The most powerful mobile Haswell. The most powerful mobile Haswell Working with raster graphics

Processor Core i7-3630QM, the price of a new one on Amazon and ebay is 27,300 rubles, which is equal to $471. Marked by the manufacturer as: AW8063801106200.

The number of cores is 4, produced using a 22 nm process technology, Ivy Bridge architecture. Thanks to Hyper-Threading technology, the number of threads is 8, which is twice the number of physical cores and increases the performance of multi-threaded applications and games.

The base frequency of the Core i7-3630QM cores is 2.4 GHz. The maximum frequency in Intel Turbo Boost mode reaches 3.4 GHz. Please note that the Intel Core i7-3630QM cooler must cool processors with a TDP of at least 45 W at standard frequencies. During overclocking, the requirements increase.

The motherboard for Intel Core i7-3630QM must be with FCPGA988 socket. The power system must be able to withstand processors with a thermal package of at least 45 W.

Thanks to the integrated Intel® HD Graphics 4000, the computer can operate without a discrete graphics card because the monitor is connected to the video output on the motherboard.

Price in Russia

Family

Intel Core i7-3630QM test

The data comes from user tests who tested their systems both overclocked and unoverclocked. Thus, you see the average values ​​​​corresponding to the processor.

Numerical speed

Different tasks require different CPU strengths. A system with a small number of fast cores will be great for gaming, but will be inferior to a system with a large number of slow cores in a rendering scenario.

We believe that a processor with at least 4 cores/4 threads is suitable for a budget gaming computer. At the same time, some games can load it at 100% and slow down, and performing any tasks in the background will lead to a drop in FPS.

Ideally, the buyer should aim for a minimum of 6/6 or 6/12, but keep in mind that systems with more than 16 threads are currently only suitable for professional applications.

The data is obtained from tests of users who tested their systems both overclocked (the maximum value in the table) and without (the minimum). A typical result is shown in the middle, with the color bar indicating its position among all systems tested.

Accessories

We have compiled a list of components that users most often choose when assembling a computer based on the Core i7-3630QM. Also, with these components, the best test results and stable operation are achieved.

The most popular config: motherboard for Intel Core i7-3630QM - Asus T100CHI, video card - GeForce GT 420.

Characteristics

Basic

Video core

RAM

Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz (8CPUs),~2.4GHz what does (8CPUs) mean? and why does the manager have 8 cores? and got the best answer

Answer from Ildar[expert]
There are only 4 cores in the process. but they can process up to eight threads in parallel. That's why there's an error in the description. should be 4C (4 cores) 8T (8 threads) here is a link to the processor description: link
and in the dispatcher, each thread is like a logical core... like 8 cores, although in reality there are 4.

Reply from Masha[newbie]
There are 4 cores but they can process up to eight threads in parallel (i.e. 4 virtual cores) so 8 cores, everything is correct

Reply from GT[guru]
The fast quad-core Intel Core i7-3630QM mobile processor is based on the new Ivy Bridge architecture. This architecture replaced Sandy Bridge and received a number of improvements and updates. Among these are the 22 nm technological process instead of 32 nm for Sandy Bridge, the use of 3D transistors for greater energy efficiency compared to the Sandy Bridge generation, as well as support for the PCI Express 3.0 bus and the DDR3(L)-1600 memory standard. In addition to technologies such as VT-d and vPro, the 3630QM also supports all the features available in the Ivy Bridge architecture, such as VT-x, AES and Trusted Execution.
With Hyper-Threading technology, four cores can handle up to eight threads in parallel, resulting in more efficient CPU utilization. Each core has a base frequency of 2.4 GHz, which can be dynamically increased with Turbo Boost technology up to 3.2 GHz for 4 active cores, up to 3.3 GHz with 2 active cores, and up to 3.4 GHz if only one core is used.

Reply from Prik Sidorov[guru]
8CPUs
CPU processor in this case core
8 quantity
s cores
if in short CPU core CPUs cores
total 8 core
The dispatcher displays the load on each core, that is, 8 cores

Reply from Cheerful cat[guru]
8 CPUs - someone made a joke
Because HT goes to each core as a log. percent .
The funny thing is that without HT this CPU runs faster))

Reply from 3 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz (8CPUs), ~2.4GHz what does (8CPUs) mean? and why does the manager have 8 cores?

