星期一, 2月 21, 2011

鎂合金機身兼具時尚外型之HP ProBook 5320m商務款入手分享

Intel從去年2010下半年度開始,在NoteBook領域的架構開始跨入新的世代

主要是因為Intel推出不同於以往的Core 2 Duo的核心架構

開始讓各家品牌著手於導入Core i系列的產品線,此架構已經出現在PC市場超過一兩年的時間。

讓活躍於NoteBook市場許多年的Core 2 Duo正式下台一鞠躬







先前各家NB品牌力推的CULV架構,採用低電壓、低時脈的Core 2 Duo處理器

後來因為效能沒有達到某些消費者的理想值,在網路上有出現一些不好的使用經驗討論

在新一代入門級Core i3處理器已經很少見到有這些問題,效能有明顯提升

時脈也高上許多,加上導入32nm製程,耗電量與熱量也有效地降低不少





也許會有網友覺得奇怪,第2代Intel Core(酷睿)處理器已經發表為何windwithme尚未分享

從今年初開始,電腦市場上也有少數幾款搭載2011年Intel最新架構的NoteBook產品上市

但也因為1/31的Intel P67/H67 Bug事件,讓新一代的PC/NB產品需要將晶片改版後重新推出

這方面也多少會影響到NoteBook市場的規格演進,可能要等到一兩個月後,等6系列晶片組都改版完成。

屆時市面上應該會有更多搭載第2代Intel Core,代號Huron River的NoteBook供選擇



本回的主角為HP ProBook 5320m,身為NoteBook銷售市場排名幾乎都在第一的世界級品牌

5320m為ProBook系列的產品,在用料上有著不同一般平價NoteBook的高水準

上方外殼使用髮絲紋路處理,機殼採用鎂合金用料,同時具備了質感與堅固兩項特性





外觀色澤遠看有點近似黑色,近看就可以明顯分辨出為古銅色

中央為hp圓型銘版,底下寫著ProBook

機身本體尺寸為32.8(寬) X 22.10(長) X 2.35(高)公分

厚度方面只有2.35 cm,外觀上稱得上是薄型設計





底部一覽,上方為電池安裝處

這區域共有八處的散熱孔,看得出來ProBook 5320m特別注重機身方面的散熱能力

下方快拆蓋面積相當大,打開後左方為HDD.中間為無線網卡.右方為DDR3安裝插槽





機身下方配置

觸控板兩旁使用為金屬髮絲處理,實際使用起來觸感很好

使用上卻會碰到一種狀況,那就是在冬天剛開機使用時會特別冰冷...(口語話來說就是需要熱機)





