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Intel Core i3 530 processor review

A couple of weeks ago Intel unleashed a new dual-core processor  series onto the market,  armed with high clock frequencies and an integrated graphics unit for a good 2D experience on that monitor of yours, and sure it can even handle a little gaming as well. Obviously we are talking about the dales series processors, in specific Clarkdale - a derivative of in the Nehalem family of processors.

Now you'd be saying, um Hilbert didn't we review these processors already ? Um, yes ! And no. See on the 3rd earlier this month we took an in-depth peek at the Core i5 600 series processors. Intel that day also released the the Core i3 series processors, exactly the same thing, yet clocked slight slower and with Intel's Turbo mode' stripped away. The end result however is a processor that is priced much more attractive-- yet for a dual-core processor offers much more bang for buck at a mainstream or HTPC. And that processor was not seeded towards Dutch press, hence the review today.

The Intel Clarkdale processor lineup includes the 32 nm fabrication node Core i3 530 and 540 models, as well as the Core i5 650, 660, 661, and 670, which will be featured with Hyper-Threading, 4MB of L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR3-1333 memory. 

So let's head onwards to the next page where we'll startup a little overview on the Clarkdale series processors, a photo-shoot and then head onwards into the test session where we'll throw some performance models at the processor to see how well it can hold up with all the dual, triple and quad core processors out there.

Next page please.

Core i3 500 & Core i5 600  processors (Clarkdale)

Intel recently made a shift to manufacturing its new 32nm die shrink of its Core microprocessor line, which the company refers to by the code name of 'Westmere'. Westmere is a die-shrink and IGP embedded processor series inside in the Nehalem family. In the Westmere range you'll find the 'Dales' chips -- 'Clarkdale' for the desktop, and 'Arrandale' for the mobile and notebook segment. Our processor tested today is a Clarkdale series processor.

Clarkdale based processors have two physical (execution) CPU cores each capable of two (hyper) threads (allowing four logical threads), and include integrated graphics and a memory controller. Like other Nehalem derivatives, Clarkdale will feature Intel Turbo Boost for the Core i5 600 series, whereas the Core i3 500 series will not have that feature.

The processors feature 4MB of Intel Smart Cache and an Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) that supports two-channels of DDR3 memory at officially supported speeds of up to 1333MHz. The cache memory consists of a 32KB L1 Data cache, 32KB Instruction cache and 256KB L2 cache per core. Then there's a nice L3 cache that is shared in-between the two CPU cores which is 4MB in total.

In this article we'll be focusing on the Core i3 range as we already reviewed the Core i5 600 processors  processors. Within the Core i3 500 range a total of two models released; Core i3 540 and 530, clocking in at 2.93 and 3.06 GHz respectively. They are priced in etail right now at give or take 120 EUR (150 USD) and 99 EUR( 125 USD). Have a peek at the chart below.

All Clarkdale CPUs come with an IGP (Integrated Graphics Product) on die which means it has a small embedded GPU inside the processor. Though the processors will be manufactured at 32nm the totally weird thing is that the graphics core is produced at 45nm. That can only mean one thing, the Clarkdale processors will feature a multi-chip package, the CPU and GPU won't be merged into a single die but will have two chips merged in one package. I obtained a beautiful photo showing this:

To the left you can see a Clarkdale processor with two separate chips on one package -- connected like Siamese twins. The smaller chip to the left is the processor, the bigger one the IGP.

To the right the H55 PCH (motherboard chipset). From an architectural point of view this means that Clarkdale is a chip that's internally connected to a separate 45nm silicon that houses the GPU and dual-channel memory-controller - all in the same package.

The IGP inside the processor is called the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD, and is derived from existing Intel graphics products. But with some new improvements. Thanks to the IGP connectivity this can be good, bringing native support for HDMI (v1.3), DVI and DisplayPort.

As you can observe from the specifications, don't expect a lot of gaming performance fun (though very simple games should be able to be played) but see this more as a desktop integration and implementation for very good Windows usage and importantly... high-definition 1080P decoding and acceleration.

So remember this, Core i3 530 and 540 are covering the $123-$150 price range. The Core i3 processors will not feature Turbo mode, that will be the main difference. Other than that it's the same chip as the Core i5 600 series also with the same features and TDP (73W).

One last thing I need to mention, Clarkdale (Core i5 dual core) processors are based on socket LGA1156 that currently powers Lynnfield CPUs (Core i5 750 / Core i7 860/870). We'll talk about this a little more in the chipset chapter.

Hyper Threading

Inevitably, all chips based on the Nehalem family will have between two and eight cores, and will be capable of handling two independent software threads per core. This is called Hyper-Threading, Intel's name for the concept. It allows a processor to execute two different code streams at pretty much the same time.

This was a feature found in Intel's single-core Pentium 4 processors but largely discontinued with the advent of multi-core chips, but it's essentially the same technology as before. With two threads per core, Core i3, i5 and i7 chips will pack no less than four or eight logical cores depending on the model.

If you look at the screenshot below you can see that happening. Mind you that the Core i3 540, 530 and then Core i5 650, 660 and 661 have Hyper-Threading, the Core i5 750 processor weirdly enough does not (unfortunately) have Hyper-Threading. All other Core i7 processors are hyper-threaded as well.

Example of a Core i5 661 - It has two physical cores, but hyper-threaded we gain two 'virtual' logical cores.

Placing the Nehalem processor family in perspective

Intel has got a lot in store with the Nehalem family processors right now. We placed all data that we know of into a chart, also this is a handy chart to see which processor has which socket/package and what more you can expect anno Q1 2010 desktop processor wise (we left out the mobile parts).

