Recently we completed a clock for clock CPU article comparing various quad-core processors from AMD and Intel. The new Core i5 750 was among the pack and we were surprised by what this processor had to offer in terms of performance, especially given it costs just $200 US. When comparing the Core i5 750 against the bigger more expensive LGA1366 (Core i7 9xx) processors the results were surprising.

Impressively there was almost no difference between the performance of the Core i5 750 and the Core i7 860/920 processors when working at the same frequency. In the end the results further cement our beliefs that the Core i5 750 is the best value quad-core processor available at the moment, with no exception.

Furthermore, they also provide us with evidence that overclockers need not bother with the Core i7 8xx series, as there is nothing to be gained when pushing them to 3.60GHz and beyond. The Core i5 750 is already great value before any kind of overclocking takes place. However push it to beyond 3.0GHz and you start to receive Core i7 9xx series performance, and if you go even further the Core i5 750 starts to come into a league of its own.

The best thing about Core i5 750 overclocking is that it’s very easy, especially if you choose the right hardware. At the moment I am working on a large P55 motherboard roundup that covers boards from several different manufacturers. One of the ways that we are comparing these motherboards is based on their overclocking abilities, and this is where the ASUS P7P55D series has really stood out.

To date I have overclocked a number of Core i5 750 processors on a range of ASUS P55 motherboards, which includes the ASUS P7P55D, ASUS P7P55D PRO, ASUS P7P55D EVO and ASUS P7P55D Deluxe. These boards range in price from $150 US through to $220 US, so there is something for everyone. What we have noticed is despite which model you choose, they are all capable of some pretty amazing overclocks with the Core i5 750 processor.