Intel Westmere 32nm Launch & Clarkdale Core i5-661 CPU Review

Gaming Benchmarks: Crysis / Far Cry 2

Crysis

Crysis v1.21
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti Aliasing: 0
Quality Settings: High
Global Settings: DX10 / 64-Bit

Test 1: Ice benchmark_CPU2 demo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Still one of the most hardware intensive game on the market today, Crysis has been chosen for its obvious ability to be able to showcase the differences between platforms and to showcase just how far one will need to go in the quest for maximum performance. The game also features the renowned CryEngine, the power behind the incredible graphics, which is expected to be foundation of future titles.


At these real-world settings, in a game as graphically demanding as Crysis, the processor just doesn't matter all that much. Although the Lynnfield chips achieve impressive results, even a lowly dual-core E8400 is within 2FPS of the mighty i7-975.

Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2 1.02
Resolution: 1680x1050
Anti Aliasing: 0
Quality Settings: Very High
Global Settings: DX10 Enabled

Test 1: Ranch Long Demo
Comparison: FPS (Frames per Second)

Far Cry 2 is the hot new new first-person shooter from Ubisoft's Montreal studio, and the first game to utilize the new visually stunning Dunia Engine, which will undoubtedly be used by numerous future games. Using the included Benchmarking Tool, we ran the Long Ranch demo in DX10 mode at 1680x1050 with all settings set to very high.


Far Cry's Dunia engine has always performed exceptionally well on Phenom II processors, and it seems to love the i5-661 as well. Although not a mistake, this result does obviously seem a little bit off to us given the sizeable performance difference the between the Clarkdale and Lynnfield chips. It is likely just one of those odd benchmarking quirks.