Product release date.

Lithography

Lithography indicates the semiconductor technology used to produce integrated chipsets and the report is shown in nanometer (nm), which indicates the size of the features built into the semiconductor.

Number of cores

Core count is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (chip).

Number of threads

A thread or thread of execution is a software term that refers to a basic, ordered sequence of instructions that can be transmitted or processed by a single CPU core.

Base processor clock speed

The base frequency of the processor is the speed at which the processor transistors open/close. The base frequency of the processor is the operating point where the design power (TDP) is set. Frequency is measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billions of cycles per second.

Maximum clock speed with Turbo Boost technology

Maximum Turbo Clock Speed ​​is the maximum single-core processor clock speed that can be achieved using its supported Intel® Turbo Boost and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost technologies. Frequency is measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billions of cycles per second.

Cache memory

The processor cache is an area of ​​high-speed memory located in the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to an architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share last-level cache access.

System bus frequency

A bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components or between computers. An example is the system bus (FSB), through which data is exchanged between the processor and the memory controller unit; DMI interface, which is a point-to-point connection between the integrated Intel memory controller and the Intel I/O controller assembly on the system board; and a Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) connecting the processor and integrated memory controller.

Design power

Thermal design power (TDP) indicates the average performance in watts when the processor's power is dissipated (running at base frequency with all cores engaged) under a challenging workload as defined by Intel. Read the requirements for thermoregulation systems presented in the technical description.

Available options for embedded systems

Available options for embedded systems indicate products that provide extended purchasing availability for intelligent systems and embedded solutions. Product specifications and conditions of use are provided in the Production Release Qualification (PRQ) report. Contact your Intel representative for details.

Max. memory capacity (depending on memory type)

Max. memory capacity refers to the maximum amount of memory supported by the processor.

Memory types

Intel® processors support four different types of memory: single-channel, dual-channel, triple-channel, and Flex.

Max. number of memory channels

The number of memory channels determines the throughput of applications.

Max. memory bandwidth

Max. Memory bandwidth refers to the maximum speed at which data can be read from or stored in memory by the processor (in GB/s).

ECC memory support‡

ECC memory support indicates the processor's support for error correction code memory. ECC memory is a type of memory that supports identifying and correcting common types of internal memory corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Processor Integrated Graphics‡

The processor's graphics system is a graphics processing circuit integrated into the processor that shapes the operation of video system functions, computing processes, multimedia and information display. Intel® HD Graphics, Iris™ Graphics, Iris Plus Graphics, and Iris Pro Graphics deliver advanced media conversion, high frame rates, and 4K Ultra HD (UHD) video capabilities. For more information, see the Intel® Graphics Technology page.

Graphics Base Clock

The graphics base clock is the nominal/guaranteed graphics rendering clock speed (MHz).

Max. dynamic graphics frequency

Max. Dynamic Graphics Frequency is the maximum conventional rendering frequency (MHz) supported by Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency.

Graphics output

The graphics output defines the interfaces available for interacting with the device's displays.

Intel® Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video Technology enables fast video conversion for portable media players, web hosting, and video editing and creation.

InTru™ 3D technology

Intel® InTRU™ 3D technology enables 3D stereoscopic Blu-ray* video playback at 1080p resolution using HDMI* 1.4 and high-quality audio.

Intel® Flexible Display Interface (Intel® FDI)

Intel® Flexible Display is an innovative interface that enables independent display on two channels using integrated graphics.

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a set of video encoding and processing technologies built into the processor's integrated graphics. These technologies make video playback more stable and graphics clearer, more vibrant and more realistic. Intel® Clear Video HD technology delivers more vibrant colors and more realistic skin with video quality enhancements.

PCI Express Edition

The PCI Express edition is the version supported by the processor. PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed serial expansion bus standard for computers to connect hardware devices to it. Different versions of PCI Express support different data transfer rates.

PCI Express Configurations‡

PCI Express (PCIe) configurations describe the available PCIe channel configurations that can be used to map PCIe PCHs to PCIe devices.

Max. number of PCI Express channels

The PCI Express (PCIe) link consists of two pairs of signaling channels, one for receiving and the other for transmitting data, and this channel is the base module of the PCIe bus. The PCI Express lane count represents the total number of lanes supported by the processor.

