rates or with variety of choices for users to make the purchase by their budget easily. There are several kinds of product lines on the PC market: 5900 / 5800 / 5700 / 5600 / 5500 / 5400, which brought ATI new series VGA card a very good comment from the market. I once shared an article about ATI Radeon HD “4670” at the end of 2008, and it turned out that based on the C/P rate, the model was very popular on the market. We can see that from the pricing and position of the product, the new generation ATI Radeon “5570” looks like the previous one “4670”, and also seems “5570” is going to take over the lower cost level of VGA from “4670”. The particulars of the “5570” are including supporting updated Direct X 11, ATI Eyefinity multi-screen technology and ATI Stream technology. First, let’s take a look at the externals of ATI Radeon HD 5570, which is built with a smaller short-card design, means which can be modified with low-profile short bracket, then put into smaller size PC to increase the 3D performance, although one D-Sub connector could be missing. From the rear, we can see that there is a metal bracket to hold the heat-spreader on the front side by 4 screws on the rear. Built-in GDDR3, there are total 8 pcs. of Samsung memory chips on the both sides of the PCB. Frequency is 900Mhz, means it should be DDR3 / 1800. The total capacity is 1024MB, it should be enough to support most of the usage in any kinds of conditions. The heat-spreader is so quite during the operation, no noises, copper made looks very pretty. From the left side, we can see all components “5570” is using, and also with the very dense circuit design. ATI has a very good standard in using the materials & components from the generic PCB design. Since AND & ATI were combined several years ago, we can find AMD brand name on ATI products nowadays. “5570” has built-in D-SUB, DVI & HDMI three different kinds of output connectors. We can see the ATI “5570” chipset is MADE IN TAIWAN after we removed the heat-spreader. The heat-spreader is designed with a large copper base to use for heat spreading, and the quality of the thermal paste also looks very good.

System Temp. Fluctuation CPU Voltage Fluctuation While it’s in standby mode, the voltage stays at around 1.38V, and while the CPU is running at full speed, it stays between 1.36~1.37V. The voltage fluctuation range of CPU is majorly dominated by the voltage features of M/B. 3.3V The highest point measured is 3.26V and during the test, it majorly fluctuates between 3.20~3.22V, making the fluctuation ratio around 1.84%. 5V Falling at the range of 4.93~4.99V; the fluctuation ratio is around 1.20% 12V The highest point measured is 11.92V and during the test, it majorly fluctuates between 11.19~11.43V, making the fluctuation ratio around 6.12%. According to the test data released in 80Plus website (at 115V): The power conversion efficiency of E7 600W is 83.01% and in 80Plus website, it shows that the actual power converted from 720.20W is 597.86W. During my test, the peak wattage, 811W, was converted into an effective power of 673.21W (at least 12% higher than the nominal wattage, 600W). The fluctuation rates of Straight Power E7 600W respectively at 3.3V and 12V are both around 1.9%, making it quite a good performance. 12Vstarts to fluctuate violently after OCCT starts to run at full speed. The fluctuation rate is roughly around 6.12%. In overloading situation, 12V fluctuated bigger. The items here are measured by a more accurate meter. In standby mode: 5V is measured at 5.06V, higher than the 4.99V measured by the M/B. OCCT running at full speed: When the voltage range is around 5.12V and OCCT is running at full speed, the voltage measured is higher than those measured in standby mode. In standby mode: 12V is measured as 11.96V, which is a bit higher than the 11.92V measured by M/B. OCCT running at full speed: When the voltage is around 11.67V and OCCT is running at full speed, the voltage measured is 0.29V lower than that measured in standby mode. Here is the status of 12V when the system is running at full loading When the system loading is at 600~700W, the voltage displayed by Power Angle is 11.72~11.75V, when the loading is at 700~800W, the voltage displayed is 11.70~11.72V and when the loading is above 800W, the voltage displayed is 11.67~11.70V. Based on the data mentioned above, we could realize the 12V performance of E7 600W is still quite stable. The performance of 5V & 12V are much better than the fluctuation result measured by OCCT along with M/B. It’s particularly clear while the fluctuation rate of 12V in OCCT is 6.12%, the rate measured by meter is only 2.42%. Conclusion: Advantages 1. Artistic color box design of the new E7 version of Straight Power 2. Unique case coating and fan guard design 3. Certified by 80Plus Bronze & Active PFC 4. 100% Japanese capacitors & SilentWings FDB Fan integrated (only 17dBA) 5. 5-year guarantee provided, brand new PSU replacement for RMA within540 days, free RMA receiving/delivery for RMA within 3 years Disadvantages 1. It would be much better if PCI-E 6 pin could be extended to 4pcs 2. The design would be much better if 12V could be changed to only 1 rail. Efficiency ★★★★★★★★★☆ Material used ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Spec. ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Appearance ★★★★★★★★★☆ C/P Ratio ★★★★★★★★☆☆ You could still find the advantages of new E7 version in the non-CM series of Straight Power, such as the honeycomb ventilation holes on both sides, sharp case edges removed to better protect the safety of users. Of course, the long MTBF and low-noise level of the exclusive SilentWings FDB fan integrated also serve as great advantages Actually, I haven’t conducted any tests for the part of the wattage higher than it’s nominal spec. This time, I happened to have a platform capable of running at full loading (over 800W) and it allowed me a great chance to compare the difference. When the loading was around 770W~810W, the rpm and CFM of the fan were both increased without making obvious noise and the body temperature of the Power Supply was around 60 Celsius. In terms of these two aspects, I think you can say the PSU is quite excellent. In terms of voltage fluctuation, relatively, the fluctuation is much less in 3.3V and 5V. Though the fluctuation of 12V is a bit higher, after being measured by a meter, the fluctuation ratio is actually only 2.2%, making itself quite a great point/performance in a 600W PSU loaded a lot above 600W. The end user price of be quiet! Straight Power E7 600W in the market is around 3,990 NTD, roughly equal to $124 USD. E7 600W (non-CM version) is around 500NTD lower than E7 580W (CM version) launched to the market earlier. The two models of new E7 non-CM version (500W & 600W) are capable of increasing the C/P value of E7 version. So, if an end user is taking non-CM power supply into their consideration while making a purchase, Straight Power E7 might be quite a good alternative since its C/P value is relatively quite high. : ) This review also post in my blog WIND'S 3C Welcome 3C lovers to visit and advise.

