Conclusion Once again Intel has delivered another Extreme Edition processor that comes tight on the heels of the previous generation in performance, but with some bandwidth tuning the 3960X will prove itself a worthy successor.
What should peak the interest of most enthusiast and overclockers is the new 1.25% base clock multiplier in BIOS. This gives us a 25% bump in operational BCLK. This will deliver more bandwidth with higher memory speeds. Combined with the quad channel memory, the increase in L3 Cache, and updated instructions, we will see decent gains on pretty much everything. I picked the 24/7 speed based on what the machine could do without voltage bumps to minimize degradation and risk damage in testing. My results are replicable with a similar configuration. Ready for Windows 8, all drivers are working for the Intel board including the F6 RAID driver. The new ICH requires new drivers, this means for Windows installation using a RAID configuration will require additional drivers to be loaded. This configuration is built for speed and graphics, suitable for any high performance computing need. I hope you enjoy the visual guide. |
Intel DX79SI Extreme
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The cooling
Intel collaborated closely with Asetek, a leader in liquid cooling solutions, to design a truly optimized liquid thermal solution. Based on Aseteks industry proven design, the RTS2011LC has been further enhanced with a custom designed 120mmx25mm fan, a new higher efficiency cooler block, and a new heat exchanger.
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