Mobile Core i7 920XM, Clarksfield: Nehalem on-the-go
by Jarred Walton on September 23, 2009 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Test Setup
For this initial look, we're only going to include a subset of our performance benchmarks. Normally we would include results from PCMark, but the Clarksfield system shipped with an SSD and the other test systems have their own take on storage, making PCMark results meaningless. We all know SSDs are faster at certain tasks, but without using the same SSD in all three systems we can't really compare performance. That's part of the reason why this is only an abbreviated preview; we have a lot more benchmark results, but we're not just comparing CPU performance. We will have a complete review of all three notebooks in the near future, where we will go into further details about configuration options. For now, here's the skinny on what we are testing.
| Clevo W87CU Test System | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-920XM (2.0GHz 55W TDP) (Quad-core + Hyper-Threading, 45nm, 4x256K L2, 8MB L3) |
| Memory | 2x2048MB PC3-10700 @ DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 |
| Graphics | 1 x NVIDIA GTX 280M (Driver Version 186.81) |
| Display | 17.3" Glossy WXSGA+ (1600x900) |
| Hard Drive | OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD |
| Optical Drive | 8x SATA DVDR |
| Battery | 6-cell, 11.1V, 3800mAh, 42.18Wh |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit |
| Eurocom M980NU XCaliber Test System | |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 QX9300 (2.53GHz, 45W TDP) (Quad-core, 45nm, 2x6MB Shared L2) |
| Memory | 2x2048MB PC3-10700 @ DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 |
| Graphics | 2 x NVIDIA GTX 280M (Driver Version 186.03 SLI/186.81 No SLI) |
| Display | 18.4" Glossy 1080p (1920x1080) |
| Hard Drive | Seagate 500GB 16MB 7200RPM (Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420ASG) |
| Optical Drive | 8x SATA DVDR/BD-ROM |
| Battery | 9-cell, 14.8V, 4650mAh, 68.82Wh |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit |
| AVADirect Clevo D900F Test System | |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-975 (3.33GHz, 130W TDP) (Quad-core + Hyper-Threading, 45nm, 4x256K L2, 8MB L3) |
| Memory | 3x2048MB PC3-8500 @ DDR3-1066 7-7-7-20 |
| Graphics | 1 x NVIDIA GTX 280M (Driver Version 186.81) |
| Display | 17.0" Glossy WUXGA (1920x1200) |
| Hard Drive | 2 x OCZ Vertex 30GB SSDs in RAID 0 Seagate 500GB 16MB 7200RPM (Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420AS) |
| Optical Drive | 8x SATA DVDR |
| Battery | 12-cell, 14.4V, 6600mAh, 95.04Wh |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit |
Clevo's W87CU is our Clarksfield test platform. Unfortunately (fortunately), Intel shipped it to us with their 80GB SSD and Windows 7. That creates a couple problems. First, all of our previous laptop results come from Windows Vista, and as we recently showed, your choice of OS makes a difference. Since we wanted to try to compare apples-to-apples, we replaced the OS with Vista on our own OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD (our disk cloning software wouldn't work with the W87CU hardware, so we left the original Windows 7 installation alone - we will go back to it in a later review). The system ships with a single GTX 280M.
Representing the old guard, Eurocom's M980NU XCaliber uses a Core 2 Extreme QX9300 - the pinnacle of laptop performance prior to the launch of Clarksfield. The CPU is paired up with two GTX 280M graphics cards in SLI, all stuffed into a gigantic 18.4" chassis. This is essentially the NVIDIA equivalent of the 4870X2 ASUS W90Vp, with a slightly faster CPU. (Remember that the W90Vp allows an easy overclock to 2.27GHz.) We will also test performance with SLI disabled in order to compare results with the other two notebooks.
The final entrant in our benchmarks today really muddies the waters. The Clarksfield i7-920XM is the fastest mobile CPU currently available, which makes the Clevo W87CU the fastest notebook available, right? Well, no, since Clevo already went and stuffed a desktop i7 Bloomfield CPU into their D900F - and not just any Bloomfield CPU; the D900F supports everything up to the top-end i7-975. AVADirect was kind enough to send us just such a system for review, and it also ships with a single GTX 280M. It also has dual 30GB SSDs for the primary drive, providing a ton of bandwidth for data transfers.
What we have are three top-of-the-line desktop replacement notebooks, using the three fastest CPUs you can find in a notebook (even if one of them is a desktop CPU). All of the systems use NVIDIA's GTX 280M, so when we look at graphics performance we can remove the GPU as a factor and see how the CPUs impact frame rates - if at all.
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strikeback03 - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
So when are we going to see Arrandale? At these prices not so interested in Clarksfield.strikeback03 - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
Also, probably Dragon error:If you're after optimal gaming performance, obviously just kidding, the fastest CPU or the fastest GPU alone won't cut it in every situation.
bottom of page 7.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
I have no idea what I was even trying to say on that one. Hmmm.... Dragon at 8AM after working for 20 hours straight is NOT my friend! :-) Oh, wait: "just getting" without the comma should work.As for Arrandale, it's due out in Q1 2010, so not too far off. 32nm and dual-core + Hyper-Threading should be very compelling I think.
strikeback03 - Thursday, September 24, 2009 - link
yeah, just getting is what I assumed it was.So no Arrandale before Christmas? That's too bad.
TA152H - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
Finally a review conclusion I can agree with.Dual core with hyperthreading should be better. I also don't think laptops will replace desktops for gaming. Is Intel crazy? That's just such a strange prediction, I don't know why they would think it's even remotely possible.
