Closer Look
The processor we have for review today is the Intel® Core™ i7-2600K processor. It is a 4 core, 8 thread 32nm CPU with a stock speed of 3.40 Ghz featuring 8MB of L3 Smart Cache and a maximum Turbo frequency of 3.8 Ghz. Sharing the same silicon with the CPU is the integrated Intel HD Graphics with a base frequency of 850 Mhz with max dynamic frequency of 1.35GHz. The marriage of a high performance multi-core hyper-threading enabled CPU and Intel HD 3000 graphics exponentially increases performance.
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CPU-Z information showing Intel Core i7 2600K, cache specifications, and mainboard model.
Specifications
| Intel® Core™ i7-2600K Processor (8M Cache, 3.40 GHz) | |
| Status | Launched |
| Launch Date | Q1’11 |
| Processor Number | i7-2600K |
| # of Cores | 4 |
| # of Threads | 8 |
| Clock Speed | 3.40 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 3.80 GHz |
| Intel® Smart Cache | 8 MB |
| Bus/Core Ratio | 34 |
| Instruction Set | 64-bit |
| Instruction Set Extensions | SSE4.1/4.2, AVX |
| Embedded Options Available | No |
| Lithography | 32 nm |
| Max TDP | 95 W |
| Tray 1ku Budgetary Price | $317.00 |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) |
32 GB |
| Memory Types | DDR3-1066/1333 + |
| # of Memory Channels | 2 |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 21 GB/s |
| ECC Memory Supported | No |
The i7-2600K is very similar to its young brother the i5-2500K. A summary of the differences include:
- Larger Intel Smart Cache, 8 MB on this i7 compared to 6MB on the i5-2500K.
- Double the number of threads at 8 compares to the i5-2500K’s 4 threads.
- Both have the same 850 MHz Graphics Base Frequency, but the i7-2600K has a maximum dynamic frequency of 1.35 GHz.
- The i7-2600K features Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, the i5-2500K does not.
- i7-2600K stock clock speed is 3.4 GHz with turbo up to 3.8 Ghz, the i5-2500K stock is 3.3 GHz with turbo up to 3.7 GHz.
- Price. The i7-2600K retails for $317 whereas the i5-2500K retails for $216
Test Setup
All tests were performed on the following system featuring the latest ASRock Fatal1ty P67 B3 Professional mainboard. This motherboard features the B3 Cougar Point revision, which corrects the issues discovered by Intel during production. The SATA III storage defect which caused wear out of the chipset, degrading performance, is resolved.
| CPU | Intel Core i7 2600K @ 3.4GHz |
| Heatsink | Thermalright Silver Arrow (Dual Fans) |
| Motherboard | ASRock P67 Professional B3 |
| Chipset | Intel® P67 Chipset |
| Graphics card | AMD ATI 6950 |
| RAM | 2x2GB Kingston DDR3-2133 , CL9 |
| Sound | Realtek ALC892 |
| SSD | 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black Edition |
| Power Supply | NZXT HALE90 80+Gold Class 750W |
| Case | Cooler Master HAF912 |
| OS | Windows 7 Ultimate |
| Drivers | Intel P67 Chipset 9.2.0.1021 ATI Catalyst 10.12 |
Pictures of Test Rig:
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2600k @ 3.6, Turbo booster to 4 gigahertz, Msi P67a-gd65, Corsair Vengence 1600 8 gigs(1.5), Msi gtx 560 ti Frozr 2 overclocked. Very awesome system! Plays everything I throw at it! This system will last for years!