The Intel Broadwell Review Part 2: Overclocking, IPC and Generational Analysis
by Ian Cutress on August 3, 2015 8:00 AM ESTIn our first part of our Broadwell coverage, we rushed to test both the i7-5775C and the i5-5765C in our new benchmarking suite against the previous generation of Haswell processors as well as AMDs Kaveri lineup. In Part 2, we have spent more time with the architecture to see how it stacks up against the last four years of Intel, as well as probing the high end overclocking capabilities.
Since our Part 1, the news mill from Intel has been an interesting mix of reduced revenue from the PC segments but a rise in expectation as we move from a dull Q2 into an exciting Q3 with back-to-school sales on the horizon and the release of Windows 10. Throw into the mix details about Intel's delayed 10nm process node, the injection of Kaby Lake processors after Skylake to break the tick tock model and it becomes an interesting next few years for the industry.
No matter the state of the tick-tock model (or what seems to be a tick-tock-tock with Kaby Lake), Intel's goals are still the same - improve efficiency of the main processor design and boost peak performance though instruction per clock (IPC) gains with each new processor design release. Simply stating you want an improvement in IPC and actually designing the semiconductor to get a boost in performance are two opposite ends of the difficulty spectrum.
Broadwell vs. Haswell
Intel's line of Haswell (4th generation) processors were released in June 2013, with a small updated design called Haswell Refresh in mid-2014 with improved frequencies and a small a package upgrade to benefit temperatures. Haswell is the name of the architecture, updating from the architecture on Ivy Bridge but on the same 22nm process node as Ivy Bridge. An architecture update incorporates a numerical of things - either a paradigm shift in the underlying semiconductor design, or a step up from the previous orientation by aiming for the low hanging fruit (times which can be updated for the most gain and the least effort). As a result, architecture jumps usually produce big (5-25%) jumps in performance. This is a tock, to use Intel's nomenclature.
Intel's Tick-Tock Cadence | |||||
Microarchitecture | Process Node | Tick or Tock | Release Year | ||
Conroe/Merom | 65nm | Tock | 2006 | ||
Penryn | 45nm | Tick | 2007 | ||
Nehalem | 45nm | Tock | 2008 | ||
Westmere | 32nm | Tick | 2010 | ||
Sandy Bridge | 32nm | Tock | 2011 | ||
Ivy Bridge | 22nm | Tick | 2012 | ||
Haswell | 22nm | Tock | 2013 | ||
Broadwell | 14nm | Tick | 2014 | ||
Skylake | 14nm | Tock | 2015 | ||
Kaby Lake (link)? | 14nm | Tock | 2016 ? |
The other half of the equation is a tick, or the movement from a larger process node to a smaller process node. This is by and large a scaled reduction in the mask used for the processor, but there are potential benefits based on the die area of the components of the processor and the connections within. Moving down to a smaller node typically does not change the base hardware underneath, but optimizations are made based on that die area reduction. With this in mind, we typically see smaller benefits in performance (5-10%), but better improvements in power consumption due to smaller transistors needing less voltage (although this is a balance between higher leakage currents). Overall, the typical goal of a process node change is typically efficiency, making it favored in mobile platforms.
Moving from Haswell to Broadwell on the desktop is a process node change, migrating from 22nm on Haswell to 14nm on Broadwell. As a result, the first processors released under the Broadwell nomenclature were mobile focused (Core M), and the desktop end of the stack us the last one to be updated. Though the desktop side is more subtle than that - Intel has released mid-powered versions of the processor with high end integrated graphics, an approach normally reserved for mobile devices or integrated devices such as all-in-ones. Perhaps it is then unsurprising that when desktop processors are launched under the -S or -DT naming scheme, Broadwell on the desktop is part of the -H line, normally reserved for mobile processors.
We've commented on Broadwell's minor architecture adjustments over Haswell before. They focus on reducing cache misses and keeping more predicted operations in flight at any one time, reducing the need to move back out of memory and increase throughput. This is mostly achieved by exploiting the available area when function units are reduced in size from the node change - increasing the out-of-order scheduler size, increasing the L2 TLB to allow for both more local misses/larger memory jump requests, and the page miss handler doubles in size.
This, according to Intel, accounts for a 5% increase in IPC (instructions per clock) by focusing on reducing the wait time for data for the traditional CPU part of the Broadwell processor.
