Intel Core i7-920 - Core i7 Bloomfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1366 130W Processor - BX80601920

Pros: The i7's are the fastest, most efficient commercially available processors in the world right now. There is really no debate on this.

But, don't be fooled. Of the three offerings right now (the 920, the 940, and the 965 Extreme Edition), this is, by far, the best bang for your buck. After purchasing a good aftermarket cooler (Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme), I easily overclocked this processor to a stable 3.8GHz!!

Yes, 3.8GHz--on air cooling! You can real 'Other Thoughts' for details, but this processor has a tremendous amount of headroom. I even got a 4.2GHz stable on a water system from a similar batch chip.

So, don't waste your money on the more expensive 940 or 965 Extreme unless you really want to go above ~4.0Ghz, or need an unlocked multiplier.

This processor will meet your needs without stealing your wallet.

Cons: It failed the razor test.

The processor was slightly uneven on the top, but not enough to justify lapping. I just had to use more Artic Silver than I'm really comfortable with.

This is a common problem with all processors from both manufacturers, so I can't count it against them.

Come on guys. If an enthusiast can level these by a simple lapping procedure, surely you (Intel/AMD), with your state-of-the-art facilities and resources, can develop a process to ensure a nice, smooth finish before it hits my retail box. =/

Those dips cause heat dissipation issues, you know.

Overall Review: Here's my setup (for the visual people out there):

*Case - Antec 1200
*MB – Asus P6T Deluxe/Palm OC
*CPU – 3.8GHz Intel Core i7 920 CPU (Batch#3842A555) @190x20 @1.25V w/Ultra120 Extreme running two 120mm "Slipstream" Fans @ ~85CFA -- Max load temps are 51-48-52-49 and idles are 30-29-32-26 after 12 hours of prime
*RAM – Corsair Dominator 12GB (6 x 2GB) DDR3 1066/1333 @ 1520MHz 9-8-8-24T
*VGA – SLI – (2) ASUS GTX295
*PSU – Tagan BZ1100 Modular
*HDD – Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB (System Drive), and 3 Seagate 750GB Storage Drives

*BIOS Settings*

AI overclock – Manual
CPU Ratio Setting – 20
BCLK frequency – 190 (Temps were high 70s @ full load for 200, so I brought it down to 190.)
PCIE frequency – 100
DRAM frequency – DDR3 1523MHz
UCLK frequency – 3047MHz
QPI frequency – 6857MHz

Cpu voltage – 1.25v
CPU PLL voltage – 1.96v
QPI-Dram voltage – 1.35v
DRAM Bus voltage – 1.65v
DRAM REF voltage – Auto
CPU Differential Amplitude - 800mV

*Remaining entries

Pros: Excellent CPU. System starts up in seconds, programs run excellent. Self over clock feature is nice.

Cons: Stock cooler is garbage. Default temp is 89 degrees celsius. This is absolutely unacceptable from Intel expecting this type of operation to be acceptable.

Overall Review: CPU is excellent, this has to be the most efficient CPU I've ever used.