Intel Core i7-980X Six-Core Processor Extreme Edition Review

PCMark Vantage

PCMark Vantage is the first objective hardware performance benchmark for PCs running 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista. PCMark Vantage is perfectly suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista PC from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops to dedicated workstations and hi-end gaming rigs. Regardless of whether the benchmarker is an artist or an IT Professional, PCMark Vantage shows the user where their system soars or falls flat, and how to get the most performance possible out of their hardware. The PCMark Vantage benchmark was run in 64-bit mode for the results shown below.

Benchmark Results: The Intel Core i7-980X processor had an overall PCMark Vantage score of 17855 PCMarks, which is a 30% performance improvement of the Intel Core i7-975 processor. This is a great performance increase for a processor that costs the same and is a drop-in replacement! The huge jump in the communications test is due to the fact that PCMark Vantage supports AES encryption and the Intel Core i7-980X processor supports AES-NI code!