In our initial review of the Broadwell processors, we saw that it was not as straightforward as this. The two CPUs we tested, the i7-5775C and the i5-5675C, are built to a 65W thermal design power, compared to the high end models from Haswell which are at the 84/88W level. This means that for users looking for the next most powerful processor, the base processor frequencies of the Broadwell samples we had are lower and less performant due to frequency, more than any IPC increase could overcome.
Core i7-5775C lining up with the Core i7-4790K
It was difficult for Broadwell to win any CPU focused benchmark from a pure frequency (and TDP) handicap. To add an additional element into the mix, almost every Broadwell's memory cache system is also different:
Intel Desktop Processor Cache Comparison | |||||
L1-D | L1-I | L2 | L3 | L4 | |
Sandy Bridge i7 | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 8 MB | |
Ivy Bridge i7 | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 8 MB | |
Haswell i7 | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 8 MB | |
Broadwell i7 (Desktop / Iris Pro 6200) |
4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | 128 MB eDRAM |
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Haswell i5 | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB | |
Broadwell i7 (i7-5700HQ / HD 5600) |
4 x 32 KB | 4 x 32 KB | 4 x 256 KB | 6 MB |
Both the Level 1 and Level 2 caches of each processor are the same, but at Level 3 where Haswell i7 has 8MB, the Broadwell i7 only has 6MB. Aside from the improved branch predictor mentioned above to reduce cache misses, Broadwell also has a separate eDRAM in the CPU package, weighing in at 128MB. This acts as a level 4 cache, having a latency between the L3 and moving out to memory, resulting in less trips out to main memory. This combination of architecture improvements and eDRAM on Broadwell combined with the lower L3 cache size makes it an unknown in memory performance.
I have also included the Haswell i5 and the Broadwell-based i7-5700HQ in this table, showing that the Broadwell i7 L1/L2/L3 cache hierarchy is more akin to a desktop i5 processor and that Broadwell is available without the eDRAM. That being said, the i7-5700HQ is a single processor destined for laptops, making any discrete testing nominally impossible, and taken out of the real-world context for the majority of Broadwell desktop owners.
The reason for Broadwell's eDRAM comes from Intel's ‘Crystal Well’ strategy. Crystal Well is a designation given to a processor which has this eDRAM (and typically a larger integrated graphics package as well). Integrated graphics are historically inhibited by memory bandwidth, having to almost always reach out to main memory to process textures in graphic workloads. The eDRAM allows more data to be stored between the graphics core and the memory, and at a higher memory bandwidth, potentially improving output. By combining the high end integrated graphics with the eDRAM, Intel created these Broadwell processors as the fastest integrated graphics solution available on a socketable (replaceable processor) platform.
That being said, due to Broadwell being the latest product from Intel, and it having the most recent (and expensive) process node, equipped with eDRAM which is a separate die on the package, the Broadwell solutions do not come cheap. The pricing is almost in line with previous Haswell mainstream i7 processors, albeit at the lower thermal design and the beefier integrated graphics. As we determined in the Broadwell Part 1 review, the desktop Broadwell has the absolute integrated performance crown, although an AMD APU system will be significantly more cost effective. Both platforms are hoping that multi-GPU possibilities in DirectX12 have a positive outcome to their solutions.
This Review
We said we'd be back for part 2, and this is it. Here I wanted to cover what we couldn't previously due to early BIOS revisions and limited time testing - specifically looking at how Broadwell performs when overclocking, and whether the Broadwell architecture is truly a step up over previous generations of Intel processors. In the last review our comparison point was the i7-4770K from Intel's Haswell line; for part two we also back tested the i7-3770K from the Ivy Bridge platform and the i7-2600K from Sandy Bridge, covering the four most recent Intel processor architectures dating back to January 2011. We also have data on older benchmarks going back further. All four of the most recent architectures are tested at their stock speeds and at a constant 3 GHz (at 1866 C9) to find how IPC improves. (Incidentally I did find an i7-750 and a Q9550 in my CPU bin for the next two generations back, but have no motherboards for testing our more recent benchmarks. I'll see what I can put together for a mini-piece later in the year.)
