The new quad-core Intel Core i5 3570K, one of two new processors from Intel's new 22nm Ivy Bridge family of CPUs,
With four cores and no Hyperthreading support, there's not a lot of
extra CPU hardware. The clockspeeds and cache haven't budged an inch,
either. As before, we're talking 3.4GHz nominal, 3.8GHz Turbo and 6MB of
cache.For gamers and performance enthusiasts, the most important upgrade is the shrink from 32nm to 22nm process technology and the introduction of Intel's 3D Tri-gate transistors.
For
- Reasonably affordable
- Every bit as good as the 2550K...
Against
- ...but not really any better
- Graphics improved but still not great
So, the existing Core i5 2550K is part of the Sandy Bridge Tock family and the new Intel Core i5 3570K is an Ivy Bridge Tick.
AMD's FX Bulldozer chips, such as the AMD FX 8150, simply cannot compete when it comes to per core performance and that's what you need for a great gaming CPU.
Firstly, with each core consuming less power and taking less space, it could add more cores.
But it didn't.
Alternatively, Intel could have ramped up the clocks.
But it didn't.
Finally, the new Intel Core i5 3570K could be more power efficient than the old Sandy Bridge 2550K.
The Core i5 3570K gets the full fat HD Graphics 4000 core, so that means 16 execution units where the old 2550K had just 12. Each unit gets an upgrade too, with more processing power and an upgrade from DX10 to DX11 suppport.