Supported Connectors

A socket is a component that provides mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and the motherboard.

T JUNCTION

The temperature at the actual contact patch is the maximum temperature allowed on the processor die.

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology‡

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor frequency to the required level, using the difference between the nominal and maximum temperature and power parameters, allowing you to increase power efficiency or overclock the processor when necessary.

Intel® vPro™ Platform Compliant

Intel® vPro™ technology is an on-processor management and security suite designed to address four key areas of information security: 1) Threat management, including protection against rootkits, viruses and other malware 2) Privacy protection and targeted secure website access 3) Protect sensitive personal and business information 4) Remote and local monitoring, patching, PC and workstation repairs.

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology‡

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) provides two processing threads for each physical core. Multi-threaded applications can perform more tasks in parallel, making work much faster.

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)‡

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-x) allows a single hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. The technology improves management capabilities, reducing downtime and maintaining productivity by dedicating separate partitions for computing operations.

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)‡

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O complements virtualization support in IA-32 architecture-based processors (VT-x) and Itanium® processors (VT-i) with I/O device virtualization capabilities. Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O helps users increase system security, reliability, and I/O device performance in virtual environments.

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)‡

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables Technology, also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), accelerates memory-intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables technology on Intel® Virtualization Technology-enabled platforms reduces memory and power overhead and improves battery life by optimizing page forward table management in hardware.

Intel® 64‡ Architecture

Intel® 64 architecture, when combined with the right software, supports 64-bit applications on servers, workstations, desktops, and laptops.¹ Intel® 64 architecture delivers performance improvements that enable computing systems to utilize more than 4 GB of virtual and physical memory .

Command set

The instruction set contains the basic commands and instructions that the microprocessor understands and can execute. The value shown indicates which Intel instruction set the processor is compatible with.

Command Set Extensions

Instruction set extensions are additional instructions that can be used to improve performance when performing operations on multiple data objects. These include SSE (Support for SIMD Extensions) and AVX (Vector Extensions).

Intel® My WiFi Technology

Intel® My WiFi technology wirelessly connects your Ultrabook™ or laptop to WiFi-enabled devices such as printers, stereo systems, and more.

Wireless technology 4G WiMAX

4G WiMAX Wireless technology provides wireless broadband Internet access at speeds up to 4 times faster than 3G.

Idle states

Idle state (or C-state) mode is used to save power when the processor is idle. C0 means operating state, that is, the CPU is currently performing useful work. C1 is the first idle state, C2 is the second idle state, etc. The higher the numerical indicator of the C-state, the more energy saving actions the program performs.

Advanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology delivers high performance while meeting the power requirements of mobile systems. Standard Intel SpeedStep® technology allows you to switch voltage and frequency levels depending on the load on the processor. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology is built on the same architecture and uses design strategies such as voltage and frequency change separation, and clock distribution and recovery.

Intel® Demand Based Switching Technology

Intel® Demand Based Switching is a power management technology that keeps the microprocessor's application voltage and clock speed at the minimum required until increased processing power is required. This technology was introduced to the server market under the name Intel SpeedStep®.

Thermal control technologies

Thermal management technologies protect the processor chassis and system from failure due to overheating with multiple thermal management features. An on-chip Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) senses core temperature, and thermal management features reduce processor chassis power consumption when necessary, thereby reducing temperatures to ensure operation within normal operating specifications.

Intel® Fast Memory Access Technology

Intel® Fast Memory Access Technology is an advanced graphics memory controller block (GMCH) backbone architecture that improves system performance by optimizing the use of available bandwidth and reducing memory access latency.

Intel® Flex Memory Access Technology

Intel® Flex Memory Access makes upgrading easy by supporting a variety of memory sizes and operating in dual-channel mode.

Intel® Privacy Technology‡

Intel® Privacy Technology is a built-in, token-based security technology. This technology provides simple, reliable controls on access to online commercial and business data, protecting against security threats and fraud. Intel® Privacy Technology uses hardware-based mechanisms to authenticate PCs to websites, banking systems, and online services to ensure that your PC is unique, protects against unauthorized access, and prevents malware attacks. Intel® Privacy Protection Technology can be used as a key component of two-factor authentication solutions designed to protect information on websites and control access to business applications.