M/B: ASROCK X58 Extreme3, which is the most advanced PC platform among Intel platforms. Featuring true 333 function, which allows USB 3.0, SATA 3.0 & E-SATA3 to operate at full speed (X16). Test Platform CPU: Intel Core i7-930 MB: ASROCK X58 Extreme3 DRAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT CMG6GX3M3A2000C8 VGA: GIGABYTE GTX260 OC SLI HD: CORSAIR CMFSSD-128GBG2D RAID 0 POWER: be quiet! Straight Power E7 600W Cooler: Mega Shadow Deluxe Edition OS: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit OS Default Values: CPU 200 X 21 => 4200MHz DARM DDR3 1600 CL6 6-6-18 1T OCCT V3.1.0 In POWER SUPPLY Mode What listed above is the spec of the platform used in the performance review. In order to demonstrate the power consumption happens during the test, the consumption will be measured by “Power Angle”. In OS Desktop window - 222~223W APFC: PF - 0.97~0.98 Running the Power Supply test items in OCCT i7-930 OC 4.2GHz, real 4-core along with 4-core HT full-loading simulation and GTX260 SLI 2WAY - 770~811W。 APFC: PF - 0.99 The data obtained through Power Angle is only for reference due to its lack of extreme accuracy. GTX 260 SLI is used for the review in order to reach the utmost 3D efficiency. Also, while at full loading, the CPU could reach power consumption as high as up to 811W; though it was only charged by 110V, still it has reached a level much higher than 600W loading. OCCT Test Result CPU Temp. Fluctuation

E7 version of be quiet! Straight Power series is the latest version launched by BQT. The models from earlier E7 version are 480W, 580W and 680W. These 3 models are all cable management (CM version) power supplies and surely their prices are a bit higher because of the relatively costly CM design. Straight Power also has its non-CM version in the market, including 500 and 600W. In terms of selling prices in the market, their prices are surely a few hundred bucks lower than that of E7 CM version. The focus of new E7 version launched this time is on 80+ Bronze Certification and the SilentWings FDB fan integrated. This new series not only is compliant to Rev. 5.0 of Energy Star and the power consumption needed in standby mode is less than 0.5W. As for its cosmetic part, the point lies in its brand new style. The case used this time is quite different from be quiet! typical image in our mind. We’ll introduce more of the case in the following section. Here is our star, Straight Power E7 600W. The color box design of E7 version, with less different color combinations, looks more elegant. Contents Multi-Language User Manual, Cable Ties, Screws, Power Cord. Straight Power E7 600W Dimensions: 160mm X 150mm X 86mm The coating is “finger-print resistant”, leaving the case a neat touch. The titanium gray coating used this time makes this E7 version quite different from the black case we normally see in be quiet! power supply cases. The honeycomb ventilation holes in the back side, commonly seen design. Active PFC, 110~240Vac The symmetric fan guard is in Jazz-Black. Just like what I’ve said before, it looks really like BBQ grill. However, it still looks quite stylish. 12cm FDB Fan: MTBF/300K hrs, 17dBA The model name of Straight Power E7 600W is "BQT E7-600W" +12V*4 (45A in total), reaching 540W at most. 3 rows of honeycomb ventilation holes right beside cables, quite helpful in enhancing the heat ventilation mechanism. Output Cables 1 X 20+4 Pin ATX 1 X 12V P8 1 X 12V P4 1 X 6 Pin VGA 2 X 6+2 Pin VGA 4 X HDD 6 X SATA 1 X FDD

