Core i7 860, new revision? (2009, week 50)

[Roman2K]

Hello,

Today I picked up parts for my new build: the Corsair 800D (for which I had a question to ask yesterday), an ASUS Maximus III Formula and... an Intel Core i7 860.

I still can't test it as I am missing the memory, but in the meantime I figured I would investigate whether that processor comes from a "good" batch or not. Only I can't find anything about it.

Its specifications:

• FPO/batch#: L950B589
• Ver.#: E73040-002
• Pack date: 02/04/10
• (The rest is standard)

What's interesting is that while discussing prices with the vendor/retail shop owner, he told me it's the "new revision". I nodded thinking he's just spilling his usual salesman bullcrap. And as expected, no mention of a "new revision" on the Internet.

However, in the specifications above we can see the trailing "-002" in the version number, as well as a late 2009 production week and a recent pack date. As I can only find *-001 version numbers while searching for "E73040" on Google, I'm now starting to think there might have been some truth in what he told me.

1. Can anyone confirm this?
2. Has any other person got a version *-002, batch L950* chip?

(I'm waiting for the memory and watercooling parts. When the build is complete, I will keep you posted about its overclocking potential.)

[Frag Maniac]

Hmm, interesting. I've read they've had success throttling down the power consumption of some of their chips. Maybe it just idles at lower wattage or something. You'd think if it were a significant change like different stepping, multiplier or Turbo Boost ratios, there'd been something on the net about it though. A change in power consumption even if at idle, if that's what is is, is fairly significant too though. Do you have a prior 860 to compare it to when you test it?

[Roman2K]

Hi Frag Maniac,

I've read they've had success throttling down the power consumption of some of their chips.

Would you be so kind as to give me a link to the corresponding article, please? I did try one more time to look for such information, with no success.

Do you have a prior 860 to compare it to when you test it?

No I don't. I will have to compare my results to other people's on forums. I can't wait to overclock that processor! Especially with Corsair PC16000 / 2000MHz (CL8) memory. That cost me a whole lot of money, but hopefully it will be worthwhile.

[Pekalion]

Hey guys. I have a question. Im was going to buy one of these guys, but since the K 875 is now avaliable and it doesn't is much more expensive than this one, which should I buy?

I like the unlocked multiplers of the 875 but, it will have more OC headroom than with a 860?

[Roman2K]

Hey guys. I have a question. Im was going to buy one of these guys, but since the K 875 is now avaliable and it doesn't is much more expensive than this one, which should I buy?

I like the unlocked multiplers of the 875 but, it will have more OC headroom than with a 860?

That's out of topic, but if I had the cash, I would have definitely picked the 875K over the 860 (> 100€ more in France). I don't think the unlocked multipliers would give the 875 much more OC headroom (if any) compared to the 860 as shown in various reviews but it gives a lot of flexibility while reaching for the maximum CPU frequency, by allowing you to not affect the rest of the system necessarily (via the BCLK). Though if I was you, I would keep the mobo + Q9550 and rather invest in an SSD and/or graphics card.

[Pekalion]

Sorry for the off topic and thanks for the recommendation, but, Im freaking tired of dealing with the BlackOps and the poor OC headroom of it and the Q9550.

Beside of that, those are for sure two things that I have to change, first will be the SSD, and then the vga, Im waiting a little bit to see what the 6000 series will bring, its kind of hard to decide when you have new vgas every couple of months :S

Thanks again!

[nysulli]

looking at the box from my 860, I have the same revision

ver # E73040-002
pack date 04/12/10
FPO/Batch #: L004C187

in terms of throttling power down, I don't know, don't have much to compare it too, but I can say that in a 22-23c room, in an 800D with 3 5v panaflo's H1A's up top blowing out, and the bottom/back 140mm's pulling air in, the stock cooler with shin etsu x751 is at 31c surfing the web and playing video

more specifically, cpu-z shows all 4 cores bouncing between x24 and x25 multiplier (3.18-3.3) at 1.223v, now with 4 cpu-z windows open, surfing and watching some ufc, its bouncing between 31-32c

if they have throttled down the power, then I need to get my WC loop together and see what this thing can do

[Roman2K]

@nysulli
Your nearly-idle temperatures look nice, even though at stock settings with the stock cooler. That's encouraging. Hopefully I will have similar results this week-end after I put together my PC, everything stock-cooled until the WC equipment arrives.
Thanks for your input!

[Frag Maniac]

Would you be so kind as to give me a link to the corresponding article, please? I did try one more time to look for such information, with no success.

I think it was a combination of the reviews I read on the new 875k and Computex chatter about Intels next line of CPUs. I don't have time to track it down right now, maybe later.

[devil_mcry]

Hello,

Today I picked up parts for my new build: the Corsair 800D (for which I had a question to ask yesterday), an ASUS Maximus III Formula and... an Intel Core i7 860.

I still can't test it as I am missing the memory, but in the meantime I figured I would investigate whether that processor comes from a "good" batch or not. Only I can't find anything about it.