I think they should have waited for 32nm before releasing a Nehalem for mobile. Really, they have no competition from AMD worth speaking about, and 32nm could have been done right - with an integrated IGP if desired, and low enough power use that it's not one hour and out.
A micro-ATX setup with a handle, a Bloomfield and a real video card would probably be better for the vast majority of gamers than this one. You don't get true portability, but with only one hour of life, you don't really get it with this either.
The gloom and doom for desktops is always overstated. For one, laptops are really only comfortable for women and weak, pencil-necked men. If you have any size, the keyboard is a nightmare, and none come with the natural keyboard which men's shoulder width really begs for.
On top of this, mouse movement is a pain in the neck with that replacement. A mouse is just more comfortable. Then you have to worry about power, which kind of ruins a lot of the fun with computers - just kind of doing what you feel like and relaxing. Who wants to worry about power? Then, you're limited by screens. Of course, you can dock these things, and use them as desktops, in which case they only have disadvantages (although not as many) in this role, and no advantages.
So, I think desktops will always be around, and always be the preferred tool even if you have both.
I think one reason laptops sell pretty well is, ironically, because they are unreliable, and need replacement much more often. They are also more difficult to upgrade, also necessitating replacement rather than upgrade. So, the reasons aren't all good.
Penti - Saturday, September 26, 2009 - link
To be fair it's a desktop replacement cpu, like their many released before. Yes it will replace desktops for gaming but only for some. DTR cpus are also used for high-end mobile workstations. It's not for everybody get your grip together. They don't do everything because competition from AMD.goinginstyle - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
The cut and paste king is at it again."A micro-ATX setup with a handle, a Bloomfield and a real video card would probably be better for the vast majority of gamers than this one. "
You have to be kidding, Lynnfield offers far superior power management and consumption plus better overall performance than Bloomfield. Something you would actually want in a micro-ATX setup, instead of a heat generator like Bloomfield. Even the Phenom/Athlon II would make for a better micro-ATX gaming platform than the energy sucking Bloomfield.
Before you get on your high horse about Bloomfield and overclocking, it's not going to make any difference in a micro-ATX system compared to Lynnfield, except to make the temperatures unbearable.
How is that next cut and paste article coming along for Toms? Are you going to do the history of lawnmowers on this one?
TA152H - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
Dude, are you gay or something? What is your obsession with me?Wouldn't your current boyfriend be upset if he saw your obsession.
Micro-Atx would, naturally, be plugged in. What kind of an idiot are you? Battery life wouldn't matter in this context. The micro-ATX would be for easy movement from one place to another. Some of them are really small, light (so even you could move it), and easily transported. I wasn't implying you'd want to use it from a battery.
Didn't you understand that within the context? Clearly, you're a moron. And a gay, obsessive one. Get a life. You need attention, clearly, but not from me. Find someone else.
goinginstyle - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
What is your obsession with posting negative comments to every article at AT? They have proven you wrong every step of the way. Why they even wasted their time is beyond me but I have to hand it to them for even paying attention to you.You obviously do not make these sames posts at Toms? I just read through the comments on the last six or seven articles. Especially the cpu related ones and you did not make a single comment even though their conclusion, test methods, and information is nearly the same at ATs when comparing Lynnfield vs Bloomfield. Why is that?
You brought up the Bloomfield micro-ATX setup and I was just replying to one not so bright idea of yours about Bloomfield once again being superior. The last thing you want in a micro-ATX system you will be lugging around to LAN parties is a Bloomfield cpu and X58 chipset. Heat is thy enemy and this platform has ridiculous power consumption compared to Lynnfield or Phenom II. Considering the alternatives available I would say Bloomfield should be one of the last ones to suggest.
TA152H - Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - link
You're really not that stupid, are you?My post wasn't negative. I agreed with the author. I don't agree with Intel, and neither did he. What is your problem, besides liking me?
They didn't prove anything, at all. You're just too stupid to see through the weird benchmarking. Maybe I stopped reading before they posted their 'proof'. But, really, Anand's apple to apple benches proved my point. In their first article, they were saying they were the same or better. Then, all of the sudden, the Bloomfield is 3.5% faster, normalized! Sometimes almost 10%, on real world benchmarks. Fancy that! Although, this time they screwed up by making the Bloomfield uncore faster, so it's not 100% accurate.
Tom's also showed a lot of advantages of the Bloomfield. This site just rubbed me the wrong way because they were doing whatever they could to make the Lynnfield look better than it really is. Is 3% a big deal? Who knows? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. That's a matter of perspective. But, when I see 0%, or -1%, and I know it's just not so, that's where someone has to say something. If they were arguing 3% isn't so important, then, so be it. But, show the 3%, instead of hiding it behind bogus setups that hide it.
You wouldn't understand because you're simple. But, life isn't simple. Very few things are good or bad, completely.
By the way, why would power matter more for micro-ATX than for anything else? The Bloomfield is king of the hill. I'm not crazy about the power use, really, I'm not, but, for a gaming platform, I'd want the best. I'd put up with the additional power use.
For a computer I'd put in the kitchen and would only surf on, I'd probably be much more inclined to look at power. Of course, even then I wouldn't consider the Lynnfield. I'd get a Core 2 or Pentium, a G45, and get all the performance I needed.
Also, you probably didn't notice, because Gary hid it, that the voltage needed to overclock the Lynnfield was considerably higher than the Bloomfield. That makes me a little nervous. But, still, I agree completely the x58 needs to go on a diet. I wish Intel would move it down to 45nm. It's a high end platform, it deserves it.
So, it's not the size, it's the application. Hmmmm, that could have a different context, but, remember we're talking about computers here.