Standby - 2:44:28 In Battery Eater Pro test, full speed CPU+3D, the power duration is the shortest. If you only play video, X201i can stay 2hr10mins. It’s acceptable range. The latest structure really improves the system performance. However, for the standby mode, it’s lower 10% comparing to X200s. Lenovo ThinkPad X201i Overall Good 1. High end product shell and components. The commercial model design has very good keyboard and coating. 2. Latest Intel platform. The CPU, GPU and DDR3 performance are all improved. 3. 12” matte monitor which is normally only for high end 12~13.3” NoteBook 4. In normal usage, the body temperature is low. The thermal solution design is very good. 5. The most famous touch point is better than touch pad after you get used to. 6. The ThinkLight and keyboard are very suitable for business persons. Weak 1. Fn key position is easily to press wrong as its position. 2. 4Cell battery duration is not as much as I expect. 3. The shell will easily to see the dust. 4. No HDMI or USB 3.0 Performance ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Components ★★★★★★★★★★ Specification ★★★★★★★★★☆ Outlook ★★★★★★★★☆☆ C/P Value ★★★★★★★★★☆ For the audio, in the real situation, the hi-pitch is not high enough. Alto is very good. You can hear the fine and smooth sounds. Bass is not low enough. I feel the sound field is too weak. For my experience of light commercial NoteBook, X201i use dual speakers are quite good already. Using 2M pixels WebCAM, I found the color and detail are quite good. It’s almost same as the real theme. If the luminance is not well, the noise will be higher. ThinkPad X201 is a good components, features and performance NoteBook. Especially lowest price one, X201i, is more attractive. The price is around 29000~38000NTD as different specs. It’s around 900~1185USD. Compare to the other NoteBook brands in the same price segment, you are hard to find the same product to compete. I think in this price segment, ThinkPad X201i is in really good position to gain the market share. Many people ask me what is the key factors to choose a good NoteBook? What brands or models are better quality and performance? Then I will ask that are you carrying out very often? If yes, please choose below 1.5Kg~1.6Kg products. If not, just pick whatever you like. If you need to carry out your NoteBook, I recommend the weight is your first priority to consider. Just for your reference. Small dimension and light NoteBook is the mainstream product. Even in DeskTop, it’s getting smaller as well. In the past, Micro ATX is the mainstream spec for small PC. Recently, Mini-ITX, the smaller form factor, is getting more and more popular. In the near future, I will share one article about Inte Core i5-655K/GIGABYTE H55N-USB3/SEED Case high performance MIni-ITX PC. I hope it can provide you some ideas of small PC. Finally, I attach the Spyder2 color correction file for all X201i users. Thanks for reading this Lenovo ThinkPad X201i review. windwithme Lenovo ThinkPad X201i This review also post in my blog WIND'S 3C Welcome 3C lovers to visit and advise.

CORSAIR P128 SSD official spec is 220/180 MB/s Installing with X201i, QM57 chipset, can achieve 229/175 MB/s. It really unleashes the performance in NoteBook. Some users always think CPU or individual VGA card grades are the only factors for NoteBook performance. However, if you don’t run video-encoding, CPU, or play 3D Game, VGA, in NoteBook, SSD is the most efficient way to improve the system performance which like internet, music and most applications. You will feel the difference in boot and open software. 3D is the latest Intel technology that CPU built-in GPU 3DMARK2006 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1280 X 720 => 24.52FPS StreetFighter IV Benchmark in GM45 is only 13 FPS. In this test, the score is over 24 FPS. The new Intel chipset improve the 3D performance around 50~70% more than GM45. DRAM performance DDR3 1364 CL7 7-7-20 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-8979MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-7253MB/s The both DRAM bandwidth benchmark are all 50~100% higher than GM45. Built-in Memory Controller in CPU is really helpful for system perfroamance. CPU Temperature Standby - 36~41℃ CPU full speed - 81~86℃ 32nm manufacturing CPU looks like no big advantage in temperature. In actual usage, X201i emanates air is lower than the software. There is only some heat air. It might be the board temperature detecting software number is higher. The temperature in the thermal holes is lower than some other brands NoteBook. Power consumption test by Power Angle as reference Entering OS desktop - 10W CPU full speed - 30W For the standby status, it’s really good. It’s also same as CULV or Atom platform. In full speed, the consumption is similar with NoteBook. But 32nm should lower the power. Battery Duration 4Cell battery, Battery Eater Pro (turn off wifi and bluetooth) Full Speed - 0:42:12

Lenovo ThinkPad X201i uses Intel latest Calpella structure. CPU is Intel Core i3-330M. The clock is 133 X 16 => 2.13GHz, L3 3MB, dual core and supports HT technology. The chipset is QM57. Comparing to GM45, I believe the performance will be much better. Performance test OS is Windows7 Ultimate 64Bit Hardware info in Device Manager Windows7 system performance CPU performance test Super PI 32M => 27m 15.148s CPUMARK99 => 327 Nuclearus Multi Core => 8239 Fritz Chess Benchmark => 8.05/3862 CrystalMark 2004R3 => 97206 CINEBENCH R10 1 CPU => 2858 CB x CPU => 6706 CB PCMark Vantage => 4859 Even it’s the most entry i3 CPU, the benchmark score is very good. It’s not only much higher than Core 2 Duo CULV CPU, but also higher than P8700 2.53GHz. i3-330M is only 2.13GHz, but the performance is almost same as P8700. During multi-tasking performance, as i3 has HT, the performance is higher than P8700. The new generation Core i3~i7 CPU performance is much better than Core 2 Duo. HDD SY9320423AS test 2.5” 320GB 7200rpm version. As 7200rpm 2.5” HDD, the performance is quite well. The highest read/write speed is around 89~94MB/s. The system running is very smooth. 2.5” SATA HDD is the key factor of whole system performance. Using high performance MLC SSD-CORSAIR P128 to test

Front side Lower right side is monitor lock and SD memory card slot Keyboard layout, size and touch feeling are all very good. It’s also water proof. The difference with X200 is X201 has touch pad, so the keyboard size is smaller. 12.1” matte monitor, the resolution is 1280X800. The open degree is 180. Both side of LCD has antenna inside, they called UltraConnect. It can enhance the recipient ability. Bottom side Docking connector, dual speakers, the support cushion is also special designed. The shaft between monitor and body is metal, should be very durable. It’s said this design is their own patent, so other brands cannot copy. 2M pixels WebCAM, and next is ThinkLight illumination feature. If you don’t get used to touch point, you can use touch pad. Thermal solution looks good. It looks like copper material. X201i uses 4Cell battery, the weight is 1425g. The official spec is 1.39Kg which is very close to the real. It’s a good example.