鍵盤使用俗稱的巧克力鍵盤,使用起來此鍵盤手感還不錯,力回饋性與聲音感都在水準之上

此外鍵盤設計還擁有HP DuraKey之防潑水技術

左上方圓型銀色為電源按鈕,開機時中央處會有白色燈光

右方為三個快捷按鈕,分別為開啟無線網路.收發E-Mail與IE網頁的功能





13.3吋霧面LED背光螢幕,解析度1366X768,可以翻開角度大約140度

內建200萬畫素視訊搭配定焦鏡頭





機身右方

左起 SD讀卡機\1 X USB 2.0\1 X 複合耳機或麥克風插孔\2 X USB 2.0\防盜鎖孔





機身左方

左起 電源輸入\機身散熱孔\DisplayPort\RJ-45網路\D-SUB輸出





觸控板使用起來質感不錯,支援多點觸控功能





安裝4Cell(41 WHr)高容量鋰離子電池後實際測量的重量為1712g

HP官網公布的的資料淨重1.72公斤,HP官方公布的資料相當地精準





此款ProBook 5320m使用CPU為Intel Core i3-350M

時脈為133 X 17 => 2.26GHz,L3 3MB,雙核心支援HT技術

晶片組代號為HM57,相比於上一代的GM45,會有更好的效能表現。



效能方面的測試

OS自行安裝Windows7 Ultimate 64Bit

裝置管理員中的硬體資訊

與市售版本有兩個不同的地方

分別為HDD改裝SSD與DDR3擴充為4GB





Windows7系統效能





CPU效能測試

Super PI 32M => 27m 04.587s

CPUMARK99 => 351





Nuclearus Multi Core => 8849

Fritz Chess Benchmark => 8.32/3992





CrystalMark 2004R3 => 120274





CINEBENCH 11.5

OpenGL 1.25fps

CPU (Single Core) 0.76pts

MP Ratio 2.47x





PCMark Vantage => 8018





先前windwithme有分享過幾款搭載Intel Core i3-330M的NoteBook產品

這次測試中使用i3-350M,差異上只有兩款CPU的時脈為2.13/2.26GHz

但在以上多數測試軟體中,CPU效能的成績結果顯示出i3-350M還是比較高一點

這樣的CPU效能在許多應用軟體還是足夠應付,也是i3 NoteBook推出後受歡迎的原因之一



DRAM效能

DDR3 1064.2 CL7 7-7-20 1T

ADIA64 Memory Read - 7306MB/s

Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 6530MB/s





ProBook 5320m只有一個SODIMM插槽,測試中已經加裝到4GB DDR3 1066,為本款NoteBook的最高容量與時脈。

5320m單通道頻寬在ADIA64沒有太多的差異,不過在Sandra中的頻寬與雙通道相比,較低50%的效能



CPU溫度表現

待機時 - 42~44度





CPU全速時 - 67~74度





ProBook 5320m在散熱方面還是有不錯的水準表現

對比分享過15.6吋的NB,CPU為i3-330M,全速時溫度較5320m高5度以上

當然這也有可能是每款NoteBook產品測溫硬體上的誤差值

但小弟實際用手靠近感受出風孔吹出的風溫並不高,全速時大約推斷只有50~60度左右



在使用NoteBook的環境下,提升系統效能最快速的方式就是搭配SSD

改裝CORSAIR FORCE SERIES F60,希望能讓ProBook 5320m可以發揮更好的傳輸效能





產品代號為F60,尺寸為2.5吋

最高效能可達到285/275 MB/s,Random 4K寫入效能可達50000 IOPS





ATTO DISK Benchmark超過64k以上測試時就達到最高讀取249.4 Mb/s,寫入232.9 MB/s

CrystalDiskMark 4K QD32 Read - 139.7 MB/s Write - 46.74 MB/s





EVEREST File Benchmark超過1024k以上測試時就開始接近或超越250 MB/s的效能

AS SSD Benchmark

Seq Read - 194.91 MB/s Write - 45.36 MB/s

4K-64Thrd Read - 101.97 MB/s Write - 48.73 MB/s





NoteBook在晶片組的傳輸效能常常沒有DeskTop來得優秀

以上SSD效能測試數據結果看來,ProBook 5320m的傳輸率較其他同級NoteBook產品低上一點

由HDD改用SSD後,對比在開關機或執行檔案這類的需要資料傳輸的動作來看

都比先前使用大容量的7200轉HDD快上許多,高速也是SSD應用在NoteBook上的最大優勢



3D方面使用Intel i3 CPU內建GPU

3DMARK2006 - 1690





StreetFighter IV Benchmark

800 X 600 => 22.20FPS





對比於上一代的GM45,測試中的3D架構也有50~70%增進,Intel主要在於更新自家平台的內建3D效能。

以上的效能對於一般3D Game使用者來說應該是不敷使用,但對於NoteBook外出攜帶定位來說

用途並不像15.6吋以上NoteBook For Gamer的主要需求,故對於一般使用者來說還堪用

如果希望3D效能可以更好,那可能就要期待下一代的Huron River架構,也就是第2代Core i系列



影片撥放測試

使用手邊兩款原版影片,藍光版本為Inception 全面啟動,DVD版本為新天宇 龍嘯九鋒





DVD解析度為720 X 480

此時CPU使用率都非常低,大約落在5~8%左右





影片解析度1440 X 1080

CPU使用率約落在20~27%左右





Youtube的影片測試

Inception 全面啟動預告片1080P - CPU使用率約落在15~19%左右





Final Fantasy 13 1080P展示動畫 - CPU使用率約落在13~20%左右





全面啟動藍光影片因為要在PowerDVD影片放映模式與Windows桌面同時截圖不易,此處將以文字描述

CPU使用率大約落在24~32%左右,5320m對於目前高解析度的1920 X 1080的影片也可以順暢撥放

以上幾款影片都為該公司版權所有。



電池續航力

4Cell電池,Battery Eater Pro (開啟無線網路與藍芽裝置)

