DDR3 Memory Performance Analysis on Intel X79

The Test System

The Test System

Before we look at the numbers, let’s take a brief look at the test
system that was used. All testing was done on a fresh install of Windows
7 Ultimate 64-bit and benchmarks were completed on the desktop with no
other software programs running. All of the systems ran an AMD Radeon
HD 6950 graphics with Catalyst 11.10 Preview drivers, a Crucial C300
256GB SSD with firmware version 0009, a Corsair HX850W power supply and
all of the systems ran a total of 8GB DDR3 memory at CL9 timings
(1.50V), with the exception of AMD Phenom II processors that were
limited to 1600MHz with CL9 timings. We kept the video cards, power
supplies, solid-state drives, memory timings and voltages identical to
make sure the processors were being kept in the hot seat.

Intel X79/LGA2011 Platform

The Intel X79 platform that we used to test the Intel LGA 2011
processors
was running the Intel DX79SI motherboard with BIOS SI.0280B that came
out on 10/14/2011. The Corsair Dominator GTX4 8GB 2400MHz quad channel
memory kit was set to 1866MHz with 1.5v and 9-10-9-28 1T memory timings.
We also used a Zalman CNPS12X CPU Cooler. CPU-Z version 1.58.7 does not
properly read the Intel Core i7-3960 processor, so the memory clock
settings are not being shown correctly.