Gives enthusiasts more to work with besides just the Core i7-980X

May 28, 2010 06:46 GMT  ·  By

Though Intel has been, and still is, the biggest supplier of PC central processing units, it hasn't exactly gone down in history as a chip maker that condones overclocking overmuch. In fact, though end-users may not remember, there was actually a time, not too long ago, when not just Intel, but also AMD and VIA, prohibited overclocking altogether. The consumer base eventually had their way, however, and specifically-designed enthusiast parts started being made.

Intel still couldn't be seen as the biggest supporter of enthusiasts, though. In fact, until recently, the only truly overclocking-capable chip that Intel had on sale was the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition, an unlocked part with all its internal 'switches' controllable by the end-user. Finally deciding that one CPU can't tackle a whole market segment by itself, especially at a price of $999, the Santa Clara-based chip giant has brought forth the Intel Core i7-875K and Core i5-655K.

The Core i5-655K, a Clarkdale chip, merges a 32nm dual-core processor with a 45nm Intel HD Graphics, as well as a memory controller. 4MB of cache is available, as well DDR3-1333 two-channel memory support and sixteen PCIe lanes. The base clock speed is of 3.2GHz, but Turbo Boost can push it all the way up to 3.46GHz, whereas the HyperThreading technology can further improve performance. As for the Core i7-875K (Lynnfield), this chip is a similar dual-core part, but has 8MB of cache, a base clock speed of 2.93GHz and a Turbo frequency of 3.6GHz.

Being unlocked from the factory, this duo will have fully adjustable core clocks, power settings and DDR3. This means that, besides the possibility to push frequency multiplier both above and below their defaults, the Turbo Mode frequencies will be subject to modification. Essentially, enthusiasts should be able to make their chips behave in whatever way they want. Of course, voltages can also be adjusted.

The Intel Core i7-875K and Core i5-655K will make their official appearance at Computex and will supposedly cost $342 and $216, respectively. In the meantime, one may choose to take a look at these reviews by PC Perspective, HotHardware and Tom's Hardware to get a good grasp of each part's capabilities.