It's a great record all right, and I'm sure it's also an important step in the name of progression indeed, but I can't help it, I just can't see the point in it in a way how you do, because I feel "cheated" knowing that they disabled those other cores just to get this high MHz.
ps.: And I know that I'm not an un-thusiasts
OK, so let me start by saying:
I used to post very similar stuff, and not too long ago, either, even though I have been buying high-end parts for years.
What is important here, and why companies do this, is not just bragging rights on having the highest frequency, with a neutered chip.
The fact is, reaching that frequency and maintaining it long enough to do a benchmark is very very hard, and the further you can push at the extreme, the more stable things will be when not pushing the extreme.
Computer components...all of them, quite nearly...die becuase of electromigration.
Electrons don't want to go where you want. They want to go is specific directions, and to manipulate them to do what you want, with a blazing-fast frequency, requires excellent circuit design, that must cover many basics...the power must be clean, must not falter, and must not be shed as heat in excess.
Really, all overclocking attempts, really, are tests of power delivery and the stability of that power at high frequency, and not much else.
The actual benchmark score...unimportant.
Test run..unimportant, other than an indicator of power loading.
Marketing teams have been told that the highet benchmark, or highest speed is what gamers and overclockers understand, so that's what the yrelate, rather than telling you why they really do it....that's the failure of reviewers when talking to OEMs about what their readers want, that has been going on for years.
Why does Gigabyte mention that you can bypass the PLX PEX8747?
Who told them this was important? And why don't they tell YOU why it's importnant?
Again, they forgot to fully explain. But guess who's been telling them such things ARE important?