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Guru3D Rig of the Month - September 2019
Intel Core i5 7640X processor review
Posted by: on: 07/12/2017 09:10 AM [
49 comment(s) ]
In this review we'll show you the performance the quad core Core i5 7640X from Intel offers. This 242 USD Kaby Lake-X processor is the the most affordable one for the X299 platform. But without hyper-threading / SMT how will it perform?
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Ricepudding
Senior Member
Posts: 492
Senior Member
Posts: 492
Posted on: 07/12/2017 09:57 AM
If they took of a good 50-70 dollars of this chip, it would make sense about what intel said about a starting chip to get onto the x299 platform... it makes more sense than the 350 dollar i7 thats awkwardly placed anyway.
Though i am still in the camp of why a quad core is on the HEDT platform
If they took of a good 50-70 dollars of this chip, it would make sense about what intel said about a starting chip to get onto the x299 platform... it makes more sense than the 350 dollar i7 thats awkwardly placed anyway.
Though i am still in the camp of why a quad core is on the HEDT platform
joshk
Junior Member
Posts: 17
Junior Member
Posts: 17
Posted on: 07/12/2017 10:25 AM
This is going more and more hilarious.Now i am waiting for i3 hedt.It is like buying 2k$ Armani suit and 2$ "starting" chinese shoes.WTF?
This is going more and more hilarious.Now i am waiting for i3 hedt.It is like buying 2k$ Armani suit and 2$ "starting" chinese shoes.WTF?
Kaarme
Senior Member
Posts: 1621
Senior Member
Posts: 1621
Posted on: 07/12/2017 10:35 AM
I'll never understand that "starting chip" thing in the first place. Does somebody actually start to build a HEDT dream machine, and then suddenly run out of money when they are buying the most essential part of all, the CPU? If you haven't got the money, save a little longer. Good luck trying to sell this stupid chip to someone when you are finally ready to get a real HEDT processor. How much loss would you need to swallow that could have been used sensibly elsewhere?
The only tiny sense would lie in somebody ending up with an X299 mobo dirt cheap, likely secondhand. Needing a CPU for it to have a whole machine, but the person would have absolutely no need for a HEDT PC, so this CPU would be perfect for reading emails, writing documents, touching photos, and browsing the net.
If they took of a good 50-70 dollars of this chip, it would make sense about what intel said about a starting chip to get onto the x299 platform...
I'll never understand that "starting chip" thing in the first place. Does somebody actually start to build a HEDT dream machine, and then suddenly run out of money when they are buying the most essential part of all, the CPU? If you haven't got the money, save a little longer. Good luck trying to sell this stupid chip to someone when you are finally ready to get a real HEDT processor. How much loss would you need to swallow that could have been used sensibly elsewhere?
The only tiny sense would lie in somebody ending up with an X299 mobo dirt cheap, likely secondhand. Needing a CPU for it to have a whole machine, but the person would have absolutely no need for a HEDT PC, so this CPU would be perfect for reading emails, writing documents, touching photos, and browsing the net.
BLEH!
Senior Member
Posts: 5879
Senior Member
Posts: 5879
Posted on: 07/12/2017 11:23 AM
The whole platform is a mess, seriously.
The whole platform is a mess, seriously.
Guru3dreader
Member
Posts: 28
Member
Posts: 28
Posted on: 07/12/2017 11:35 AM
I am puzzled with the "Guru3D recommended" badge in the end of the article. I could understand or maybe swallow the 7740X being recommended, but this? On a 299 platform? The conclusion does try to explain the problems with this processor on this ultra expensive platform in 2017, but I think the "Guru3D recommended" badge is more like the minimum badge an Intel hardware is allowed to get.
Don't get me wrong. I don't say that Guru3D is Intel friendly here. I think it's more of a matter of psychology and the inability to persuade ourselves to give low grade to Intel hardware, especially a processor after so many years of Intel dominance. I would had the same problem doing this review.