Intel® Trusted Execution Technology‡

Intel® Trusted Execution Technology enhances secure command execution through hardware enhancements to Intel® processors and chipsets. This technology provides digital office platforms with security features such as measured application launch and secure command execution. This is achieved by creating an environment where applications run in isolation from other applications on the system.

Function Execute Cancel Bit ‡

The execution cancel bit is a hardware security feature that can reduce vulnerability to viruses and malicious code, and prevent malware from executing and spreading on a server or network.

Anti-Theft Technology

Intel® Anti-Theft Technology helps keep data on your laptop safe if it's lost or stolen. To use Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, you must subscribe to an Intel® Anti-Theft Technology service provider.

Core i7 4930MX vs 3610QM, 3630QM in MSI GT70 gaming laptops

The Intel Core i7 line, both desktop and mobile, includes the most powerful processors for the mass market. Initially, Core i7 (at least mobile ones) assumed the use of four cores with Hyper-Threading technology, i.e., a total of 8 threads. However, only a small part of applications could use all these threads, and most still work in one, or at most two, threads. Therefore, the benefits of the Core i7 were evident only in a small number of applications, and often the Core i5 with a higher clock speed was faster. Multi-core Core i7s also had other significant disadvantages: large die size, high price, high power consumption and heat dissipation, which is why they are contraindicated for use in thin and light laptops.

However, the reputation of “the most powerful processor” has stuck with them. Therefore, Intel quickly changed tactics and began to urge everyone to distinguish between Core i5 and Core i7 not by the number of cores, but by the overall level of performance. And in general, the company knows better which processor goes where. So older Core i5 models with higher operating frequencies migrated to the Core i7 line.

In recent generations, the situation has been aggravated by the emergence of ultramobile lines. They also have their own Core i7s, which, God forbid, are comparable in performance to mobile Core i5s.

Today we will look at the performance of the “real” Intel Core i7 of the new generation of Core architecture, Haswell: Core i7-4930MX. Moreover, this is actually the top processor in the line. Well, since it came to us as part of the new generation of the MSI GT70 gaming laptop, then we will compare it with similar gaming systems of the previous generation.

Intel Haswell

The new Intel Haswell platform (its official name is “fourth generation Intel Core”) has two main development priorities:

• Increasing energy efficiency
• Development and improvement of graphics subsystem performance

As for energy efficiency, judging by the fact that NVIDIA representatives constantly talk about the same thing, this is a new modern trend in market development. Its essence is that in new generations of chips the level of performance either remains at the same level or increases slightly, but it is achieved with much less energy consumption and heat generation. In this case, we probably took a bad example for a starting acquaintance with the Haswell ideology: 57 W of the processor and the howling fan of the cooling system are not the energy efficiency indicators that can convince me.

As for the central processor units, there are no global changes compared to Ivy Bridge, but Intel continues to hone the architecture: there are a lot of seemingly small improvements and optimizations that should eliminate many bottlenecks. As a result, Haswell processors should work faster in real-world tasks precisely due to optimal load distribution. Numerous minor improvements to the energy saving system are aimed, as I understand it, mainly at quickly turning off and then turning on the necessary processor units (or the processor in general) on demand. It brings back associations with hybrid cars, where the system shuts down the engine at any stop. Let's hope that at least the results will be better.

Once again, the most serious work was done on the integrated graphics core. It has been improved again: now there are several versions with different numbers of graphic blocks, etc. Note that priority in development was given to mobile solutions. The fourth generation Core i7 mobile processors feature an HD Graphics 4600 core (this is the GT2 platform) with 20 units and some other improvements aimed at radically increasing operating speed. By the way, the Quicksync hardware transcoder has also been optimized.

In principle, I’m already starting to get used to the fact that the TDP of Intel processors is only growing with the transition to a thinner technical process with other optimizations. It grows, as a rule, due to the built-in graphics, which... is not needed here. Because for working in economy mode (roughly speaking, on a desktop), not only HD 4000, but even HD 3000 is enough to spare, despite the fact that modern applications are increasingly using functions related to 3D graphics. And where serious 3D performance is needed, external (discrete) graphics must be used, which any normal manufacturer will definitely install in a laptop with a top-end Core i7.