全速運作 - 1:11:02





待機運作 - 4:40:28





Battery Eater Pro測試中以CPU全速搭配3D效能來運作,電力使用時間預估是最短的狀態

如果在播放影片觀看的使用模式,亮度設定50% / 音量設定30%

5320m可以播放2個半小時左右,待機能力還算可以接受







總結HP ProBook 5320m

優點

1.上層外殼使用鎂合金材質搭配髮絲處理,使得機身整體質感相當好

2.此ProBook系列為HP商務機款中較為平價的等級

3.搭載Intel Core i的平台架構,在CPU、DDR3都有一定幅度的效能提升

4.薄型機身設計、霧面背光LED設計、用料不錯的鍵盤與觸控板

5.散熱設計佳,全速測試中沒有碰到高溫的熱風,噪音也控制得很不錯



缺點

1.一個DDR3 SODIMM擴充槽,最高只能擴充到4GB

2.三個USB 2.0插槽都在右方,對於放置左方的USB擴充裝置應用較為不方便

3.原廠只提供一年保固服務



效能比 ★★★★★★★★☆☆

用料比 ★★★★★★★★★☆

規格比 ★★★★★★★★☆☆

外觀比 ★★★★★★★★★☆

性價比 ★★★★★★★★☆☆



喇叭最大音量時,聲音還算夠大

高音 - 表現還算可以,偶爾會出現太過尖銳的音調

中音 - 清晰度還不錯,聽歌曲時人聲表現尚能接受

低音 - 較為混淆,有時會感覺重低音方面比較雜亂

以這樣薄型商務機身設計來看,整體音樂感還算不錯

底部拆開可以看到使用兩個小型喇叭單體,若能改用較佳的喇叭單體應該會更好。







HP ProBook 5320m為一款商務定位的NoteBook產品

外殼必須強調堅固耐用,輕薄也是商務人士外出隨身攜帶的重要因素

13.3螢幕尺寸搭配1.72Kg的重量,雖然並非市場上最輕的NoteBook等級

因為上層設計都使用相當高階的鎂合金材質做為搭配,故重量方面已經稱得上輕巧



目前台灣市場上常見的型號為HP ProBook 5220m,螢幕為12吋、重量1.5Kg左右的版本

搭載Intel Core i5-460M的版本價位在台幣30000元以下,以商務定位來說,C/P值算是相當地高

網路上常見的討論就是ProBook 5220m與ThinkPad X201i的選擇比較

兩款NoteBook價位差不多,在定位與機身等級上都屬於商務機型,價位也不像其他商務款那麼高價

去年windwithme已經分享過Lenovo ThinkPad X201i的文章,有需要的網友建議搜尋文章參考看看

希望未來NoteBook商務機種可以越來越平價,讓消費者有更多選擇來購買高質感與輕薄的外出型NoteBook

如果小弟的分享文章對您有幫助,請幫我按個推,感謝

星期三, 2月 16, 2011

Intel Sandy Bridge High C/P Combo - Core i5-2500K with GIGABYTE P67A-UD3R OC Guide



In early January 2011, Intel announced new generation platform, LGA 1155 CPU socket.
It’s called Sandy Bridge, also named as 2nd generation Intel Core Processor.
There are three key differences with old structure. First, the CPU clock changes from 133MHz to 100MHz.
Second, under CPU non-OC mode, memory can support up to DDR3 2133.
Furthermore, Sandy Bridge CPU all built in new generation GPU.
The GPU can work with Intel H6X chipset.

This review just finished on 30 Jan. Intel announced the design error press on 31 Jan. There are many data and threads in internet.
The brief is Intel 6 series chipset in some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time,
potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives.
If you already bought, some MB brands recommended you can install at 2 P67 SATA3 ports first.
If you need more than 2 HDD/SSD/DVD-ROM devices, you need to buy the P67/H67 boards which support extra non-P67 SATA ports to avoid the installation difficulty.

Besides, for internet news, Intel new 6 series chipset will fulfill market demand by end of April.
If you consider to buy LGA 1155 platform now, you better to check all MB makers return policy carefully.
For the users who have purchased, you can swap the boards with MB makers from April.
GIGABYTE has 2 official announcements immediately. The users can swap the complete new products after new B3 stepping P67 chipset boards produced.
However, after I read 3 major brands announcements, I do suggest you to check the detail carefully.
EX: Swap for complete new products, refurbished, or repaired? Only swap boards or complete packing? Can return for cash?
The details above are the users really caring about, no matter you have bought or not.
Due to Chinese New Year holiday, many users will purchase their new computers. You can consider LGA1156 or LGA1366.
If you don’t worry about the swap, you still can go for Sandy Bridge or consider AMD platforms.
The buying suggestions are my personal opinions.
I just hope the Intel Chipset issue can be solved by good communication between MB makers, distributors and dealers.
The users can have better warranty and save some Intel products image.

