Introduction

Intel released the Haswell-E line a few months ago, and it has been quite the talk in terms of the move to the newer and better "X99" platform that ushers in a new series of motherboards and DDR4 RAM modules for the die-hard PC enthusiast and graphics aficionado. Having released the Haswell Refresh line just a couple months ago, Intel is making a lot of people wonder: Is it worth it? Should I upgrade from my existing rig? Can that move to the Haswell-E line provide me with major benefits over its predecessors of the Ivy Bridge-E 6-core group? Are you yourself looking to upgrade or build a new PC this brand new year? Well, then you should keep on reading to find out which processor is right for you.



We took a while to get our review out because we unlike most publications that just review one of these processors (5960X) or compare two of the Haswell-E line in an attempt to rush out a review at launch were looking to put four processor families through all sorts of tests: Haswell-E, Ivy Bridge-E, Haswell Refresh, and Haswell itself. Such are the questions we intend to answer today by conducting an incredibly thorough review of the Haswell-E Intel Core i7-5820K, Intel Core i7-5930K, and Intel Core i7-5960X in a gladiator-like showdown of massive proportions.

The X99 Power

X99 is all about bandwidth and doing more of everything. The X99's I/O supports a maximum of 10 SATA 3.0 ports and 14 USB ports (with a maximum of 6 for USB 3.0). The X99 includes support for SATA Express-based storage and the M.2 storage platform that is slowly gaining way in the mainstream market. Thunderbolt 2 is also an option for those slowly switching over to the Thunderbolt specification from external hard drives.

The I/O's power configuration is really what makes the X99 shine as its complex array is also something for people to experience. However, just not simultaneously, which seems to be a design flaw of the X99 platform. The chipset to CPU interlink is currently a Direct Media Interface 2.0 x4 that operates at 20 Gbps in total (10 Gbps in each direction). Use up all those USB ports and what not at full power and you will run into quite the lag issue; here is to hoping Skylake-E utilizes the DMI 3.0 8 GT/s bandwidth circuitry better.

Haswell-E Features

The Haswell-E lineup uses a 22 nm chip with tri-gate transistors, which is similar to the Ivy Bridge-E line. Intel says Haswell-E to utilize newer CPU cores that can roughly process 5-10 % more instructions/algorithms. Currently, most programs are not utilizing the AVX2 instruction set for parallel processing, so there is a definite lack of programs that can harness the full power of the Haswell-E line or its supposed capacity. With the natural change to newer CPU cores, voltage regulation has also become faster with more even distribution of power around the chip. All of this has been wrapped inside the processing power of 2.6 billion transistors in a 356 mm² die frame, as compared to Ivy Bridge-E at 1.86 billion transistors in a 257 mm² die frame.

The socket itself is called 'Socket 2011-v3', and its pin configuration differs only slightly from the former LGA 2011 line; the actual pin contacts are different despite the frame of the socket being similar to allow for cross-compatible LGA 2011 coolers. Heatsink clearance is currently this platform's only issue since the memory has been situated around the socket's sides. There is no doubt going to be an increased need to liquid cool just for the sake of clearance around the socket itself.

The Intel Core i7-5960X comes with eight cores and 20 MB of L3 cache, which definitely makes it sound better than the 6-core and 15 MB cache Intel Core i7-4960X, the previous flagship of the line. The largest change with Haswell-E does not come in terms of its computing bandwidth, however. It comes in the form of DDR4 capability—also dubbed double data rate fourth generation synchronous dynamic random-access memory. The main change here is not just the higher module density as per the JEDEC specification, but also the lower voltage frequency of 1.2V and the higher data rate transfer speeds that peak at 2133 megatransfers per second (MT/s).



The Intel Core i7-5960X and Intel Core i7-5930K are your best bet for all 40 PCI-E lanes with 8-cores of computing power, as opposed to the 40 full PCI-E lanes of the Intel Core i7-4960X 6-core flagship with its lower memory frequency capacity of 1866 MHz with DDR3. I do have to point out that most people have been critical of the 5820K, calling it an insult, etc. I personally do not feel that way at all. Most current video games do not utilize a tri-SLI setup efficiently enough to justify the price, so there is very little need to pay more for the Intel Core i7-5930K unless you are going for a quad-SLI setup, which I do not recommend.

For the sake of segmentation, Intel chose to cater to the mid-tier brand with 6 cores and 28 discrete PCI-E lanes for $389.99, which I wholeheartedly believe to be better than the LGA 1150 platform with its 16 discrete PCI-E lanes riddled over a bunch of PLX chips. While not entirely at a disadvantage as it comes in at roughly the same price as an Intel Core i7-4770K, this chip is a no-brainer for anyone looking for a mid-tier upgrade to performance. Many people have criticized Intel for limiting the lanes on the Intel Core i7-5820K to only 28, which is perhaps the only criticism I have about its design. 32 lanes would have been more than appreciated in terms of a "fuller" package for the price (coming in at twice the capacity of the LGA 1150 platform), but I suppose something within the die at the 6-core level kept Intel from making the chip competitive in comparison to the Intel Core i7-4930K and Intel Core i7-4960X of the Ivy Bridge-E lineup.