PCH - The Platform Controller Hub H55 chipset

To facilitate the Clarkdale processors, Intel needed to come out with a new chipset, in fact they'll be released two of them each with their own derivative sidekicks. This is needed to run the integrated graphics via what's labeled as the Flexible Display Interface (FDI). Intel is offering two new chipsets to the market, H55 and H57/Q57. P55 actually should also work fine, yet obviously not with the embedded IGP.

Now you might think the platform will be cheap and well, it's average at best. Intel will charge its partners 40 to 44 USD per chip per 1K units. In pale comparison, Intel charges 40 USD for a P55 chip to the motherboard manufacturers.

So enough tech chatter, let's put the gear to the test. We received an H55 motherboard and Core i3 530 dual core processor for a test run. Let's check out what this 99 USD processor will bring to the table. But first, let's have a look a some photos of the processor.

Core i3 530 Product Gallery

Right, it's time to put our reasonably priced CPU to the test and also have a look at a Clarkdale processor. Here you can see the Core i3 530 processor.

The Core i5 series is compatible with P55, H55 and Q57 chipsets. For P55 motherboards be sure to have the latest BIOS / firmware installed supporting Clarkdale. Be aware of the fact though the P55 does not support the IGP -- thus you'll need a dedicated graphics card.

As you can notice we are dealing with a vanilla Intel sample here. This particular Clarkdale processor is tagged as Q3GR ES with the ES standing for engineering sample.

Here's a photo of the backside of the processor, that's LGA Socket 1156.

Power Consumption and CPU temperatures

The new Clarkdale based processors are a bit of a redesign with accompanying die-shrink and as result they are quite energy friendly processors. A processor like the Core i3 530 for example consumes just 73 Watts, and that is with both cores stressed. Clever power management allows the internal voltage and processor multiplier to drop, core independent.

The processor tested today has a TDP of 73W, and that's quite an improvement and it shows this during our measurements:

As you can see, these are really respectable numbers. Mind you that this was done with an H55 motherboard, one SSD, optical drive, 4GB memory and for the last entry, Radeon HD 5870 graphics card.

For even more optimal power consumption make sure you have BIOS features like EIST and C1E enabled and within Windows set your performance mode to balanced (allows the processor to clock down).

Temperatures are very good as well. With an air cooler you can expect temps like below:

Now I need to mention that these temperatures are managed with a stock reference cooler -- you'll reach roughly 50 degrees C / 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Try to imagine what happens when you slap proper cooling on there, the overclocking potential will become fabulous. Of course results will vary with different motherboards and cooling solutions. But as a baseline the temperatures definitely are promising, especially with overclocking in mind.

Have a peek below, 100% CPU load on the 2/4 cores 100% stressed with Prime 95, voltages are left at default, processor Turbo mode is disabled as the processor doesn't support it.

CPU-Z Screenshots

So as you can see the frequency looks a bit off. It's correct though. Power management and the combo of Turbo mode make the Clarkdale based 661 processor very dynamic in terms of CPU clock frequency. We indeed spot two physical CPU cores and 4 threads.

Cache memory. The Clarkdale generation processors will have a 32KB L1 Data cache, 32KB Instruction cache, 256KB L2 cache per core. Then there's a nice L3 cache that is shared in-between the two CPU cores which is 4MB in total.

Memory then -- up-to 1333 MHz is officially supported. We see the memory used properly clocked close to JEDEC specification, a little sharper actually at CAS8. Of course, when you start to overclock the base frequency, the memory frequency and performance will rise as well.

The H55 motherboard reads out the EPP/XMP/JEDEC profiles properly. We have 2x 2048MB installed in this rig.

Last screenshot, here we see the motherboard information as presented by CPU-Z. Right, I just know you guys are curious about this!

Hardware and Software Used

Now we begin the benchmark portion of this article, but first let me show you our test system plus the software we used.

Mainboard

Intel H55 reference motherboard

Processor

Core i3 530
Core i5 650

Graphics Cards

Radeon HD 5870

Memory

Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 MHz CAS8 @ 1333 MHz CAS8

Power Supply Unit

1200 Watt BFG

Monitor

Dell 3007WFP - up to 2560x1600

OS related software

Windows Vista 64-bit SP1
DirectX 9/10 End User Runtime

Software benchmark suite

Diverse

A word about 'FPS'

What are we looking for in gaming performance wise? First off, obviously Guru3D tends to think that all games should be played at the best image quality (IQ) possible. There's a dilemma though, IQ often interferes with the performance of a graphics card. We measure this in FPS, the number of frames a graphics card can render per second, the higher it is the more fluently your game will display itself.

A game's frames per second (FPS) is a measured average of a series of tests. That test often is a time demo, a recorded part of the game which is a 1:1 representation of the actual game and its gameplay experience. After forcing the same image quality settings; this time-demo is then used for all graphics cards so that the actual measuring is as objective as can be.

• So if a graphics card barely manages less than 30 FPS, then the game is not very playable, we want to avoid that at all cost.
• With 30 FPS up-to roughly 40 FPS you'll be very able to play the game with perhaps a tiny stutter at certain graphically intensive parts. Overall a very enjoyable experience. Match the best possible resolution to this result and you'll have the best possible rendering quality versus resolution, hey you want both of them to be as high as possible.
• When a graphics card is doing 60 FPS on average or higher then you can rest assured that the game will likely play extremely smoothly at every point in the game, turn on every possible in-game IQ setting.
• Over 100 FPS? You have either a MONSTER graphics card or a very old game.