Now, in the market you can see 5 CPU models, 2600K/2600、2500K/2500、2400 and 2300.
Last time, windwithme has introduced 2600K performance and OC guide.
This time, I choose the other hot selling one, the cheaper Core i5-2500K.
The product ID is Intel Core i5-2500K.
K sku is started from middle 2010 which means unlock clock version.
The clock is 3.3GHz and supports latest Turbo Boost 2.0 to achieve 3.70GHz.
It’s physical 4 Cores and doesn’t support Hyper-Threading.
It can execute 4 threads and called 4C/4T.
It’s 32nm manufacturing, the power consumption is 95W, L3 Cache is 6MB and it’s 2nd highest CPU in LGA115.


Intel always has clear distinguished.
4 Cores CPU uses copper bottom version and the bottom has some solid state thermal paste.
I would recommend you to add some more thermal paste to enhance the ability.
Left side is the back of 2500K D2 Revision.


MB is GIGABYTE P67A-UD3R. You can find the serious change from your first sight of the product outlook.
PCB, DRAM and PCI slots are all black. Also GIGABYTE uses special matte black PCB. It enhances the looking.


GIGABYTE also has lower spec one, P67A-UD3 and the PCB is original blue.
If you want black PCB, the most entry model is P67A-UD3R.
Now the UD3R price is around 5500NTD, 190USD.


Lower Left Corner
2 X PCI-E 2.0 X16 supports 2-Way CrossFireX and bandwidth is X16+X4.
3 X PCI-E X1
2 X PCI
Realtek RTL8111E LAN Chip
Realtek ALC892 Audio Chip supports 7.1 channel and Dolby Home Theater surrounding technology.


Lower Right Corner
2 X White SATAIII provided by P67 chipset supports SATA3
4 X Black SATAII, provided by P67 chipset supports SATA2
You can use mix mode and it supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10.


Upper Right Corner
4 X DIMM DDR3 supports 1066/1333/1600/1866/2133. DDR3 supports max capacity at 32GB.
It supports XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) memory and next is 24-PIN power connector.


Upper Left Corner
UD3R is 8 phases PWM. For 32nm CPU, this design is enough.
The extra 2 phases PWM is for CPU VTT. The upper left is 8Pin power connector.


IO
8 X USB 2.0(Black)
2 X USB 3.0(Blue)
1 X 1394
1 X RJ-45 LAN
1 X S/PDIF Coaxial/Fiber output


GIGABYTE heat sink is also new designed. The matte material makes the quality be better.


CPU socket sides are 8 phases CPU PWM and the same design heat sink.


System Configuration
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
MB: GIGABYTE P67A-UD3R
DRAM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 PK1
VGA: GIGABYTE GTX560 SOC
HD: CORSAIR CSSD-F40GB2 Raid 0
POWER: be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER GOLDEN 550W
Cooler: Mega Shadow Deluxe Edition
OS: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit


Default Performance
CPU 100.1 X 35 => 3502.7MHz
Enable Turbo Boost, Enable C1E, Voltage drops to 1.050V. (Default is 1.220V)
DDR3 1596.4 CL8 9-8-24 1T 1.500V

Sandy Bridge CPU structure is different with previous Core i7. The clock is 100MHz.
Some P67 MB work at 99.8MHz in default mode. It’s a little bit lower than spec.

Hyper PI 32M X4 => 10m 41.660s
CPUMARK 99 => 522


Nuclearus Multi Core => 19095
Fritz Chess Benchmark => 21.28/10215


CrystalMark 2004R3 => 315229


CINEBENCH R11.5
CPU => 5.42 pts
CPU(Single Core) => 1.38 pts


Windows Experience Index - CPU 7.7


Comparing to my previous review, i7-2600K, 2 CPUs performance difference is only Hyper-Threading and 3.3/3.4GHz clock.
Hyper PI 32M, 2500K is much faster. It dues to 2600K is 4C8T, and the software needs to operate 8 Hyper PI 32M.
However, dues to support Hyper-Threading, 2600K in most benchmark software have higher score.
For single core test, 2500K, 3.3GHz, is still lose a little bit. However, 2500K default performance can run most applications already.

