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Some of the results recorded in this CPU scaling article were quite interesting, while others were not, or at least not unexpected we should say. For example the GeForce GTX 295 has proven to be an extremely powerful graphics card, though we already knew that it was. Also the Core i7 has shown once again why it is currently regarded as the most powerful processor series on the planet, which is again something that we, and I am sure many of you, were already aware of.
However there are a few interesting things worth noting. First of all the Core 2 Duo processors continued to fair very well, and we did not see them being dominated by the quad-core parts as much as we had expected. Although there were a few games such as Far Cry 2 that really saw that Core 2 Quad and even Phenom II X4 processors really take charge, the Core 2 Duo’s did manage to hang in there and even win a few tests. The Phenom II X4 series was a little disappointing if we are honest, as these new processors really struggled to compete with the Core 2 Quad series when paired with the ultra high-speed GeForce GTX 295 graphics card. That said, we cannot compare the Phenom II X4 940 directly to the Core 2 Quad Q9650, despite the fact that they both work at 3.0GHz, as the Intel processor costs a little over $100 US less. Actually, while we may have been a little disappointed with the Phenom II X4 series, it does start to make a lot of sense when you look at the 2560x1600 performance. The Phenom II X4 940 was just 4fps slower than the Core i7 series in Company of Heroes at 2560x1600, 3fps in Crysis Warhead, 1fps in Far Cry 2, 1fps in Unreal Tournament 3, 5fps in World in Conflict, with the biggest upset being a 14fps loss in Left 4 Dead, while the Fallout 3 performance was identical. Ideally, those planning on gaming with a $500 US graphics card capable of smooth gameplay at 2560x1600 with full in game graphics enabled, are likely going to do so. Therefore the Phenom II X4 940 does make sense, as it is able to almost match the performance of the world’s fastest processors. So then rather than spending $340 US on a Core 2 Quad Q9650, or $560 US for a Core i7 940 processor, why not just buy the Phenom II X4 940 for $230 US? The answer is simple, because you can still buy the Core 2 Duo E8400 for $160 US, and at that price it was able to match the Phenom II X4 940 every step of the way. In fact, the E8400 was faster at 2560x1600 in Company of Heroes, Crysis Warhead, Left 4 Dead, and World in Conflict, while the Unreal Tournament 3 performance was a dead heat. In fact, the E8400 was only slower than the Phenom II X4 940 in Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2. Furthermore, keep in mind while we have still had mixed results with Phenom II X4 940 overclocking, reaching just 3.60GHz, most Core 2 Duo E8400 processors will easily exceed this frequency. So really, if you have your heart set on a GeForce GTX 295 for your next build, but cannot afford the Core i7 or Core 2 Quad hardware to go along with it, consider buying a much cheaper E8400 processor and perhaps even overclock it for additional performance at no added cost. That said, in reality most users gutsy enough to shell out $500 US for a graphics card designed purely for gaming purposes, probably will not think twice about picking up a Core i7 processor and the required catches that go along with it. After all, there is no denying that the GeForce GTX 295 did work best with the Core i7 processors. What we did find interesting was that the Core i7 920 seemed more than capable enough of fully unleashing the performance of the GeForce GTX 295 graphics card, and in almost every case the much more expensive Core i7 965 Extreme Edition processor was no faster. Reviewed By Steven Walton |
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