Intel Lynnfield Core i5-750 & Core i7-870 Processor Review

System Benchmarks: PCMark Vantage / HDxPRT

PCMark Vantage x64

PCMark Vantage Advanced 64-bit Edition (1.0.0.0)
PCMark Suite / Default Settings
Comparison: Generated Score

The main focus of our General Tasks category lies with the most recent installment of the PCMark series, Vantage. While still classified under the description of a Synthetic benchmark, PCMark Vantage uses many of Vista's (Note - Vantage is Vista-only) built-in programs and features along with its own tests, so it is "real-world" applicable in regards to CPU performance. The following is a general list of the tests in the PCMark suite, very much in line with tasks of an average user: Data encryption, Data compression, CPU image manipulation (compression/decompression/resize), Audio transcoding,Video transcoding,Text editing,Web page rendering, Windows Mail, Windows Contacts, and CPU game test.


In PCMark Vantage, the two Lynnfield chips put up a very strong showing, besting all but the Core i7-975. Clearly, the Lynnfield/P55 platform is very competitive from an overall system point-of-view.

HDxPRT 2009

HDxPRT 2009, otherwise known as the Intel High Definition Experience and Performance Ratings Test 2009, is a new platform evaluation tool for measuring digital media experience. HDxPRT evaluates the capabilities of a media PC using real world usage scenarios and popular media applications. The benchmark's results are illustrated in the Create HD Score, which represents the overall digital media creation performance of a test system.

HDxPRT 2009 workloads are based on usages performed with popular programs, like: i. DivX encoder to create videos for YouTube, ii. MainConcept H.264 encoder to create videos for Blu-ray discs, iii. Sorenson Squeeze 5 for Flash videos, iv. Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 for Photo editing v. Apple iTunes to convert music for portable media players vi. Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 and Windows Media Player to play H.264 videos vii. On2 Flix 8 Player and Windows Media Player to play Flash videos.


These two supposedly mainstream parts are doing a commendable job of encroaching on high-end territory. Not only does the i7-870 tie with the i7-950, but the i5-750 squeaks by the i7-920. The one general conclusion we can derive from this benchmark is that if you are heavily involved in the creation of digital media content, you want a Nehalem-based platform. The i5-750 is 16% faster than the rival Core 2 Quad Q9550 and 28% faster than the Phenom II X4 945, both priced within the i5's segment.