Temperature (Room Temp. is around 16℃)
System Idle - 17~26


CPU Full Speed - 31~40
Intel Burn Test v2.4,Stress Level Maximum


2500K temperature is lower, even 2600K use high end cooler, because I lower the voltage and no Hyper-Threading.
Under full speed, the temperature is still under 40℃. Intel 4 Cores CPU uses 32nm manufacturing is another reason.

Power Consumption
System Idle - 65W


CPU Full Speed - 101W


Through Power Angel test, the power consumption watt is very good.
As 32nm manufacturing, Sandy Bridge 2500K with GTX 560 Ti power consumption is much lower.
Comparing to LGA 1156 platform, it’s lower than i7-870 with ATI 5830 idle/full speed at least 70~100W.

Sharing windwithme BIOS fine tune setup
Boot Screen


Main BIOS Tuning Menu, called M.I.T.


Clock Setup Page
CPU Clock/Frequency, DDR3 Multiplier


2500K in default mode setup has 37, 36, 35 and 34. Turbo Boost 2.0 technology has more detail CPU boosting mode.
Internal PLL Voltage Override is new item in F7a BIOS. It can enhance CPU stability at 5GHz.
It’s limited for D2 version Sandy Bridge CPU and you need to pull CPU voltage to very high level.


Memory Setup Page
The items have 800, 1066, 1333, 1600, 1866 and 2133.


Advanced DDR3 Parameters Setup Page
Setup below is for DDR3 1866 CL8 10-9-24 1T


Voltage Page
Load-Line Calibration Auto/Disabled/Enabled
CPU Vcore 0.750~1.700V
QPI/Vtt Voltage 0.08~1.700V
PCH Core 0.840~1.940V
CPU PLL 1.520~2.520V
DRAM Voltage 0.900~2.600V


PC Health Status


Sandy Bridge structure doesn’t need to adjust too many BIOS items.
However, the users need to pay more to buy K sku CPU, 2500K/2600K, to wide OC range.
The other non-K sku only can OC to 105~108MHz.
LGA 1155 structure segment is more clear but more limitation for OC.

DDR3, I use USA CORSAIR latest CORSAIR VENGEANCE series, CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 PK1
The packing shows it supports Core i7 platform and capacity is 2 X 4GB.


The clock is DDR3 1600 and parameter is CL9 9-9-24 1.50V. Intel recommend Core I platform DDR3 voltage should be 1.650V.
However, this VENGEANCE official spec only needs 1.50V. It’s really helpful for power saving and OC voltage.
The outlook is different as normal CORSAIR design. VENGEANCE uses new heatsink. All black design makes delicate be better.


CPU 3392.2MHz DDR3 1596.4 CL8 9-8-25 1T 1.500V
ADIA64 Memory Read - 18119 MB/s
Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 20874 MB/s
MaXXMEM Memory-Copy - 18956 MB/s


I tried 2 D2 version Core i5-2500K and the built-in Memory Controller quality are different.
One of them can achieve 100/2133, but the other one only can run at 100/1866.
This is very important for OC DDR3. It’s not only DRAM quality but also CPU.

CPU 4801.7MHz DDR3 1867.4 CL8 10-9-24 1T 1.600V
ADIA64 Memory Read - 21811 MB/s
Sandra Memory Bandwidth - 23934 MB/s
MaXXMEM Memory-Copy - 24605 MB/s


Another advantage of Sandy Bridge platform is DRAM performance improvement.
The dual channel is much better than LGA 1156 bandwidth and even close to LGA 1366 tri-channel.
During test, VENGEANCE quality is good. I can set CL8 at DDR3 1600 and also can run DDR3 1866 CL8 by rising voltage.
Pulling from 1600 to 1866 and rising CPU clock, ADIA64/MaXXMEM bandwidth performance is increasing around 20 to 30%.

OC Performance
CPU 100 X 48 => 4801.7MHz 1.360V
Disable Turbo Boost, C1E and Internal PLL Voltage Override
DDR3 1867.4 CL9 10-8-24 1T 1.660V

Hyper PI 32M X4 => 8m 16.377s
CPUMARK 99 => 741


Nuclearus Multi Core => 26687
Fritz Chess Benchmark => 29.64/14226


CrystalMark 2004R3 => 407352


CINEBENCH R11.5
CPU => 7.55 pts
CPU(Single Core) => 1.93 pts


Windows Experience Index - CPU 7.7


Windows Experience Index is still 7.7. I hope this built-in benchmark can be more detail for performance difference.
In most software, under 2500K OC to 4.8GHz condition, the performance increases 30~40% compare to default mode.
I would like to test CPU OC under 1.4V. It can run long term and no need to pull high clock or voltage.
So, I disable Internal PLL Voltage Override here and don’t test 5GHz which is over 1.4V.