Lenovo ThinkPad series is the most well known in their NoteBook product line. Continue IBM prime design tradition, the X series NoteBook is still very popular for commercial users. Especially the previous X201 with CULV version, the price drops a lot. Even the budget concerned user also can have the good commercial grade quality product. The parity ThinkPad is more competitive. Besides the product C/P is enhanced, it also attracts the users sight. I still remember the year before, Intel NoteBook CPU almost are Core 2 Duo. The main models are TX00 and PX00 series. Also CULV CPU is focus on low clock and power consumption. After Q1 2010, you can see many brands use new Intel structure - Core i3/i5/i7 3 CPU series. It’s with new chipset for higher performance. Lenovo next generation 12 inch ThinkPad, model X201. According to CPU level, there are X201i, X201, X201s, and X201t four series. This review is X201i-A22, has 3 versions, with Intel Core i3-330M CPU. First, let’s look the Lenovo ThinkPad X201i outlook, same as X200 series. The chassis is magnesium alloy with special coating. The matt surface is more commercial quality. It doesn’t like bright coating will paint-shed after long time usage. Battery and body shell quality can be better if they are the same. 4Cell battery and the spec is NOM 2.0 AH 29WH The adaptor is smaller version. The cable is quite crude. A22 is the X201i version which is without Windows7. The accessories are simple. Upper lid front has 3 Status LED. Left side From Left: Power in, thermal holes (X200 is copper), USB, D-SUB, RJ45 LAN, ExpressCard, USB(Always On USB), Wifi switch Right Side From Left: USB, earphone, Mic, MODEM phone line jack, HDD, anti-thief lock

FINAL FANTASY XIV => 3331 As the different 3D benchmark software, the score has 5~15% higher. 4.2GHz Core i7-875K has better performance as running 3D software. Temperature Standby - 43~37 CPU Full Speed - 71~89 Intel Burn Test v2.4，Stress Level Maximum As OC to 4.2GHz, it also needs to raise the voltage quite much. So you can see the temperature is high as running at full speed. This is the price for OC by air cooling. Power Consumption Standby - 172W CPU Full Speed - 339W Power consumption result is similar with temperature. It’s almost same in standby but raise a lot in full speed mode. 4.2GHz standby and full speed difference is 167W. It’s more than 2 times more. Finally, pull clock to 4508MHz and make CPU-Z certificate. windwithme OC Intel Core i7-875K 4.5GHz Certified Even if you pull the CPU voltage, CPU clock still can be higher but may not be able to pass the burning test and cannot use for long time. I prefer to OC the system under air cooling and can be stable. It will be more useful for most users. Intel Core i7-875K current price is around 11700NTD, about 363USD. The previous top LGA 1156 is Core i7-870 and the price is 19000NTD, around 589USD. The channel has off shelf the Core i7-870 and replace by 875K which is higher C/P value. You can see Intel top LGA 1156 CPU price drop to let user pay less for buying. The price of 875K and 860 are very close. 875K is also unlock, so the C/P is not lower than 860. If you are planning to buy Core i7-860, you can also consider Core i7-875K. Most user worry about the OC needs to have good capability of MB and DDR3, so they give up in the beginning. The unlock 875K make OC be easier. The user only need to set the ratio and voltage. I do hope Intel can have more SKU than 875K/655K. They also can consider to have more entry LGA 1156 CPU for choosing.

Voltage setup page CPU Feature If you want to pull high CPU/DRAM frequency, you need to fine tune QPI/Vtt Voltage base on each CPU capability. If you enable Hyper-Threading to let CPU be 4C/8T, the CPU Voltage also depends on its capability. During test, Core i7-875K OC voltage is very well. 200/2000 at 4.2GHz only need QPI/Vtt Voltage 1.210V and CPU Vcore 1.3000~1.32500V to be stable for all test. CPU 200 X 21 => 4200MHz DDR3 2000 CL8 8-8-24 1T Hyper PI 32M X8=> 14m 28.968s CPUMARK 99=> 653 CrystalMark 2004R3 => 297430 CINEBENCH R11.5 CPU => 7.17 pts CPU(Single Core) => 1.43 pts PCMark Vantage => 17389 As OC Core i7-875K to 4.2GHz, the performance increases around 20~30%. The stabilized voltage only needs 1.296V~1.328V. It’s really excellent and can show how mature for Intel CPU manufacture is. Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 24460 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 19253 MB/s DDR3 bandwidth is also very high after OC. Overall DDR3 performance increases around 25~30%. It’s very close to LGA 1366. 3D Performance 3DMark Vantage => P16431 CPU SCORE => 25766 GPU SCORE => 14660 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 => 181.90FPS DEVIL MAY CRY4 1280 X 1024 => 157.43/142.07/192.42/110.61 fps

Power Consumption Standby - 141W CPU Full Load - 217W CPU standby and full load power consumption difference is 76W. The difference is still in acceptable range. The standby is 141W, but most power consumption is by hi-end VGA... HDD Test Using Intel mainstream version SSD, X25-V 40GB, for RAID 0 X25-V 40GB official spec is reading 170 MB/s and writing 35 MB/s HD Tune Pro 4.01 Benchmark Average 355.9 MB/s，Access Time 0.1ms ATTO DISK Benchmark over 128k test can achieve 392 MB/s for reading and 89 MB/s for writing. CrystalDiskMark - 390.8 Mb/s for reading and 86.74 MB/s for writing. FDEBENCH test result is 327.6 Mb/s for reading and 89.8 MB/s for writing. X25-V 40GB spec is lower performance than X25-M 80GB, reading 250 MB/s and writing 70 MB/s. However, I recommend users can buy X25-V 40GB for RAID 0. The cost is similar and the RAID0 capacity is 80GB also. Also, X25-V RAID 0 performance can reach over 320~350 MB/s for reading and writing is similar with X25-M, is above 80 MB/s. This combo is better than buy just one X25-M 80GB. 4K, writing performance, is also the special strength of Intel SSD. OC Performance First of all, you can refer to my BIOS fine tune set up for 200/2000 BIOS Main page Core i7-875K ratio range : X9~X62 DDR3 Setup

