Core i7-960 processor was released in 2009year and is focused on the use of computer systems based on the LGA1366 platform. Although its sales and started a long time ago, but technical specifications continue to be relevant to this day. Even now, this chip without any problems can cope with any task.
This processor solution is targeted atthe use of the most productive computer systems. This is gaming computers, and workstations, and graphics stations, and even entry-level servers. For such computers, the key requirement is high speed, but the cost of a semiconductor chip is already being taken to the background. It is precisely this combination that the CPU can boast of.
Core i7-960 was focused on the installation in the socketLGA 1366. Motherboards with this processor socket were combined. They allowed to install both desktop CPU models (this family was the hero of this review), and server ones. Later, this socket was replaced by LGA 2011, which allowed to create even more productive PC configurations.
Intel Core i7-960 производился согласно норм 45 нм техпроцесса.Against the background of the current 14 nm, this value looks very, very unconvincing. But do not forget that the product was released in the distant 2009. By the standards of the computer industry, this is a serious interval, and at that time it was the advanced technology for the production of silicon chips. Therefore, there is nothing supernatural in the outdated technical process.
As in all the most productive currentCPU models, a system of 3 levels of fast memory was equipped with Core i7-960. Characteristics indicate that the total size of the first level was 256 KB, the second - 1 MB, and the third - 8 MB. At the same time, the last one was common for all the computing resources of the chip. The second level, in turn, was divided into 4 equal parts of 256 KB, which could only interact with a certain CPU core. Well, the first one was even more fragmented. It, like the second level, was divided into 4 parts of 64 KB, and then - two more at 32 KB. One of them could store only data, and the second - the instructions of the CPU.
One of the key features of the LGA 1366 platformthere was a three-channel controller for RAM. This allowed to obtain a significant increase in the speed of the computer system when installing three slats of RAM.
The supported memory standard is DDR3.The permissible frequencies in this case are 800 MHz and 1066 MHz. You can install more speed bars, but they will not work faster than 1066 MHz. The maximum amount of addressable RAM is 24 GB (3 channels of 8 GB).
The thermal package in the Core i7-960 was 130 watts.In this respect, this chip really looks like an outdated solution against the backdrop of the current flagship CPUs with a thermal package not exceeding 100 watts. The maximum permissible temperature of the processor was 67.9 0C. The highest temperatures with such a central processing unit could be obtained in the mode of acceleration with a regular cooling system. And even in this case, exceed the limit of 55 0C did not work.
The minimum frequency of this chip was 3.2 GHz.Thus, it operated in the mode of least load or in the case of a significant increase in temperature during operation. The maximum frequency in this case could be 3.46 GHz. Such a value could be obtained in single-threaded computing mode. There were also 2 additional frequencies of 3.33 GHz (for 4 modules with increased load) and 3.4 GHz (in the case of only 2 computational units). Such a flexible frequency control was provided by the proprietary technology from Intel, which was called TurboBust. It can now often be found on semiconductor crystals of this manufacturer.
Core i7-960 was a family of solutions forbased architecture Bloomfield. This chip included at once 4 computational units, capable of working even in the mode of 64-bit computing. In turn, this solution from Intel has implemented another proprietary technology - HyperTrading. With its help, the real 4 cores were transformed at the software level into 8 processed threads.
The frequency multiplier of the central processing unitThe device was blocked in the Intel Core i7-960. Therefore, the possibility of overclocking in this case was provided only by increasing the frequency of such a component of the computer as the system bus. This allowed in practice to obtain an additional 200-300 MHz, even with only a regular cooling system. If the computer system is equipped with an improved modification of the cooler, then an even more significant increase in performance could be obtained.
Intel's i7-960 processor was rated at305 dollars. Taking into account the performance and the reserve of speed, this cost proved to be more than justified. On the other hand, the segment on which this chip was aimed is not so critical of the cost of the semiconductor solution. In this niche, speed is the number one priority in terms of importance, and it is with this indicator that the product even has no special problems so far.
Отзывы владельцев этого ЦПУ указывают на то, что he does not have any significant shortcomings. Conditionally, we can only call the high cost, but in fact this chip does not experience any problems either. Given the niche positioning of the CPU, there is nothing special about this. Any quality thing can not be cheap. Well, plus in this case, much more. This is speed, and energy efficiency, and good overclocking capabilities, albeit only on the frequency of the system bus.
At the time of its release Core i7-960 был нацелен на нишу наиболее производительных computer devices. Now, of course, there are more high-speed chips. But the possibilities of this semiconductor product are such that even now, 6 years after the start of sales, it can easily cope with any existing application, including the most demanding. And this situation will certainly be preserved in the next 2 years.