Test setup
Test Setup | |||||||||||||||||||||
Processor |
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Motherboards | MSI Z97A Gaming 6 (LGA1150) ASRock Z77 OC Formula (LGA1155) |
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Cooling | Cooler Master Nepton 140XL | ||||||||||||||||||||
Power Supply | OCZ 1250W Gold ZX Series | ||||||||||||||||||||
Memory | G.Skill RipjawsZ 4x4 GB DDR3-1866 9-11-11 Kit | ||||||||||||||||||||
Video Cards | ASUS GTX 980 Strix 4GB MSI GTX 770 Lightning 2GB (1150/1202 Boost) ASUS R7 240 2GB |
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Hard Drive | Crucial MX200 1TB | ||||||||||||||||||||
Optical Drive | LG GH22NS50 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Case | Open Test Bed | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operating System | Windows 7 64-bit SP1 |
Many thanks to
Thank you to AMD for providing us with the R9 290X 4GB GPUs.
Thank you to ASUS for providing us with GTX 980 Strix GPUs and the R7 240 DDR3 GPU.
Thank you to ASRock and ASUS for providing us with some IO testing kit.
Thank you to Cooler Master for providing us with Nepton 140XL CLCs.
Thank you to Corsair for providing us with an AX1200i PSU.
Thank you to Crucial for providing us with MX200 SSDs.
Thank you to G.Skill and Corsair for providing us with memory.
Thank you to MSI for providing us with the GTX 770 Lightning GPUs.
Thank you to OCZ for providing us with PSUs.
Thank you to Rosewill for providing us with PSUs and RK-9100 keyboards.
121 Comments
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Shadow7037932 - Monday, August 3, 2015 - link
Still running a i7 920 @ 3.8Ghz on custom water cooling. OS, SSDs, HDDs, GPUs, have all been upgraded since 2009. Still holding it's own in gaming and multithreaded software (video rendering).Also, with the hexacore X5650 being available for around $70-100 used, I can probably breathe a bit more life into this.
milli - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
I invested big time in my X58 platform but it's still going strong. One year ago I upgraded my i7 920 to a Xeon X5650 (which I bought second hand for like $100). Now I have a six core HT 32nm OC'd beast that runs much cooler than my 920. I can't believe this platform is now 7 years old.Jetpil0t - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
I have been waiting for so long to upgrade my 2500k an R9 290, was looking at a 6600k and Fury X but for like $2,000 the performance really isn't there. Second hand 290 for $250 will probably be my next upgrade and still faster than a brand new 6600k Fury build. More money for games I guess.michael2k - Monday, August 3, 2015 - link
Is that entirely true? It seems from the graphs that you can expect 10% to 20% improvement in performance at the same clock compared to Sandy Bridge and the Broadwell is a good 30% less in terms of power consumption. In other words the 0.25V difference in overclock is exactly the reason Broadwell consumes 30% less power. Since you don't care about the power then you can clock it up and volt it up and see a 10% to 20% improvement in performance. You can argue that the 10% to 20% improvement isn't worth it, of course. The IPC gains only matter if you care to overclock the Broadwell part.sonny73n - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
"my ivy bridge 3570k does the same clock with 1.075v."1.075v @4.2GHz? Are you sure you didn't mistype? Prime95 stress test?
Jetpil0t - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
Still rocking a i5 2500k @ 4.0Ghz and an R9 290 @ 1.1Ghz and it's rockin along no problem, I want to but new shiny things, but there is zero reason to, which is nice for the value but a little odd given the age of this processor. If I had known I was going to be hanging onto this CPU for so long I would have picked up the i7 2600/2700k, but even then, the i5 2500k is a powerhouse, apparently. Just puts into perspective how crazy powerful these CPUs were 5 years ago when they landed.Jetpil0t - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
They should just take each of these CPUs to 4.0Ghz locked and bench it out, I bet the 2600k still fires up there with the best of them. The sample used here is still stock, so with an OC it's more or less up there all the way through to a 980ti.Oxford Guy - Thursday, January 21, 2016 - link
Proper Broadwell overclocking appears to require that the EDRAM clock be changed. They didn't do that here, hence the poor result.K_Space - Monday, August 3, 2015 - link
For desktop users the article only consolidated what was already known: hold tight to your Haswell CPU until Skylake (and even then you probably won't need to upgrade). The Z97 chipset is such a mature platform and the high frequency clocked parts have dropped in price. The 4790K is an absolute brute. Haswell -just like Sandy and Nehalem is going to be very stretchy generation.Nagorak - Tuesday, August 4, 2015 - link
Forget that, just hold tight to your Sandy Bridge. Four years running and you can make up most of the difference in IPC by just cranking up the clock. Once you take the lower frequency into account, Broadwell's ~18% improvement drops to only around 10%.