Friday, May 28th 2010

Intel Releases Core i7 875K and Core i5 655K, Lures Overclockers with Pricing

Intel today rolled out two new high-performance processors aimed at the enthusiast community, which is sure to please users of LGA1156 platform. The release includes the quad-core Core i7 875K, and dual-core Core i5 655K. Based on the 45 nm Lynnfield die, the Core i7 875K is clocked at 2.93 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 3.60 GHz. While having identical clock speeds to the Core i7 870, the 875K comes with a fully unlocked BClk multiplier, which is featured in Extreme Edition processors.

The unlocked multiplier helps with overclocking. Also featured is that the core and DRAM ratios are unlocked so memory bus speeds can be kept independent of the core speed to an extant. The processor retains the TDP rating of 95W, which other Lynnfield-based processors have. It has a monolithic die which houses the processor and northbridge, dual-channel DDR3 memory controller, and PCI-Express root complex. Intel HyperThreading Technology enables 8 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with.

The second processor in the offering is the Core i5 655K. This processor is identical in core clock speeds to the Core i5 650. It has a default clock speed of 3.20 GHz, with maximum Turbo Boost speed of 3.46 GHz. The unlocked BClk multiplier and memory ratio benefits overclocking. Based on the 32 nm Clarkdale die, the Core i5 655K has a 45 nm northbridge die which houses the dual-channel DDR3 memory controller, embedded graphics processor, and PCI-Express root complex. HyperThreading enables 4 logical CPUs for the OS to deal with. The IGP continues to be clocked at 733 MHz.

Intel set surprisingly competitive prices for these processors. The Core i7 875K is priced much lower than the Core i7 870. The i7 875K is priced at US $342, even as the i7 870 is priced over $550. The i5 655K is priced at $216, which is a slight premium over the i5 650 which goes for $190. Perhaps this pricing comes as highly competitive to AMD's offerings at those price-points, which include the overclocker-friendly Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, and Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition.
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18 Comments on Intel Releases Core i7 875K and Core i5 655K, Lures Overclockers with Pricing

#1
LittleLizard
First!.
IMO this is a great idea so they can catch up even more market from amd. Just one question. WTH is going to happen to the Extreme brand much like WTH happened to the FX AMD's brand?

EDIT: I see from that 655K some broken records in a very near future :D
Posted on Reply
#2
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
Intel doesn't want to dilute its Extreme Edition moniker just as AMD didn't want to dilute FX. Since these processors aren't $999, an alternative brand identifier "K" was used. K was also used on Pentium Dual-Core E6500K, a dual-core LGA-775 chip with unlocked multiplier, which was priced well under $200.
Posted on Reply
#3
erixx
New BIOSes will be requiered to use independent speeds for core and RAM... ?
Posted on Reply
#4
rajan1311
@erixx : nop, don't see the reason why we would need it...
Posted on Reply
#5
SystemViper
interesting price point, should be some fun for the 1156 platform

$342 for the unlocked multi i7, sweet
Posted on Reply
#6
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
erixxNew BIOSes will be requiered to use independent speeds for core and RAM... ?
Yes, you need BIOS updates to support these chips anyway, so I guess those BIOS updates will pack those uncore settings.
Posted on Reply
#7
Cheeseball
Not a Potato
Mind you, it'll be pretty hard to get these K series since their market is solely aimed at China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. You'll need to import these, which will obviously add to the price.
Posted on Reply
#8
erixx
thank Runr and wow... import only! Intel was an US brand last time I checked, wtf Asia only release!!!!
Posted on Reply
#9
NdMk2o1o
CheeseballMind you, it'll be pretty hard to get these K series since their market is solely aimed at China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. You'll need to import these, which will obviously add to the price.
There is nothing to suggest they will be aimed solely at the chinese etc market
Posted on Reply
#10
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
Nah this time it's a worldwide release. Leading western sites have reviews on these chips.
Posted on Reply
#11
Cheeseball
Not a Potato
There is nothing to suggest they will be aimed solely at the chinese etc market
True, but the Pentium Dual-Core E6500K was an Asia-only release.
Nah this time it's a worldwide release. Leading western sites have reviews on these chips.
I hope so. A cheap Intel processor made with an unlocked multiplier will definitely cause some price drops on both sides of the camp.
Posted on Reply
#12
kid41212003
Getting 4.2GHz with a locked i7 on air isn't hard. I don't think this would make much different for normal consumers.

What we need is an i7 6 cores at $400.
Posted on Reply
#13
NdMk2o1o
kid41212003Getting 4.2GHz with a locked i7 on air isn't hard. I don't think this would make much different for normal consumers.

What we need is an i7 6 cores at $400.
I think an unlocked multi for 200 bucks cheaper begs to differ, in the case of the i7 875k anyway ;) :rolleyes:
Posted on Reply
#14
kid41212003
I rather get a quad-core at $200 :laugh:.
Posted on Reply
#15
Unregistered
kid41212003I rather get a quad-core at $200 :laugh:.
Or 6 core at $220.
Posted on Edit | Reply
#16
Wile E
Power User
I have a feeling this means we may see a price drop on the current offerings.
Posted on Reply
#17
[I.R.A]_FBi
must ... resist, it also helps that i'm unemployed :)
Posted on Reply
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