The 7640K can be considered a first step in the X299 platform with the thought of upgrading in 2-3 years. But in reality it makes no sense. It takes only seconds to realize that this idea is the wrong idea. Even if we ignore the existence of Ryzen, someone can go and buy a 7700K and a 1151 motherboard for probably much less than the 7640K and a X299 motherboard. In two years there could be 8-10 cores on mainstream Intel platform (we already know that Coffee will have 6 cores), or just better Ryzen options. It makes no sense to pay $200 or more in front, just so you can upgrade by just changing the processor instead of going for a more modern CPU+mobo combination. I could understand the recommendation if X299 was using DDR5 for example and DDR4 was becoming old news next year, but right now, it makes no sense.
I am puzzled with the "Guru3D recommended" badge in the end of the article. I could understand or maybe swallow the 7740X being recommended, but this? On a 299 platform? The conclusion does try to explain the problems with this processor on this ultra expensive platform in 2017, but I think the "Guru3D recommended" badge is more like the minimum badge an Intel hardware is allowed to get.
Don't get me wrong. I don't say that Guru3D is Intel friendly here. I think it's more of a matter of psychology and the inability to persuade ourselves to give low grade to Intel hardware, especially a processor after so many years of Intel dominance. I would had the same problem doing this review.
The 7640K can be considered a first step in the X299 platform with the thought of upgrading in 2-3 years. But in reality it makes no sense. It takes only seconds to realize that this idea is the wrong idea. Even if we ignore the existence of Ryzen, someone can go and buy a 7700K and a 1151 motherboard for probably much less than the 7640K and a X299 motherboard. In two years there could be 8-10 cores on mainstream Intel platform (we already know that Coffee will have 6 cores), or just better Ryzen options. It makes no sense to pay $200 or more in front, just so you can upgrade by just changing the processor instead of going for a more modern CPU+mobo combination. I could understand the recommendation if X299 was using DDR5 for example and DDR4 was becoming old news next year, but right now, it makes no sense.
Raider0001
Senior Member
Posts: 408
Senior Member
Posts: 408
Posted on: 07/12/2017 11:35 AM
There might be something wrong with the "Corona Ray Tracing" scores specifically i5 6600k score, according to what i'm seeing it did worse (6.49) than my 6600 non k running DDR3
look
There might be something wrong with the "Corona Ray Tracing" scores specifically i5 6600k score, according to what i'm seeing it did worse (6.49) than my 6600 non k running DDR3
look
Hilbert Hagedoorn
Don Vito Corleone
Posts: 36066
Don Vito Corleone
Posts: 36066
Posted on: 07/12/2017 11:43 AM
You are absolutely right in thinking that. In the end though, this is a processor review and not platform or mobo review.
The 7640x is by all means not a bad proc. Contrary, it gives great game perf, offers good single threaded perf, is showing good temps and can be tweaked really well. So as a processor I can recommend it (despite the fact that I feel hexa and octa cores are the new quads). So that is why I feel it deserves a recommended award. But purely as proc.
As a processor within this platform however, well I find it to be a puzzling mess. And that I mentioned rather clearly in the conclusion. But sure, I hear and can understand what you are saying.
You are absolutely right in thinking that. In the end though, this is a processor review and not platform or mobo review.
The 7640x is by all means not a bad proc. Contrary, it gives great game perf, offers good single threaded perf, is showing good temps and can be tweaked really well. So as a processor I can recommend it (despite the fact that I feel hexa and octa cores are the new quads). So that is why I feel it deserves a recommended award. But purely as proc.
As a processor within this platform however, well I find it to be a puzzling mess. And that I mentioned rather clearly in the conclusion. But sure, I hear and can understand what you are saying.
I am puzzled with the "Guru3D recommended" badge in the end of the article. I could understand or maybe swallow the cbeing recommended, but this? On a 299 platform?
Robbo9999
Senior Member
Posts: 1317
Senior Member
Posts: 1317
Posted on: 07/12/2017 11:52 AM
Wow, this processor makes EVEN less sense than the i7-7740X - didn't think that was ever gonna be possible! Ha!
Wow, this processor makes EVEN less sense than the i7-7740X - didn't think that was ever gonna be possible! Ha!