Its specifications:

• FPO/batch#: L950B589
• Ver.#: E73040-002
• Pack date: 02/04/10
• (The rest is standard)

What's interesting is that while discussing prices with the vendor/retail shop owner, he told me it's the "new revision". I nodded thinking he's just spilling his usual salesman bullcrap. And as expected, no mention of a "new revision" on the Internet.

However, in the specifications above we can see the trailing "-002" in the version number, as well as a late 2009 production week and a recent pack date. As I can only find *-001 version numbers while searching for "E73040" on Google, I'm now starting to think there might have been some truth in what he told me.

1. Can anyone confirm this?
2. Has any other person got a version *-002, batch L950* chip?

(I'm waiting for the memory and watercooling parts. When the build is complete, I will keep you posted about its overclocking potential.)

same version

e73040-002
packed 11/17/09
batch l937

[Roman2K]

@Frag Maniac

I think it was a combination of the reviews I read on the new 875k and Computex chatter about Intels next line of CPUs. I don't have time to track it down right now, maybe later.

OK, thanks anyway.

@devil_mcry

same version

e73040-002
packed 11/17/09
batch l937

Interesting. So this -002 version isn't that new after all.

[devil_mcry]

i don't know :| I found this in this thread

but what difference there are between two version?

[Roman2K]

@devil_mcry
I had no idea before people Frag Maniac replied with the following:

I've read they've had success throttling down the power consumption of some of their chips. Maybe it just idles at lower wattage or something. You'd think if it were a significant change like different stepping, multiplier or Turbo Boost ratios, there'd been something on the net about it though. A change in power consumption even if at idle, if that's what is is, is fairly significant too though.

[devil_mcry]

I don't know however i see that "new" i7 860 can run in OC with less voltage vs "old" i7 860

my i7 860 can run at 3850mhz with 1.248v in full, stable at 100% with prime, linx ecc ecc, is not bad and i think that i can lower the voltage! I did try to run linx all ram @ 3820mhz with -1 step of vcore, 100% stable therefore...

old i7 860 needed more voltage I remember

[ZenEffect]

post a cpuz.

[devil_mcry]

my?

[David-Duc]

Don't expect too much since it is still an old SLBJJ B1 stepping. I have two of these i7 860 and they're all maxed out at around 3.8Ghz for 24/7 F@H. Much worst than the i7 920 D0 which can reach 4.0-4.1Ghz for the same usage easily.

[devil_mcry]

Don't expect too much since it is still an old SLBJJ B1 stepping. I have two of these i7 860 and they're all maxed out at around 3.8Ghz for 24/7 F@H. Much worst than the i7 920 D0 which can reach 4.0-4.1Ghz for the same usage easily.

lynnfield isn't same of bloomfield about voltage and power consumed

however isn't a problem, because when a bloomfield run @ 3800mhz with 1.18v (avarange), a lynnfield run @ 3800mhz with 1.22-1.23 mhz with same temp and power consumed

i run my sistems @ 3.85ghz 1.248v (LLc full, normaly 1.232v) without problems, with megahalems

use 4-4.1ghz 24/7 isn't impossible with lynnfield

i don't know how many volts do you must use to run over 3.8ghz but isn't impossible

[Roman2K]

Sorry for taking such a long time to respond. I have been busy at work and building my new PC... First time water cooling and stuck trying to mount the ThermoChill PA120.3 to the top of my case (Corsair 800D) in a pull configuration. Came to the point that I have to tap the fan holes for M4 screws (holes are untapped 3mm, but M3 are too thin), which I will do tonight.

@ZenEffect

post a cpuz.

I will once it's finally all up and running.

@David-Duc & devil_mcry
I didn't know the 860 required more voltage than the 920 D0 to reach the same frequency. We'll see what this 860 can do under water. Hopefully this week-end!

[Roman2K]

@ZenEffect

post a cpuz.

!

So it is now up and running. I haven't had the chance to take screenshots of CPU-Z yet (coming tonight most likely), but from the few experiments I have made as of now, it looks like I will be able to run it à 4.2GHz for 24/7 operation at 1.4V or a bit less.

It appeared stable at 1.375V running Prime95 Small FFT for more than 3 hours but it crashed during the night. So tonight I will try at 1.4V and if it's stable, find the lowest stable voltage from there.

Temperatures are not as low as I would have hoped :
Stock:
- idle at 27°C
- full load at 50°C
At 4.2GHz unstable [21 x 200 | 1.375V | Various enevery saving and overheat protection settings OFF | SpeedStep OFF | HT ON | Hardware virtualization ON]:
- idle at 40°C
- full load at 79.5°C

Since the temperatures of my HD 5850 are excellent (27°C idle, barely 35°C running FurMark), the WC loop shouldn't be the cause of such high temperatures. I used Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal paste for both the 5850 and the 860 but I might have put a bit too much on the processor.

We'll see if the 860 can sustain 4.2GHz at 1.4V... Hopefully I won't have to back down to 4Ghz (20 x 200).