Core2Quad vs Corei7 on render test...
 

Jon--Just for a general comparison of my core2quad system to your corei7 system, I ran the same render test for same qtmov and I can see what I will gain when I eventually upgrade.
My basic sys specs: qx6700 @ 3.2ghz on x38 chipset w/4gb ddr2 @800mhz. Vista 64, Vegas 8.1...
Perrone's core2duo system took 3:15, my quad system came in at 2:12, and yours blew both of them away in :53...very impressive gains to had here with the new intel chip! I'm wondering if there'll be even more speed with Windows 7.

Good evening,

I down loaded the file for the rrender test. I ran it on my I7, 2.66 ghtz with 6 gigs ram.

I down loaded 8.1 and run it in vista 64. I used the same specs as far as I know.

mpeg 2 71 seconds
Mp4 sony 75 seconds
AVI 37 seconds
QT 102 seconds
mp4 main concept 37 seconds

I ran the task manager at the same time so I could follow the performance:

Interestingly, Main concept is the only one where it used 100% of the cpu and 3.7 gigs of memory.

the others used 5 to 20% and averaged about 2 to 3 gigs of memory.

What is that about???

I do not know if these are good or bad. I have been working on leaning out my computer and still have more to do I reckon.


I could also run them on my older dual core, but not sure if there is apoint to that.

Yes, it really does show the superiority of the i7 architecture when coupled with a software application that can make good use of the technology... i7 reigns superior here and me overclocking the cpu (safely and comfortably) to 3.0Ghz from the standard 2.66 seems to yield that much more of a punch in performance. It's for this reason on this machine I'm really not that concerned about optimizing it for performance. Sure I spent 20 or 30 minutes doing some of the obvious tasks such as turning off Aero, moving the page file, etc, etc... but at this point, I just don't feel the time spent to try and eek out another 1-3% in performance is justified..

Everything I hear about Windows 7 screams more efficiency and better performance. Early beta versions of the software are supposedly performing at Vista's levels now and you can typically expect performance improvement as the software nears release. I believe Windows 7 may very well end up being the best and most successfull operating system ever released by MS when it's all said and done.... Let's keep our fingers crossed.. :)

Jon

seems perky enough...
 

Jon, I've been running the Win7 beta 7000 on one of my other machines (q6600) and it definitely seems to run well, but I haven't run Vegas 8.1 on it since I don't have a license for another pc. Other than having to play a couple of compatibility games to get it to recognize the intel chipset drivers (p35), it was an easy installation and it's run all the apps I've loaded on it to this point.
I hear the i7s OC really well--I've had to slap a peltier cooler on my QX6700 to get it to 3.2ghz, but being the first iteration of the quad (Kentsfield) and consuming 130 watts at the default 2.66ghz, it's understandable that it runs really hot when it's OC'd.
By the time I'm ready to run an i7, they should be plenty cheap, and hopefully the ddr3 will come down in price, too.

I have never overclocked a machine, is it complex, or can an average user actually do it???

If you've never overclocked a cpu or system before, and you depend upon your system's stability, don't do it. You should spend a few bucks on a faster cpu before you make your first attempt at overclocking. But if you have a spare system sitting around and want to play, overclocking is a good thing to know, not to mention you'll learn all kinds of things about your system as a whole. There's usually plenty of headroom on core2duos, quads (and I've heard the i7s too), to squeeze some extra speed out of them, providing you can keep them and the rest of your system cool enough.
Since I have the qx6700, as opposed to the q6700, the multiplier on the chip is unlocked, and overclocking is simply a matter of changing the multiplier, as opposed to raising the front side bus frequency. Subsequent versions of the core2duoquads, for the most part, were better overclockers, especially when then Intel put out the Penryn, which had a higher FSB and 45nm die vs 65nm. So I wound up getting a Peltier cooler, which runs current through bimetal plates to transfer heat, and can really cool things down, as long as you don't cool it low enough for condensation to occur, and you exhaust the transferred heat efficiently.
Since it's not a subject short enough to explore in a single posting, (not to mention that I'm getting WAY off thread here), I'll defer you to an OC forum if you want to explore this more. [H]ard|OCP - www.hardocp.com

Once again, please don't do your first overclock on a system you depend upon for business...you can fry your hardware easily, or at the very least void your warranties. With prices relatively low these days, upgrade your hardware instead!

I generally agree with this comment above however in the case of the 920 i7, I completely disagree.. The chip appears to have *SO* much headroom that doing a very mild overclock should be completely safe yet yield signficant performance advantages. I've been building systems since I bought my first XT computer with 256K of RAM and no hard drives. I've mostly always steared clear of overclocking but with the i7, I say go for it as long as you are comfortable manipulating BIOS settings.

To use an analogy it would be like buying a brand new car and saying "Don't break the 65mph speed limit - it's not safe, if you get an accident you could be liable because you were breaking the law. It just doesn't pay"

Again, though in concept I agree, I think going 70-75mph on the open highway is not going to kill anybody when your car was built to travel at 100 easily.. :)

Jon

your analogy...
 

Since he's never overclocked before, a more correct analogy would be: like you just got your license and and you bought a brand new car, etc...
I wouldn't advise anyone, overclocking for the first time, to practice on their critical system. I wanted to respond to his post but keep him cautious.
Even though the i7 is extremely overclockable, if the chip doesn't have unlocked mulitpliers he'd be changing his system bus, which would affect other system components also--how many depending on his moboard's flexibility.
Are you overclocking your i7?

Okay, I'll conceed a little on that one Vincent..

I do overclock my i7 but as I mentioned before, overclocking is not something I typically do for the reasons previously mentioned. The i7 is multiplier locked however manipulating the new bus (It's not FSB anymore) is far more flexible and forgiving then the old days, so going from 2.6 to 3.0Ghz is a really easy overclock. It's almost as if Intel along with Mobo manufacturers are encouraging you to do so..

Jon