PCMark Vantage => 15310 Core i7-875K already has very high performance at default clock as with Turbo Boost OC technology. As per CPU utilization rate, the clock will be in between 2.93~3.60GHz. It should be affordable for most application. Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 19460 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 14717 MB/s Even though LGA 1156 has dual channel structure, not like as triple channel in LGA 1366, so the DDR3 bandwidth is lower. Core i7 CPU built-in Memory Controller design makes LGA1156 DDR3 bandwidth be higher than dual channel PC platform over 1.5 times more. PSU is be quiet! latest power4 DELUXE 530W which is high C/P value product. 100% Japanese solid capacitors, 12cm low acoustic fan, 2-way 12V output designs. In this CPU Core i7-875K and VGA HD5830 platform, it can adequate OC or high loading system. 530W is also enough for ATI CrossFireX 3D Performance 3DMark Vantage => P14430 CPU SCORE => 19866 GPU SCORE => 13224 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 => 168.64FPS DEVIL MAY CRY4 1280 X 1024 => 146.92/131.13/182.86/100.72 fps FINAL FANTASY XIV => 3076 3D gaming performance is relied on VGA capability. However, the higher performance CPU can enhance 3D performance around 10-20%. Core i7-875K performance is quite high standard, so when you use with ATI HD5380 for better 3D. Temperature Stnadby - 37~40 CPU Full Load - 53~59 Intel Burn Test v2.4，Stress Level Maximum Under room temperature is 28℃, CPU full speed is still lower than 60℃. For 4C/8T spec, Core i7-875K temperature is very good.

Intel has launched LGA 1156 structure around 1 year, and the CPU product line is also plenty. If we divided into Chipset, P55 is mainly for Core i5-750/Core i7-860 and 870. They are 4C/4T or 4C/8T structure, more CPU Cores, better performance and ATX form factor MB. Another 2 chipset are H55/H57. H57 is not popular due to its high price. H55 is mainly for All In One. The CPU built-in GPU is the new design. Main CPU product line has Core i3-5X0/Core i5-6X0 2 series, and they are 2C/4T Cores mainly. Of course, both series CPU can be installed with P55/H55. But P55 has no VGA output function, you still need external VGA with Core i3-5X0/Core i5-6X0. Core i5-750/Core i7-860、870 CPU don’t built-in GPU. Even install in H55still need external VGA. Users need to understand the LGA 1156 features you need to pay attention to. Normally, Intel has un-locked CPU known as Extreme Edition. The price usually is around 999USD. The models are LGA 1336 Core i7 965/975/980X. Or LGA 775 platform has QX6850/QX9775. The models above are Intel Extreme Edition un-locked CPU. LGA 1156 hasn’t seen this segment CPU since launched. Intel finally launched 2 LGA 1156 Unlock CPU on 6/1. The code is Core i7-875K for P55 MB and Core i5-655K for H55/H57 MB. LGA 1156 platform unlock CPU called K series. This review is about Intel Core i7-875K Clock is 2.93GHz, supports Turbo Boost can reach 3.6GHz performance. Physical 4 Cores with Hyper-Threading, total can achieve 8 threads named 4C/8T. 45nm manufacturing, 8MB L3 Cache and it’s all top spec in LGA 1156. Core i7-875K back can see the difference in every version and design. MB is GIGABYTE P55A-UD4P, which is hi-end P55 design and spec. The price is around 7000NTD. In P55 market, it’s mid-high end market position. Smart Dual LAN, 3X USB Power, On/Off Charge port. The features above are GIGABYTE main technology for UD4P. Support SATA3 and ATI CrossFireX Provide CPU 12-phase PWM, and 2-phase for memory. Configuration CPU: Intel Core i7-875K MB: GIGABYTE P55A-UD4P DRAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT CMG4GX3M2A2000C8 VGA: ATI Radeon HD 5830 HD: Intel X25-V 40GB RAID 0 POWER: be quiet! power4 DELUXE 530W Cooler: Mega Shadow Deluxe Edition OS: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit Default Setting CPU 133.2 X 24 => 3197.8MHz DDR3 1598.8 CL6 6-6-24 1T Hyper PI 32M X8=> 18m 33.250s CPUMARK 99=> 496 CrystalMark 2004R3 => 236739 CINEBENCH R11.5 CPU => 5.44 pts CPU(Single Core) => 1.08 pts

StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 => 207.50FPS Biohazard5 Benchmark 1280 X 800 => 157.3fps DEVIL MAY CRY4 1280 X 1024 => 281.75/228.55/322.73/192.28 fps The Last Remnant 1280 X 720 => 173.71 fps 3DMark Vantage and Biohazard5 performance increase a lot as using 980X. The other 3D benchmark is similar with 960. The Last Remnant performance is even lower than 960. I used to read some reviews and many 3D GAME only can support 2 Cores CPU mode. So the test result shows 4~6 Cores doesn’t help much for 3D performance. DRAM DDR3 2000 CL8 8-8-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 30063 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 18738 MB/s 980X DDR3 bandwidth, it’s lower 10% than 960 in the same condition. 2 CPU in NB Frequency are 3800 and 4000MHz. It also makes the difference of memory performance. Power consumption Standby - 354W CPU full speed - 527W 980X has good performance of power and temperature because of 32nm technology. I original expect 6C/12T 980X power and temperature is higher. After real test, it’s similar to 4C/8T i7 CPU. GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 Good at 1.X58A-UD9 uses UNLOCKED POWER design which support 1500W for CPU 2.Built-in NF200 to support both 4WAY ATI CFX and NVIDIA SLI 3.SATA3 uses more hi-end Marvell 9128 and USB is Japanese NEC 4.BIOS items are rich, higher voltage range and CPU/DDR3 OC ability is good 5.Built-in 6 SATAII, 2 USB/eSATA combo and 2 USB 3.0 6.Hybird SILENT-PIPE enhance the thermal solution and NB also support water block. Bad at 1.UD9 price is 23000NTD, around 720USD. It’s the most expensive X58 in the market. 2.Product accessories are not luxury enough. 3.LAN and Audio are Realtek. Should consider to change higher grade. Performance ★★★★★★★★★★ Components ★★★★★★★★★☆ Specification ★★★★★★★★★☆ Outlook ★★★★★★★★★★ C/P Value ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ Entry X58 product price is around 7000~8500NTD, around 220~266USD. High end X58 price is around 11000~16000NTD, 345~500USD. UD9 price is 23000NTD, around 720USD. If it can be lower than 580USD, the C/P value will be higher. For the accessories, if it has audio card, Intel LAN or more cables, it will be more attractive in components and spec. GIGABYTE X58A-UD9 is the mark in the market. It has broken many OC world records. So far there are also 2 brands have the similar product, and the form factor is bigger than ATX. High price X58 design has hi-end components and OC. Also VGA support is another key factor. 4 PCI-E X16 and built-in NVIDIA NF200 can support both VGA 4WAY GPU technologies. For high performance users, CPU can OC to higher standard and multi-GPU also can enhance the 3D perforamcne. GIGABYTEX58A-UD9 shocks the X58 market. The price is record high. Components and design are more focus on the body but not accessories and other spec. But UD9 make GIGABYTE build a new mark in the market and better choice for extreme users. As this kind of product, it’s used to build the leading position in branding. It’s not much helpful for selling. For the users who interested in X58, GIGABYTE X58A UD3R~UD7 are better C/P value choices. This is my, windwithme, 14th X58 review in 2 years. For the past Core i7 4C/8T and 6C/12T difference is the key subject for this review. I do hope this review can provide you more info about i7 CPU and X58 products.Thanks

Power consumption Standby - 369W CPU full speed - 514W CPU standby and full speed, the power difference is 145W. If GPU also run full speed, the consumption will be even much higher. The 2nd half performance is using 6Cores Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. Clock is 3.33GHz. Support Turbo Boost and can reach 3.6GHz. Physical 6 Cores and Hyper-Threading. It’s total 12 threads, known as 6C/12T. Latest 32nm and 12MB L3 Cache. OC Performance CPU 200 X 21 => 4200MHz DDR3 2000 CL8 8-8-24 1T Hyper PI 32M X 12=> 14m 04.851s CPUMARK 99=> 658 CrystalMark 2004R3 => 323954 CINEBENCH R11.5 CPU => 10.76 pts CPU(Single Core) => 1.46 pts PCMark Vantage => 21105 As single core performance, 960 and 980X are similar under Hyper PI and CPUMARK test. However, in multi-tasking, you can see the strength of more cores 980X is better than 960. If you have high demand for coding/decoding or video, 980X is your better choice. Temperature Standby - 39~45 CPU full speed - 75~85 Intel Burn Test v2.4，Stress Level Maximum 32nm makes 980X operating temperature is similar with 960 even it has 2 more cores. 980X temperature is very impressive. I think users is looking forward 32nm can be more popular. 3DMark Vantage => P29195 CPU SCORE => 65536 GPU SCORE => 24640

Temperature System standby - 48~53 CPU full speed - 70~76 Intel Burn Test v2.4，Stress Level Maximum The room temperature is around 25 degree C, and I think it’s acceptable. If Core i7 enable HT, you need higher voltage and the power and temperature will be higher. VGA is GIGABYTE GTX260 OC SLI 3WAY plus PhysX For PSU, I recommend to use big watt product. The CPU and GPU power consumption is extreme huge. I use Antec TPQ-1200 which pass 80Plus silver TPQ-1200 packing and body are black and red. It’s racing car style. 3DMark Vantage => P28391 CPU SCORE => 52156 GPU SCORE => 24647 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 => 206.39FPS Biohazard5 Benchmark 1280 X 800 => 147.4 fps DEVIL MAY CRY4 1280 X 1024 => 278.86/230.45/326.68/190.17 fps The Last Remnant 1280 X 720 => 189.31 fps In this high spec PC, in common 3D benchmark software, you can see the result as below. If the resolution is 1920 X 1200 above and enable all effects, the page will be as low as 50~100FPS. The pity is GTX260 only can support 3WAY SLI. The 4th GTX260 use for PhysX, so it doesn’t help much for 3D performance. DRAM DDR3 2000 CL8 8-8-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 32800 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 21000 MB/s LAG1366 platform strength is 3-channel DDR3. It enhances DRAM performance a lot. Even LGA 1156 also cannot reach it as P55 only support dual channel DDR3.

