Review: Socket 1366 is obsolete (not literally)
During our Mushkin 6GB Kit review, we thought about what happens if you use only two modules and how fast are all the settings compared to the 1156 platform.
So, we used the same modules with the same timings on the 1366 and 1156 platforms. We tested two channels vs three channels and compared that to the 1156 platform.
Testbed:
Motherboard:
Intel DX58SO "Smackover" (provided by Intel)
Intel X58/iCH10R
MSI X58 Eclipse SLI (provided by MSI)
Intel X58
MSI P55-GD65 (provided by MSI)
Intel P55
CPU:
Intel Core i7 920 (provided by Intel)
Intel Core i7 975XE (provided by Intel)
Intel Core i5 750 (provided by Intel)
CPU-Cooler:
Scythe Kama Angle (provided by Scythe-Europe)
Memory:
Mushkin 6GB Kit PC3-12800 (provided by Mushkin)
1600MHz CL8-8-8-24 CR1T 1.65V
Graphics Cards:
MSI R4850-2D1G-OC (provided by MSI)
Power supply:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W (provided by PC Power & Cooling)
Hard disk:
Samsung F1 1000GB (provided by Ditech)
Case fans:
SilenX iXtrema Pro 14dB(A) (provided by PC-Cooling.at)
Scythe DFS122512LS (provided by Scythe-Europe)
Case:
Cooler Master Stacker 831 Lite (provided by Cooler Master)
Conclusion
Let's keep it simple: the Socket 1366 platform is obsolete. The turbo modes are very limiting and the three channel memory setup gives only a slight advantage. Of course, Socket 1366 CPUs don't come cheap either. The quite new i5 CPU is much easier to overclock and it's not that hard to achieve higher memory speeds.
Considering system cost, then the P55 platform is the clear winner. We have already proven that Hyperthreading/SMT is more or less a marketing gimmick. It works only with very few applications and in highly optimized applications such as x264 or games, it decreases performance. That's also the reason why we did not consider to use the i7-800 CPU series for this review.
Looking for the best performance money can buy, we recommend the i5-750 CPU. If you need SLI or Crossfire, shop for boards with an additional NF200 chip to get the most out of your two graphics cards, otherwise the P55 does just fine.
Fudzilla - LGA 1366 vs. LGA 1156 comparison tests
During our Mushkin 6GB Kit review, we thought about what happens if you use only two modules and how fast are all the settings compared to the 1156 platform.
So, we used the same modules with the same timings on the 1366 and 1156 platforms. We tested two channels vs three channels and compared that to the 1156 platform.
Testbed:
Motherboard:
Intel DX58SO "Smackover" (provided by Intel)
Intel X58/iCH10R
MSI X58 Eclipse SLI (provided by MSI)
Intel X58
MSI P55-GD65 (provided by MSI)
Intel P55
CPU:
Intel Core i7 920 (provided by Intel)
Intel Core i7 975XE (provided by Intel)
Intel Core i5 750 (provided by Intel)
CPU-Cooler:
Scythe Kama Angle (provided by Scythe-Europe)
Memory:
Mushkin 6GB Kit PC3-12800 (provided by Mushkin)
1600MHz CL8-8-8-24 CR1T 1.65V
Graphics Cards:
MSI R4850-2D1G-OC (provided by MSI)
Power supply:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W (provided by PC Power & Cooling)
Hard disk:
Samsung F1 1000GB (provided by Ditech)
Case fans:
SilenX iXtrema Pro 14dB(A) (provided by PC-Cooling.at)
Scythe DFS122512LS (provided by Scythe-Europe)
Case:
Cooler Master Stacker 831 Lite (provided by Cooler Master)
Conclusion
Let's keep it simple: the Socket 1366 platform is obsolete. The turbo modes are very limiting and the three channel memory setup gives only a slight advantage. Of course, Socket 1366 CPUs don't come cheap either. The quite new i5 CPU is much easier to overclock and it's not that hard to achieve higher memory speeds.
Considering system cost, then the P55 platform is the clear winner. We have already proven that Hyperthreading/SMT is more or less a marketing gimmick. It works only with very few applications and in highly optimized applications such as x264 or games, it decreases performance. That's also the reason why we did not consider to use the i7-800 CPU series for this review.
Looking for the best performance money can buy, we recommend the i5-750 CPU. If you need SLI or Crossfire, shop for boards with an additional NF200 chip to get the most out of your two graphics cards, otherwise the P55 does just fine.
Fudzilla - LGA 1366 vs. LGA 1156 comparison tests