Integrated graphics performance will be much more important for low-cost models, as well as in thin and light laptops, where cost issues, as well as power consumption and heat dissipation (including from the dedicated graphics chip) become critical. Another question is that by strengthening the graphics part of the processor chip, Intel creates problems with this same heat generation and dissipation. However, we’d better leave these considerations for research devoted to the above-mentioned processors.

To summarize, it is already obvious that the main and most interesting events for Haswell will unfold in the market for energy-efficient solutions, and we will try to address them as quickly as possible. And today we are testing powerful mobile systems with top performance for a laptop - so we’ll talk about them.

MSI GT70

The performance study was conducted on three laptops... which in most respects represent one model in which the platform is constantly updated - this is the MSI GT70. The appearance of the model, the location of ports and connectors, the keyboard and other parameters have not changed for quite a long time - apparently, the company considers them so successful that they do not need a radical update. The new MSI GT70 on the Haswell platform is practically no different in appearance from its predecessors.

However, the MSI GT70 Dragon Edition stands somewhat apart. Its aluminum panels were made in a chic red color with an engraving of a dragon silhouette. It looks very unusual and directly attracts the eye. Dragon Edition has a very high-performance configuration, but at the same time it costs a lot: around 90,000 rubles. That is, this model was really only available to fan players, but at the same time it looked and worked appropriately.

However, the main advantage of the GT70 line, according to MSI, is its powerful and balanced configurations. The point is that when developing a laptop, engineers try to optimize performance as much as possible and remove bottlenecks that can hobble even very powerful chips. This is important for top-end solutions (such as those we are testing today), but it is especially important for mid-level solutions, where every percent of performance counts. As you can see, in this regard, Intel and MSI follow similar priorities.

Configuration of tested models

So, to evaluate performance we used three laptops:

• MSI GT70 on the new Intel Haswell platform (prototype)

We will no longer refer to the features of specific laptop models (the links above are enough to evaluate them), but will turn to their configuration.

It's immediately noticeable that the Haswell prototype has a much more powerful configuration than Ivy Bridge laptops. The processor belongs to the Extreme line and is, in fact, the most powerful in the line, while the 3610QM and 3630QM can rather be called “the fastest mass-produced models” (at the time of their release, and not to this day). In addition, the new GT70 has a top-end NVIDIA graphics chip. (Laptops with GTX 680M, unfortunately, never made it to us. Although there were 670M, 675MX... There were very few left!)

Thus, in terms of positioning and technical characteristics, the new generation processor is significantly higher in class, and an equal comparison in terms of technical parameters and operating frequencies will not work. On the one hand, this is a global disadvantage of mobile platforms: it is rarely possible to find two comparable configurations for testing; There will always be at least something different (or there is a similar configuration, but it simply cannot be physically obtained). On the other hand (we've already talked about this before), comparisons of laptops are usually made at the level of products, not subsystems. Although the new GT70 will still outperform its predecessors, it will probably cost significantly more.

However, let's wait with the conclusions. In the meantime, let's compare the technical characteristics of the processors participating in testing.

The testing includes two Ivy Bridge processors, Intel Core i7 3610QM and 3630QM. The difference between them is small: 100 MHz in both modes. There is even an idea that one processor was simply rebranded as another for marketing purposes. The 3630QM also has a slightly higher maximum graphics core frequency. Plus, let me remind you that the laptops participating in the comparison have different memory installed (DDR3-1333 versus DDR3-1600), and this can also give the older one some increase in performance. Let's see what the difference in performance will be between them.

The Core i7-4930MX (Haswell) processor has significantly higher base frequencies, but it overclocks a little less: by 900 MHz rather than 1 GHz. As a percentage, the difference when operating at the nominal frequency is 25%, at the overclocking frequency it is less - only 15%. Well, there is a new graphics core, HD Graphics 4600. It is worth noting that it has a wider frequency range: in idle time the frequency can be lower, and under load it can be higher than that of the Ivy Bridge graphics core. By the way, the Haswell line has processors with parameters very close to the 3630QM, and later we will try to compare the performance of two generations of the Core platform under similar conditions. For now, we note that with the difference in the results of “processor” tests (not using 3D graphics) being around 15-25%, this difference will most likely be due solely to the higher frequency of the top Haswell processor.

