Intel Core i7 875K review

Intel's cooks up a special-K recipe for overclocking enthusiasts

Intel Core i7 875K
The Core i7 875K can take on AMD's fastest six-core effort

TechRadar Verdict

A nice addition to the range for enthusiasts, but not cost effective for ordinary punters

Pros

  • +

    Fully featured

  • +

    Massive performance

Cons

  • -

    Unlocked multiplier isn't that effective

  • -

    Too expensive for a quad-core processor

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Intel's quad-core Core i7 870 is a great all rounder. Short of a six-core monster machine, it's a hard to imagine what can beat it. However, for overclocking enthusiasts it does lack one key feature: an unlocked CPU multiplier.

Enter, therefore, the new Intel Core i7 875K. It's identical to the 870 save for a slightly elevated price tag and an overclocking friendly unlocked multiplier. The multiplier, of course, is a ratio that combines with the chip's base clock to generate the overall operating frequency. Crucially, it's not linked to any other part of the system and theoretically allows a chip to be overclocked without knock-on effects to subsystems like buses and memory controllers.

Anywho, if clocking the twangers off CPUs is your bag, an unlocked multiplier is a bit of a no brainer. For everyone else, it arguably just makes the Core i7 875K that little bit less competitive with the likes of AMD's Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition.

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