EasyTune6 default support few OC modes. You also can fine tune the voltage and frequency to enhance system performance. Smart6 SMART QuickBoot, SMART QuickBoost, SMART Recovery, SMART DualBIOS, SMART Recoder, SMART TimeLock. Dynamic Energy Saver 2 New GUI is more detail and easier to understand the power consumption status. Auto Green It’s feature combine with Bluetooth. You can use this to save system power. This review use Intel Core i7-960/Core i7-980X Extreme Edition First half performance use 4Cores Core i7-960 for test Clock is 3.2GHz, support Turbo Boost technology. The highest can reach 3.46GHz performance. Physical 4 Cores and Hyper-Threading. It’s total 8 threads also known as 4C/8T 45nm, 8MB L3 Cache OC Performace CPU 200 X 21 => 4200MHz DDR3 2000 CL8 8-8-24 1T Hyper PI 32M X8=> 13m 23.838s CPUMARK 99=> 660 CrystalMark 2004R3 => 309673 CINEBENCH R11.5 CPU => 7.19 pts CPU(Single Core) => 1.46 pts PCMark Vantage => 16087 Intel Core i7 960 is 45nm and OC range is very wide. 1.344~1.360V can reach 4.2GHz. The system after OC, it can afford for most software and using. Of course, speed is never fast enough. More and more fast PC performance is always the target to trace.

CPU related items C1E is for power saving. Intel Turbo Boost is opposite with C1E. It can speed up CPU in high loading mode. DDR3 Multiplier page Memory setup page Advanced parameters setup Voltage page Load-Line Calibration Standard/Level1/Level2 CPU Vcore 0.50000~1.90000V QPI/Vtt Voltage 1.075~2.015V IOH Core 1.000~2.000V CPU PLL 1.000~2.580V DRAM Voltage 1.300~2.600V Load-Line Calibration has 3 modes Standard by Intel VDroop voltage standard Level 1 Lightly adjust VDroop Level 2 Moderately adjustVDroop USB、LAN、SATA、eSATA tuning page PC Health Status X58A-UD9 is the GIGABYTE most top product. The BIOS voltage and items are very rich. But the items are similar to the other X58A series. I cannot the difference from this top model. Below is my setting for Core i7 980X. You can refer to it if you have similar hardware. I hope it’s useful for UD9 users to overclock. System configuration CPU: Intel Core i7-960/Core i7-980X Extreme Edition MB: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 DRAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT CMG6GX3M3A2000C8 VGA: GIGABYTE GTX260 OC SLI 3WAY + PhysX HD: CORSAIR CMFSSD-128GBG2D RAID 0 POWER: Antec TPQ-1200 Cooler: Mega Shadow Deluxe Edition OS: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit

LGA1366 socket brand is LOTES NB heat pipe also support water block. Under the SB heatsink is Marvell SE9128 chip which supports SATA3. UD9 design is more beautiful and better look than UD7. USB 3.0 chip is NEC D720200F1 It uses 3x USB power design. Every USB PORT has individual power chip which provide 3X power. It can avoid read/write error as connecting the external devices. Full look after installing Hybird SILENT-PIPE This external thermal module also used in X58-EXTREME and UD7. Boot screen BIOS main page Main BIOS tuning page, M.I.T. CPU 200Mhz/DDR3 2000 setup page

November 2008, Intel launched their next generation platform, Core i7. It’s been over 2.5 years after launching X58+ICH10R. 2009, all MB makers were busy to sell Intel P55/H55. Some users misunderstood the P55 is the latest platform. I used to emphasize my view that P55 is for mid-high range and X58 is still the most hi-end product of Intel. It’s approved by the market, however, X58 has been quiet for a long time. 2010, many MB makers start to push USB3 and SATA3. Also, Intel announced 32nm 6Cores CPU to support X58. Most MB makers revised their X58 models and make it be more popular in the market. GIGABYTE launched new X58A series which add USB3 and SATA3 spec. Year beginning, they launched X58A-UD7 for higher spec and performance users. I used to think UD7 is the most hi-end X58 product from GIGABYTE. Last month, GIGABYTE announced a more hi-end model, X58A-UD9. X58A-UD9 packing is much bigger than normal MB. UD9 looks like a very powerful X58 MB. The components using is also the most luxury in the market. It’s XL-ATX, 34.5cm x 26.2cm. I recommend to find the suitable chassis before purchasing. All slots are X8/X16 PCI-E Accessories SATA/eSATA cable, external USB Port 2~4WAY CrossFireX/SLI bridge Product manual, software manual and driver CD Lower-Left Corner 4 X PCI-E X16 support X16 for CrossFireX and 2~4WAY SLI. 3 X PCI-E X16 support X8. Realtek 8111E dual LAN support Teaming and Smart Dual LAN. Realtek ALC889 supports 7.1CH and High Definition Audio/Dolby Home Theater. Design in Taipei Lower-Right Corner 6 X blue SATAII, provide by ICH10R. It’s SATA2 and support RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 2 X white SATAII, provide by GIGABYTE SATA2 chip. It’s SATA2 and support RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD 1 X IDE, provided by GIGABYTE SATA2 chip. 2 X white SATAIII, provide by Marvell 9128. It’s SATA3 and support RAID 0, RAID 1 Dual BIOS, dual protection, and built-in Debug LED Upper-Right Corner 6 X DIMM DDR3 support 800/1066/1333/2200. The max capacity is 24GB. The Cyan big button is Power switch. Blue small one is for reset. DDR3 use 2-phase PWM, and next is 24-PIN power connector. Upper-Left Corner LGA 1366 CPU socket. The CPU metal cover is cladding for better look. UD9 use 24-phase PWM which support dual 12-phase alternative mode. The maximum power is 1500W. It’s the most hi-end X58 PWM design. Back side has 2 8PIN design to enhance the system stability in high loading mode. IO 4 X USB 2.0(Yellow) 2 X USB 3.0(Blue) 2 X RJ-45 LAN 2 X eSATA/USB 2.0 combo 1 X S/PDIF fiber/coaxial output 1 X 1394a clr CMOS button