As already mentioned, the Intel Core i7-4930MX on Haswell belongs to the extreme line and is actually a top-end processor, so it has several features. Firstly, it has higher operating frequencies, which comes at a price: it has a high TDP, 57 W. For similar processors on Ivy Bridge it was 55 W, for the 3610QM and 3630QM participating in testing - 45 W. The same is with the cache: processors from the Extreme line have 8 MB versus 6 MB for “regular” ones. Oh, and also a high price. If for the 3630QM the recommended price was 378 dollars, then for the new processor it was 1096. It is clear that the processor has just launched, and this is the base price, and we will never, ever know the amount of discounts for manufacturers, but... You can see a complete comparison of the parameters of the used processors.

During testing, we, unfortunately, crashed the RAID with test data, which slightly shortened the testing program (in particular, heating tests, noise tests, etc.). On the other hand, I think that this is even good: the fact is that we had a pre-production sample that did not always work adequately. Therefore, we’d better test the final laptop, especially since the Russian MSI office promised to provide us with such an opportunity.

Performance Research

For synthetic tests, we just present the results for now.

The GT70 Dragon Edition, for example, has a PCMark 7 score of 5352 points, i.e. the results of the Core i7-4930MX are about 20% better.

We won’t comment much on synthetics for now, but let’s move on to performance tests in real applications.

2012 Test Method Performance Study

To determine the performance level of the GT70 with an Intel Core i7-4930MX, we used our usual testing methodology in real-world applications. I remind readers that its results (but not ratings!) are compatible with any other testing, including desktop systems. We took the results of the GT70 with an Intel Core i7-3610QM processor as 100%.

And just a little explanation regarding the data in the tables. I try to show the test results so that you can clearly see how and what worked. For example, a difference of 10% looks significant, but if in reality this difference was provided by one extra second, then it is clear that the difference is within the measurement error. For approximately the same purposes, the article provides a rating for each application, and not just for the group as a whole. Even in this study, it is clear that often the failure of one application (and most often this is the result of a technical failure) neutralizes the success in other tests.

If the test result is given in time units, then the less time spent, the better. If it’s in points, then almost always the more points, the better. I will discuss the opposite situations separately.

Archiving and unarchiving data

The archiving test shows quite well how the processor behaves in simple computing tasks. True, not all archivers are able to use several cores, so parallelization there is not the most effective, and unarchiving is generally always a single-threaded process.

The difference between the two Ivy Bridge laptops is predictably low, only 2%. Nevertheless, it is there, and it is worth noting. But the Core i7-4930MX immediately shows an advantage of 25%. Moreover, it is interesting that it gives the maximum increase in unzipping, i.e., in fact, when it comes to performance per core. So here we have every reason to believe that we are only seeing the effect of a higher clock speed on the i7-4930MX, and often even this frequency does not provide it with proportional acceleration.

Browsers and office applications

The Dragon Edition is still ahead of the “regular” GT70 by 3%, but the Core i7-4930MX increases its advantage to 31%. That is, the new processor feels very good in office applications.

Working with raster graphics

In working with raster graphics, the Dragon Edition also increases its advantage over the regular version - it is likely that this is due to faster memory. The Core i7-4930MX outperforms the 3610QM by 29% on average in the group. A very solid advantage.

Working with vector graphics

Here, unfortunately, the GT70 failed the tests. However, if we take the results of the 3930QM as 100%, then the Core i7-4930MX again takes a serious lead. On average for the group - also by 25%.

Audio encoding

Audio encoding is another test for a fairly simple and stable computational load. Moreover, for each thread, the benchmark starts its own encoding process, i.e., it occupies all available cores and threads. Here, the Dragon Edition is 3% faster than the base version (slightly higher operating frequency and possibly faster memory), the Core i7-4930MX is 22% faster.

Interestingly, as soon as the load became “constant” rather than “variable,” the advantage of the Core i7-4930MX immediately noticeably decreased and returned to a difference comparable to the difference in clock frequencies.

Video encoding

In terms of the final score, there is no difference between the two Ivy Bridge laptops, but in reality, as you can see, the Dragon Edition has the same 3% advantage, which is simply offset by the failure in Vegas Pro. The Core i7-4930MX, by the way, also performed poorly in this particular test, which reduced its overall superiority in the group to 21%. However, as we can see from the detailed breakdown, in this type of task it is also 28-30% faster on average.

