Intel Core i7 "Nehalem" 920, 940 & 965 XE Processor Review | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| by MAC | November 2, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feature Test: Goodbye FSB – Hello QPI Feature Test: Goodbye FSB – Hello QPIAs mentioned previously, the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) is the brand new high-speed interface that has replaced the decade-old front side bus. We are all familiar with the good 'ol FSB, and we also know that increasing it generally provides improved performance. Therefore, we were interested in determining whether there is a noticeable performance difference between a 4.8GT/s - 2400Mhz QPI Link and a 6.4GT/s - 3200Mhz QPI Link.   Click for full size… To isolate the QuickPath Interconnect as the focus of the test, we downclocked our Core i7-965 to 2.66Ghz, and manually adjusted the the QPI speed option in the BIOS. Are consumers missing out by buying the lower-end Core i7-920 and 940 models? Let's find out!
The results certainly speak for themselves, a faster QPI Link does not increase overall performance....at least in our tests. It is quite possible that under a specific workload the faster QPI speed would in fact distinguish itself, however we suspect that this type of workload would only be found in the high-end workstation or server sector. It is also quite possible that even the 4.8GT/s QPI Link provides more than enough bandwidth for any possible workload. Although we may have raised more questions than answers, it is clear the those who buy the lower-end Core i7 models and overclock them to Extreme Edition speeds will not be bottlenecked in any discernable manner.         | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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