Hardware comparing CPU

[Noctosphere]

So yeah, my CPU is a intel i7-2600 3.4ghz
I want to know, what makes this intel i7-6700TE 3.4ghz better than mine?

Both have 4 core/8 thread
Both have a 3.4 ghz speed, but mine is a 2nd gen, this one a 6th gen...
What makes a gen better than another?

 

[TotalInsanity4]

So yeah, my CPU is a intel i7-2600 3.4ghz
I want to know, what makes this intel i7-6700TE 3.4ghz better than mine?

Both have 4 core/8 thread
Both have a 3.4 ghz speed, but mine is a 2nd gen, this one a 6th gen...
What makes a gen better than another?

Generational changes usually reduce heat and make the processors more efficient (gets more done at a lower wattage). Don't upgrade if you don't need to, I hear the second gen is actually very reliable

 

[raystriker]

Generational changes usually reduce heat and make the processors more efficient (gets more done at a lower wattage). Don't upgrade if you don't need to, I hear the second gen is actually very reliable

You are partially correct.

"Tick-Tock" was a model adopted by chip manufacturer Intel Corporation from 2007 to follow every microarchitectural change with a die shrink of the process technology. Every "tick" represents a shrinking of the process technology of the previous microarchitecture and every "tock" designates a new microarchitecture. Every year to 18 months, there is expected to be one tick or tock.


What does this mean?

So here's the thing, every time a new architecture is introduced, we mainly expect an increase in IPC (instructions per clock). More IPC basically means that the CPU can process more information in a given time.

And then we have the refresh, ie improvement in manufacturing process while not really changing the architecture. Manufacturing process basically means the size if the transistors on the silicon chip. Hence, smaller manufacturing process leads to less power consumption and an increased ability to dope more transistors in the silicon chip.

But what does this mean for you?
It means that the 6th gen processor is waaay better at thermals and power consumption while giving much more power from under the hood.

Sandy bridge was great, had the highest IPC jump we've ever seen, but of course over the time, over several generations, it has become irrelevant for those who need high permformance. To even get the i7 2700k to i7 6700k performance wise, you'll have to overclock it to insane Hertz (probably 5ghz+). And not every chip has as much headroom for OC. Not recommended.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

You are partially correct.

"Tick-Tock" was a model adopted by chip manufacturer Intel Corporation from 2007 to follow every microarchitectural change with a die shrink of the process technology. Every "tick" represents a shrinking of the process technology of the previous microarchitecture and every "tock" designates a new microarchitecture. Every year to 18 months, there is expected to be one tick or tock.


What does this mean?

So here's the thing, every time a new architecture is introduced, we mainly expect an increase in IPC (instructions per clock). More IPC basically means that the CPU can process more information in a given time.

And then we have the refresh, ie improvement in manufacturing process while not really changing the architecture. Manufacturing process basically means the size if the transistors on the silicon chip. Hence, smaller manufacturing process leads to less power consumption and an increased ability to dope more transistors in the silicon chip.

But what does this mean for you?
It means that the 6th gen processor is waaay better at thermals and power consumption while giving much more power from under the hood.

Sandy bridge was great, had three highest IPC jump we've ever seen, but of course over the time, over several generations, it has become irrelevant. To even get the i7 2700k to i7 6700k performance wise, you'll have to overclock it to insane Hertz (probably 5ghz+). Not recommended.

Thanks, that was much more eloquent lol. I was trying to give him the quick-n-dirty because I was on mobile at the time.

However, I do disagree on the last point you made. While yes, any Sandy Bridge chip is faaaar behind any Skylake chip, and I would absolutely not recommend buying a Sandy Bridge CPU over a current gen one unless you're on an EXTREME budget (read: "I need to build a computer for less than $200, what do I do?"), this is a CPU that he already has, and unless he has complaints about programs not running because the hardware is out of date, it appears to be serving him quite well. I don't think that an upgrade is necessary.

Ignore that, when you said "not recommended" I thought you were referring to him using the CPU, not overclocking to >5GHz. Whoops

 

[raystriker]

Thanks, that was much more eloquent lol. I was trying to give him the quick-n-dirty because I was on mobile at the time.

However, I do disagree on the last point you made. While yes, any Sandy Bridge chip is faaaar behind any Skylake chip, and I would absolutely not recommend buying a Sandy Bridge CPU over a current gen one unless you're on an EXTREME budget (read: "I need to build a computer for less than $200, what do I do?"), this is a CPU that he already has, and unless he has complaints about programs not running because the hardware is out of date, it appears to be serving him quite well. I don't think that an upgrade is necessary.

Ignore that, when you said "not recommended" I thought you were referring to him using the CPU, not overclocking to >5GHz. Whoops

I quite a agree with your views. A Sandy bridge i7 can easily do most of the tasks without any problem. Day to day and casual tasks won't show much difference between the skylake and sandy bridge. BUT when it comes to playing the latest AAA games or playing around with 4K raw data etc, one will notice a HUGE difference between skylakes and sandy bridges.

 

[endoverend]

GHz and cores aren't the only things that gauge a processor's performance. One is a whole different generation of chip which can mean massive performance changes one way or another. It's not that easy to compare CPUs based on specs alone.