Games (high graphics settings)

Wow! 138% and 210%! This is where the actual attributes of gaming laptops come into play - NVIDIA graphics adapters, and the speed increase provided by older solutions is quite impressive. So as a gaming laptop, the new GT70 with a Haswell processor and NVIDIA GTX 780M looks great.

Games (low graphics settings)

At low graphics settings, the ratings are corrected: 105% and 144%. In this mode, the average fps depends more on the central processor than on the video card. However, compared to the reference 3910QM laptop, the new model with Core i7-4930MX gives a very good increase of 44%. The absolute fps values ​​are impressive here too.

I would like to emphasize that these tests used external (discrete) graphics; we did not test integrated graphics.

Java

The Dragon Edition is 2% faster, and the 4930MX is a very healthy 28%. At the same time, as we see, the Microsoft compiler reacts to the growth of platform capabilities much less than other compilers, otherwise the advantage would be more than 30 percent.

Mathematical calculations

In this group of tests for Matlab, Creo Elements and SolidWorks, ratings are calculated in reverse: the lower, the better.

On average, the Dragon Edition is 4% ahead of the regular GT70, and the new model with Core i7-4930MX is 37% ahead of the regular GT70. A very impressive increase, and this is significantly more than the average in our tests.

3D: working in the editor

In this group of tests for Creo Elements and SolidWorks, the ratings are calculated in reverse: the lower the better.

When rendering in a 3D editor, the resources of the graphics adapter are used, so a powerful video card significantly improves the results. In total, the increase in the Dragon Edition is 6%, but the Core i7-4930MX is as much as 85%.

3D: final rendering

And lastly, the final rendering. This is again an intensive load, multi-threaded and purely processor-intensive. Here the Dragon Edition still has the same 3% advantage, but the Core i7-4930MX outperforms the reference configuration by 34%.

Off the mark: multitasking

The last test is, as they say, out of the general standings. This is a test of parallel operation of several resource-intensive applications.

In general, the advantages of using more powerful components are obvious: with the new platform you will save 3 out of 17 minutes on the overall process.

Results and conclusions

So, what conclusions can we draw from our very short testing?

We looked at the performance level of Haswell's most powerful mobile processor, the Core i7-4930MX, compared to the powerful yet mainstream platforms of the previous generation. In this comparison, it was doomed to win, if only because of its great superiority in clock speeds. When testing the Core i7-4770K desktop processor, where the frequencies were still the same, the Haswell performance increase was very dependent on the type of tasks and ranged from 0 to approximately 20%. In this testing, everything is more stable on the mobile front: there is an increase in all groups of tests, and this increase is obviously greater than what can be achieved by increasing the clock frequency alone.

Why does some slight disappointment remain? It seems to me that this is primarily the fault of marketers: for too long they have taught us that each new generation is a revolution and a market upheaval. The old days are over, priorities have changed, but we are too accustomed to the “faster, higher, stronger” race. Now the racers have driven themselves into a trap, the growth of speed has stopped, and the raised energy efficiency flag is too vague a parameter to seriously rely on. And with each generation change, we have to use an increasingly powerful microscope to find the differences between the new platform and the old one.

However, let's not forget that today we looked at the most powerful processor in the line with the highest level of performance. For models at the Core i5 and Core i3 levels, and especially ultra-mobile lines, the ratio of performance and energy efficiency will be different, and energy efficiency plays a much larger role there.

So the top-end Core i7 of the new generation has a right to exist - if only they had adequate prices. However, Haswell's advantages should show up in the more mobile lines, where energy efficiency issues really come to the fore.

Well, let's finish with the conclusions about the MSI GT70 gaming laptop on the new Intel Haswell platform. In this configuration, this laptop is a dream for a wealthy gamer who rejects any compromise. The most powerful processor, the most powerful graphics card available, and the rest of the platform components to match. You simply won’t find anything more powerful today. The GT70 with Core i7-4930MX and NVIDIA GTX 780M is about 30% faster compared to the also very well-equipped gaming laptops of the previous generation. However, even without any comparisons, the absolute results of the new product, primarily in games, look impressive. True, all this is not cheap: the price tag for a model in this configuration approaches the mark of... 150,000 rubles. Compared to this, 90,000 rubles for the MSI GT70 Dragon Edition looks like a child's prank. But with such a configuration, one should not expect anything else.