The Edge
Member
Posts: 84
Member
Posts: 84
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:02 PM
Can someone explain to me how does the 6950X gets such a high FPS in games when its max frequency is only 3,5 GHz ? How is that CPU beating much higher clocked Intels ?
Can someone explain to me how does the 6950X gets such a high FPS in games when its max frequency is only 3,5 GHz ? How is that CPU beating much higher clocked Intels ?
rl66
Senior Member
Posts: 2128
Senior Member
Posts: 2128
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:21 PM
on other hand i have been in armani with flip-flop shoes
but yes i am with you on this point.
On high end, intel used to have some "extra" on their entry level processor, extra lanes or memory channel over the equivalent on mainstream chipset...
But here you have nothing... why not a celeron with single core and single memory channel then???
At a point doing less for reducing price may discredit the quality of the 2066 that will seem too expensive compared to Z270 with I5k for the same (or less) performance...
Personaly i pass this 2066 and stay in 2011 v3 for now.
This is going more and more hilarious.Now i am waiting for i3 hedt.It is like buying 2k$ Armani suit and 2$ "starting" chinese shoes.WTF?
on other hand i have been in armani with flip-flop shoes
but yes i am with you on this point.
On high end, intel used to have some "extra" on their entry level processor, extra lanes or memory channel over the equivalent on mainstream chipset...
But here you have nothing... why not a celeron with single core and single memory channel then???
At a point doing less for reducing price may discredit the quality of the 2066 that will seem too expensive compared to Z270 with I5k for the same (or less) performance...
Personaly i pass this 2066 and stay in 2011 v3 for now.
Crazy Serb
Senior Member
Posts: 108
Senior Member
Posts: 108
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:31 PM
I think we need some kind of "wrong platform badge" as well.
Even if CPU is good enough, it does not mean it is made for suitable platform. You still need that expensive motherboard (half of MoBo?!).
I think we need some kind of "wrong platform badge" as well.
Even if CPU is good enough, it does not mean it is made for suitable platform. You still need that expensive motherboard (half of MoBo?!).
rl66
Senior Member
Posts: 2128
Senior Member
Posts: 2128
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:32 PM
because the clock is only to compare CPU fom same fork and brand...
the architecture, the instruction set, the chipset, the GPU... all of that matter.
Exemples:
on intel 775 the Pentium D at 3.4Mhz (800$ lol) were outperformed by the core2 at 2.0Mhz (150$)
other exemple on other way on G3258 once OC were faster in game than entry i3 despite the HT and extra instruction set.
Can someone explain to me how does the 6950X gets such a high FPS in games when its max frequency is only 3,5 GHz ? How is that CPU beating much higher clocked Intels ?
because the clock is only to compare CPU fom same fork and brand...
the architecture, the instruction set, the chipset, the GPU... all of that matter.
Exemples:
on intel 775 the Pentium D at 3.4Mhz (800$ lol) were outperformed by the core2 at 2.0Mhz (150$)
other exemple on other way on G3258 once OC were faster in game than entry i3 despite the HT and extra instruction set.
labidas
Senior Member
Posts: 229
Senior Member
Posts: 229
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:32 PM
change in cache size? the 7xxx series has things changed a bit.
Can someone explain to me how does the 6950X gets such a high FPS in games when its max frequency is only 3,5 GHz ? How is that CPU beating much higher clocked Intels ?
change in cache size? the 7xxx series has things changed a bit.
wantobe
Senior Member
Posts: 109
Senior Member
Posts: 109
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:33 PM
Sorry, just can't see why this CPU is Recommended, performance - single core is where it should be in 2017 and in the rest of the graphs its below average for not a good value at all and no integrated graphics. In my opinion lasting value of this CPU is very bad. Also 6600K did not have a recommended badge. Anyway, as always thank you for the information!
Sorry, just can't see why this CPU is Recommended, performance - single core is where it should be in 2017 and in the rest of the graphs its below average for not a good value at all and no integrated graphics. In my opinion lasting value of this CPU is very bad. Also 6600K did not have a recommended badge. Anyway, as always thank you for the information!
H83
Senior Member
Posts: 2716
Senior Member
Posts: 2716
Posted on: 07/12/2017 12:45 PM
This and the 7740X must be the most pointless cpus i have ever seen in my life!!! No point in buying this kind of cpus in such an expensive platform.
This and the 7740X must be the most pointless cpus i have ever seen in my life!!! No point in buying this kind of cpus in such an expensive platform.
Raplapla
Member
Posts: 28
Member
Posts: 28
Posted on: 07/12/2017 02:06 PM
I agree that the recommended badge is a bit strange, because for the total 517€ (looking at prices on the French store topachat.com) for a Core i5 7640X + mobo, you can get instead a Ryzen 1600X + Asus PRIME A320M-K for only 340€, and the 1600X is better or much better than the i5 in all non-synthetic non-game benchmarks, and only slightly worse or equal in all games benchmarks!
The difference in motherboard prices is amazing: 70€ for the A320 chipset (AMD), 244€ for X299 (Intel)! (I took the cheapest mobo available in both cases.) I don’t know what the difference is between A320, B350 and X370 chipsets, but even taking a Gigabyte AORUS AX370-Gaming K3 at 155€ only brings the price up to 425€, still much cheaper than the Intel offering.
One thing the i5 has going for it is power consumption: the 1600X is using about 40W more at full load, and 8W more at idle based on guru3d reviews. (Counting 14 hours of idle and 2 hours at full load per day, that would amount to 8 additional euros of electricity bill per year where I live.)
That said, thank you for insisting in the article on the fact that Intel likes to milk their customers by changing their sockets/chipsets often. I’m happy with my current i5, but my next CPU will most likely be AMD!
I agree that the recommended badge is a bit strange, because for the total 517€ (looking at prices on the French store topachat.com) for a Core i5 7640X + mobo, you can get instead a Ryzen 1600X + Asus PRIME A320M-K for only 340€, and the 1600X is better or much better than the i5 in all non-synthetic non-game benchmarks, and only slightly worse or equal in all games benchmarks!
The difference in motherboard prices is amazing: 70€ for the A320 chipset (AMD), 244€ for X299 (Intel)! (I took the cheapest mobo available in both cases.) I don’t know what the difference is between A320, B350 and X370 chipsets, but even taking a Gigabyte AORUS AX370-Gaming K3 at 155€ only brings the price up to 425€, still much cheaper than the Intel offering.
One thing the i5 has going for it is power consumption: the 1600X is using about 40W more at full load, and 8W more at idle based on guru3d reviews. (Counting 14 hours of idle and 2 hours at full load per day, that would amount to 8 additional euros of electricity bill per year where I live.)
That said, thank you for insisting in the article on the fact that Intel likes to milk their customers by changing their sockets/chipsets often. I’m happy with my current i5, but my next CPU will most likely be AMD!
RzrTrek
Senior Member
Posts: 2282
Senior Member
Posts: 2282
Posted on: 07/12/2017 02:22 PM
AMD may indeed provide the regular user with far more value for the money (often twice or more), but when was the last time they made anything reliable?
AMD may indeed provide the regular user with far more value for the money (often twice or more), but when was the last time they made anything reliable?
Kaarme
Senior Member
Posts: 1621
Senior Member
Posts: 1621
Posted on: 07/12/2017 02:33 PM
When was the last time Intel made anything reliable? When was the last time anything in the whole computer world was entirely reliable? Such a time never existed in the first place. If you want something reliable, go to a decent hardware store and buy a quality hammer and axe, for real HEDT, get a solid anvil as well! They are simple enough to be reliable, with thousands of years of history. Although even they will deform and wear out after years and decades of use.
AMD may indeed provide the regular user with far more value for the money (often twice or more), but when was the last time they made anything reliable?
When was the last time Intel made anything reliable? When was the last time anything in the whole computer world was entirely reliable? Such a time never existed in the first place. If you want something reliable, go to a decent hardware store and buy a quality hammer and axe, for real HEDT, get a solid anvil as well! They are simple enough to be reliable, with thousands of years of history. Although even they will deform and wear out after years and decades of use.
Exascale
Senior Member
Posts: 397
Senior Member
Posts: 397
Posted on: 07/12/2017 02:37 PM
Consumer computers and electronics are often unreliable and cheaply made.
Datacenters and the computers in them, supercomputers and mainframes that do mission critical work have to operate without failure for years at a time. Reliable computers exist.
When was the last time Intel made anything reliable? When was the last time anything in the whole computer world was entirely reliable? Such a time never existed in the first place. If you want something reliable, go to a decent hardware store and buy a quality hammer and axe, for real HEDT, get a solid anvil as well! They are simple enough to be reliable, with thousands of years of history. Although even they will deform and wear out after years and decades of use.
Consumer computers and electronics are often unreliable and cheaply made.
Datacenters and the computers in them, supercomputers and mainframes that do mission critical work have to operate without failure for years at a time. Reliable computers exist.
Malmoth
Junior Member
Posts: 8
Junior Member
Posts: 8
Posted on: 07/12/2017 03:22 PM
i5 7640X and i3 7350K most garbage Intel CPU all the time.
i5 7640X and i3 7350K most garbage Intel CPU all the time.
Noisiv
Senior Member
Posts: 6655
Senior Member
Posts: 6655
Posted on: 07/12/2017 03:29 PM
Dont forget the blade server:
When was the last time Intel made anything reliable? When was the last time anything in the whole computer world was entirely reliable? Such a time never existed in the first place. If you want something reliable, go to a decent hardware store and buy a quality hammer and axe, for real HEDT, get a solid anvil as well! They are simple enough to be reliable, with thousands of years of history. Although even they will deform and wear out after years and decades of use.
Dont forget the blade server:
Venix
Senior Member
Posts: 931
Senior Member
Posts: 931
Posted on: 07/12/2017 03:31 PM
i am pretty sure when they decided to release this cpu in this platform this was the image they got inspiration from !
i am pretty sure when they decided to release this cpu in this platform this was the image they got inspiration from !
Noisiv
Senior Member
Posts: 6655
Senior Member
Posts: 6655
Posted on: 07/12/2017 03:38 PM
This CPU would have been problematic even if it wasn't tied to X299.
I mean who the hell is it aimed at?
This CPU would have been problematic even if it wasn't tied to X299.
I mean who the hell is it aimed at?
D3M1G0D
Senior Member
Posts: 1929
Senior Member
Posts: 1929
Posted on: 07/12/2017 03:39 PM
In one of their recent YouTube videos, Nexus flat-out said not to buy the 7740X, saying that Kaby Lake-X made no sense, and said the 7640X definitely made no sense (so definitely do not buy). It is indeed puzzling how Guru3D gave this processor a recommended badge since this processor is the most nonsensical of the nonsensical KB-X processors.
What are you talking about? I've used the K6-2, Athlon XP (Thunderbird & Barton), Athlon II (Propus), and Ryzen (Zen) and they've all been reliable. In terms of stability and compatibility, I've had a fair share of issues on both Intel and AMD systems (had issues with DDR3 RAM on my Intel system, and DDR4 RAM on my Ryzen system).
Wow, this processor makes EVEN less sense than the i7-7740X - didn't think that was ever gonna be possible! Ha!
In one of their recent YouTube videos, Nexus flat-out said not to buy the 7740X, saying that Kaby Lake-X made no sense, and said the 7640X definitely made no sense (so definitely do not buy). It is indeed puzzling how Guru3D gave this processor a recommended badge since this processor is the most nonsensical of the nonsensical KB-X processors.
AMD may indeed provide the regular user with far more value for the money (often twice or more), but when was the last time they made anything reliable?
What are you talking about? I've used the K6-2, Athlon XP (Thunderbird & Barton), Athlon II (Propus), and Ryzen (Zen) and they've all been reliable. In terms of stability and compatibility, I've had a fair share of issues on both Intel and AMD systems (had issues with DDR3 RAM on my Intel system, and DDR4 RAM on my Ryzen system).
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Junior Member
Posts: 3
Thanks for the review.
I think Intel is just trying to confuse the market with all these processors ...
Not gonna work!