Temperature (Room Temp. is around 16℃)
System Idle - 23~33


CPU Full Speed - 55~63
Intel Burn Test v2.4,Stress Level Maximum


Under OC condition, it increases 6~7℃ in idle mode and 23~24℃ in full speed mode. I think the result is acceptable.
If you install inside chassis, it will increase 5~8℃ more.

Power Consumption
System Idle - 85W


CPU Full Speed - 179W


The power consumption increases around 20/78W. It’s very good result as well.
Sandy Bridge power consumption is much lower than other socket platform. For power saving demand users, it’s a good choice.
Using this high performance and clock platform with GTX 560 Ti, you just need one 500W PSU.

I use MediaEspresso to compare the video converting time.
DVD File VTS_01_1.VOB, capacity is 1023MB. 2500K convert to MP4 file.

CPU default mode – 6’ 55”


CPU OC to 4.8GHz – 5’06”


Comparing default mode and OC to 4.8GHz, you can save 1’49”, around 36%.
Using P67, I cannot use latest Quick Sync Video to test the performance. I will test it with H67 platform.
However, you can refer to the CPU clock to consider the performance improvement.

3D performance is using NVIDIA latest mid-high VGA, GIGABYTE GTX560 Ti SO.
The product ID is N560SO-1GI, 1GB DDR5, and SO means Super OC.


The original default clock is OC to GPU/DDR5 1GHz/4580MHz.


3DMark Vantage => P26244


FINAL FANTASY XIV
1920 X 1080 => 4939


LOST PLANET 2
DX11 1920 X 1200 TEST B - 52.7 fps


DEVIL MAY CRY4
1920 X 1200 => 251.46/202.39/277.46/184.05 fps


Comparing to previous GTX460, NVIDIA GTX560 Ti performance is much higher.
Another reason is this model is OC version, the clock is higher than NVIDIA official GTX560 reference card. The 3D performance is much higher.

Finally, I enable the Internal PLL Voltage Override
CPU 100 X 54 => 5400MHz 1.600V

Hyper PI 32M X1 => 6m 36.818s
CPUMARK 99 => 833


GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3R
Good
1.It’s mainstream  P67 product for GIGABYTE. The price is only higher than P67A-UD3.
2.New matte black PCB and new design make product be more elegant.
3.2oz PCB, All Japanese made solid caps and rich applications.
4.Rich BIOS items, wide voltage range and good CPU OC capability.
5.Built-in 2 SATAIII and 8 USB.

Weak
1. It doesn’t support NVIDIA SLI
2.CPU voltage only can display correct in own software. Some software cannot display the correct value.
3.1/31 news showed 6 series chipset has some potential issue with SATA2 devices. I hope Intel can solve this issue soon.

Performance ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Components ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Specification ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Outlook     ★★★★★★★★☆☆
C/P Value   ★★★★★★★★★☆



Since Sandy Bridge is 32nm, the Intel 4Cores CPU power consumption and temperature are much lower.
For OC capability, comparing to 45nm i5-760, you can find running 4.2GHz stable one easily.
Per new i5-2500K, if you have good cooler, it also can achieve 4.8~5.0GHz to run long term.
According to manufacturing improvement, you can see the big performance gap between Sandy Bridge platform and pervious.

Intel middle-high end C/P platform transfers from i5-760 with P55 MB to LGA 1155 i5-2500K with entry P67 MB. The CPU/MB price is only higher than last generation a little.
Of course, LGA 1156 still has some advantages. It’s cheaper and CPU OC range is higher.
If you have less budget or doesn’t want to buy Sandy Bridge K sku CPU, you also can consider LGA 1156.

Currently, Intel has 4 different sockets which includes old LGA 775 and extreme position LGA 1366, last mainstream LGA 1156 and new mainstream LGA 1155.
It’s very complicated for users.
I predict LGA 1155 will move to mid-low market in the future.
LGA 1155 will take over the mid-high market few months later after SATA2 BUG issue.
You can collect more price information and performance review before purchasing.
Windwithme finish this review between Chinese New Year holiday. I wish you all have good fortune in Rabbit year.
In new coming year, there are more and more high C/P value hardware.
Thanks for reading this mainstream LGA 1155 review. :)