DRAM DDR3 2006.6 CL9 9-9-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 13484 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 9726 MB/s To upgrade to DDR3 1800 is the character of AMD 890FX, the previous AMD chips only can run DDR3 under 1600~1700. If BIOS can be improved more, it’s possible to reach to DDR3 1900~2000. AMD has upgraded their supporting on DRAM frequency to a standard level, but it will be prefect if AMD platform can emphasize more enhanced frequency performance in the future design. AMD new series of Phenom II X6 bring a very good help to the customers who need multiple operations, also the temperature and power consumption is less than my expectation under 45nm proceeding technology. Furthermore, the price of X6 CPU is pretty reasonable to compare with the similar high level products. If you just intend to upgrade your PC to Phenom II X4, I think it’s a very good choice to make it directly to Phenom II X6 1055T with only few expense. For those users who already have AMD3 chipset, most of them are also quite easy to have it supported with Phenom II X6 by using the BIOS update. Recently AMD put out a series of product lines just like 880G/870/890GX/890FX to support their own new CPU models. The over-clocking frequency and the data transfer rates are also better are higher with 890FX North bridge chip I tested, and the SB850 South bridge chip also supports SATA 3.0. But I think it would be wonderful to make AMD chipsets fully functional if which can also supports USB3.0 by single chip. Although the performance of AMD CPU is not as well as their competitor’s on the same frequency level, but the “multi-core” & “pricing” strategy seem workable and helpful to expand their market a lot. Just liked I mentioned before that it is the new CPU generation in 2010 after INTEL and AMD individually launch their 6-Core CPUs, and which has started a new generation of competition. Rely on the pricing advantage, let’s expect that AMD will put out more Phenom II X6 series on the market in the near future. Users will be able to upgrade their PC to Phenom II X6 with a lower pricing or they can still keep their old MB by using the BIOS update. We believed it will be a great advantage for both AMD and all users.

3D efficiency -ATI Radeon HD 5830 CrossFire Hour pulse of GPU/GDDR5 875/1200 3DMark Vantage CPU SCORE =>20584 GPU SCORE =>21123 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 =>162.81FPS Biohazard5 Benchmark 1280 X 720 =>109.1 fps Call of Juarez 1024 X 768 =>Avg 84.5 There’s no much MHz can be adjustable based on the enclosed program of ATI Catalyst, There are 5~20% of efficiency can be improved under the different 3D software, if you want to advance its performance; you need to find VGA software in addition. The power consumption testing The stand-by of the system -155W CPU at full speed -280W The different power consumption between stand-by and full speed is 125W or so, it can be acceptable after the comparison between Power consumption data and efficiency that CPU improved. DDR3 efficiency Corsair DOMINATOR-GT CMD4GX3M2B1600C7 will be best match with AMD DRAM DDR3 1605.4 CL7 7-7-21 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 13563 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 9361 MB/s DRAM DDR3 1873 CL8 8-8-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 15101 MB/s EVEREST Memory Read - 10296 MB/s

Exceed the efficiency frequently CPU 281 X 14.5 =>4073.9MHz DDR3 1873 CL8 8-8-24 1T BIOS setting of the picture Hyper 12 X PI 32M=> 19m 09.894s CPUMARK 99 =>559 Fritz Chess Benchmark =>29.29/11298 CrystalMark 2004R3 =>252869 CINEBENCH R11.5 CPU =>1.22 pts CPU(Single Core) =>7.09 pts PCMark Vantage =>13898 After we over-clocked X6 1090T to 4073MHz frequently, the records from most testing programs are going up 20-30%. But the strange thing is that there is no big difference from the PCMark Vantage, Generally speaking, the more cores we have the lower over-clocking range it performs, but it can be stable by using 1.45V, so it means the over-clocking capability of X6 is not lower than X4, If we add more voltage on X6 to make it over 1.6V, it might be able to reach to 4.3-4.4GHz. Due to the stability is not steady, I didn’t do more relative testing on it. Temperature performance The stand-by of the system -29/43 OCCT at full speed -48/54

The full speed of OCCT -37/45 The data of temperature, the radiator of quality and inaccuracy of the software must be taken into account, however, based on AMD 6Cores made under 45nm to produce it that the performance of temperature is outstanding no matter at stand-by or full speed. 3D performance - ATI Radeon HD 5830 CrossFire Hour pulse of GPU/GDDR5 800/1000 3DMark Vantage CPU SCORE =>16667 GPU SCORE =>19308 StreetFighter IV Benchmark 1920 X 1200 =>148.58FPS Biohazard5 Benchmark 1280 X 720 =>90.9 fps Call of Juarez 1024 X 768 =>Avg 80.7 The performance of ATI Radeon HD 5830 is very close to the high-end VGA level The power consumption testing The stand-by of the system -140W CPU at full speed -206W There is only 76W different from the power consumption on X6 1090T between full speed and stand-by mode. And the total power consumption is 140W, AMD is doing very well in consumption this time. The efficiency of south bridge Efficiency specification 220/180 MB/s of CORSAIR CMFSSD-128GBG2D SSD ATTO DISK Benchmark exceeds above 128k, read can be 217 MB/s at most while testing and write can be 190 MB/s CrystalDiskMark that read can be 230.9 Mb/s, writes can be 175.1 MB/s FDEBENCH that read can be 230 Mb/s, write can be 177 MB/s The reading efficiency of the new edition south bridge can reach to 217-230 MB/s. And there is no big difference with the average writing speed, which is still between the range of 175~190 MB/s by the official report. The SB850 not only supports SATA 3.0 but also performs very well in SATA transmission. And next time, I will test the RAID0 function, And hope which will be also better than the previous AMD chipsets.