Intel has finally opened the lid and unleashed their third generation Ivy Bridge-E HEDT processors for the high performance overclockers and enthusiasts. The new Ivy Bridge-E processors incorporate the latest 3D Tri-gate technology built around a 22nm process which improve power efficiency and deliver great performance to users.
Intel Officially Unleashes Ivy Bridge-E HEDT Core i7 Processors
The Ivy Bridge-E processors have a die size of 257mm2 with 1.86 billion transistors. The flagship Core i7-4960X has 15 MB of L3 cache shared across all cores. With Ivy bridge-E, the TDP has gone down and the performance has went up which is a good thing but we will have to wait to see how much performance has gone up since we have not received our review kit yet from Intel. As for compatibility, the entire Ivy Bridge-E lineup is compatible with the old and new X79/LGA 2011 socket based motherboards. For older X79 motherboards, vendors would be shipping out new BIOS which can be used to update the boards for Ivy Bridge-E compatibility.
| Model | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-4930K | Core i7-4820K |
| Cores | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Threads | 12 | 12 | 8 |
| Base Clock (GHz) | 3.6 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| Turbo Clock (GHz) | 4.0 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 15 MB | 12 MB | 10 MB |
| Memory | DDR3-1866 | DDR-1866 | DDR3-1866 |
| TDP | 130W | 130W | 130W |
| Price | $990 | $555 | $310 |
The flagship Intel Ivy Bridge-E CPU would be the Core i7-4960X packed with 6 cores and 12 threads and would feature a core clock of 3.6 GHz base and 4.0 GHz Turbo boost with 15 MB of L3 cache. The Extreme Edition CPU would cost $990 which is $60 less compared to Sandy Bridge-E based Core i7-3970X. The performance minded users would look forward to the Core i7-4930K with the same 6 core and 12 threads configuration however shipped with a lower core clock of 3.40 GHz base and 3.90 GHz with Turbo boost 2.0. The Core i7-4930K would feature 12 MB of L3 cache. The Core i7-4930K would cost $555 which is also cheaper than the $594 i7-3930K.
Last of all is the entry level Core i7-4820K which will retail at $310 which is $5 higher than its predecessor but should be noted that it comes with an Unlocked multiplier. As you may note, this time Intel thought it was better off to ship their entry level HEDT CPU with an unlocked multiplier while the Sandy Bridge-E based Core i7-3820 didn’t had an “K” unlocked design. Specifications wise, the Core i7-4820K ships with 4 Cores and 8 threads, 10 MB of L3 cache and 3.70 GHz base and 3.90 GHz Turbo frequency.
The Intel Ivy Bridge-E lineup is feature-packed with new overclocking tools and configurations such as the Intel XTU 4.2 which has been launched with Ivy Bridge-E delivering enthusiasts with powerful tools for setting new overclocks and changing configurations in real-time. The max ratio has been increased to 63 in 100 MHz BCLK increments and Intel has also enabled real time core overclocking, power limits and turbo voltage control giving users the access to more options to overclock the new high-end processors. Overall, the Ivy Bridge-E processors are an 5-7% improvement over the Sandy Bridge-E and around 20 - 25% faster over the Haswell Core i7-4770K processor.
Intel would also release a new liquid cooler codenamed TS13X with their Ivy Bridge-E processors. For those who don't know, Ivy Bridge-E ships without any stock cooler hence its required to buy a high-performance cooler for the new HEDT processors and you can get Intel's latest TS13X cooler for around $100 US.
Intel’s next generation was also leaked as the Haswell-E HEDT platform codenamed “Lituya Bay” which would arrive in second half of 2014.
Haswell-E chips would be based on the 22nm architecture and remain compatible with LGA 2011 socket however a new X99 “Wellsburg-X” chipset would be implemented on the next generation motherboards which would allow for native DDR4 memory support. You heard it right, Haswell-E would be the first HEDT platform by Intel to bring DDR4 memory support and feature upto 8 cores and 20 MB of L3 cache. More details can be found here.
Intel Ivy Bridge-E Review Round-Up:
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ HardOCP
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ TomsHardware
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Anandtech
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @Guru3D
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Computerbase
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Sweclockers
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Ocaholic
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ TechReport
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ TechSpot
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ HitechLegion
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ HotHardware
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Hexus
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ VR-Zone
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ HardwareCanucks
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Hardware.info
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Bjorn3D
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ OverclockersClub
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Eteknix
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ Overclockingmadeinfrance
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @Overclock3D
- Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X Review @ XtremeHardware
Intel Ivy Bridge-E Slide Deck:
