When Intel released their new Sandy Bridge-E Processors late last year there was the flagship processor the i7-3930K which has a price tag of $599 and the I7-3930X which has an even more staggering price tag of $999. When these processors were announced there was word of a more budget-friendly processor that would be out in Q1 of this year. It is here in the form of the Core i7-3820. This processor features 4 cores, features Intel’s Hyperthreading technology for up to 8 threads, a default clock speed of 3.6GHz with a turbo speed of 3.9GHz, 10MB of Intel Smart Cache, and this processor is built on the 32nm process. This processor puts Intel’s X79 platform in the reach of many people with a price tag that is half of the i7-3930K at $300. Read on to see what this processor is all about.
Special thanks to Intel for providing us with the Core i7-3820 Quad-Core Core Processor to review.
Specifications
| Essentials | |
| Status | Launched |
| Launch Date | Q1’12 |
| Processor Number | i7-3820 |
| # of Cores | 4 |
| # of Threads | 8 |
| Clock Speed | 3.6 GHz |
| Max Turbo Frequency | 3.8 GHz |
| Intel® Smart Cache | 10 MB |
| Bus/Core Ratio | 45 |
| DMI | 5 GT/s |
| Instruction Set | 64-bit |
| Instruction Set Extensions | SSE4.2, AVX |
| Embedded Options Available | No |
| Lithography | 32 nm |
| Max TDP | 130 W |
| VID Voltage Range | 0.600V – 1.350V |
| Recommended Customer Price | $294 – $305 |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type) | 64 GB |
| Memory Types | DDR3-1066/1333/1600 |
| # of Memory Channels | 4 |
| Max Memory Bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s |
| ECC Memory Supported | No |
| Graphics Specifications | |
| Integrated Graphics |
| Expansion Options | |
| PCI Express Revision | 2.0 |
| # of PCI Express Ports | 10 |
| Package Specifications | |
| Max CPU Configuration | 1 |
| TCASE | 66.8°C |
| Package Size | 52.5mm x 45.0mm |
| Sockets Supported | FCLGA2011 |
| Low Halogen Options Available | See MDDS |
| Advanced Technologies | |
| Intel® Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 |
| Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology | Yes |
| Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) | Yes |
| Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) | Yes |
| Intel® Trusted Execution Technology | No |
| AES New Instructions | Yes |
| Intel® 64 | Yes |
| Idle States | Yes |
| Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology | Yes |
| Thermal Monitoring Technologies | Yes |
| Execute Disable Bit | Yes |
