Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K

In July 2013 I built 2 identical desktop computers (one for me; one for my wife) based on the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro motherboard (MB) (8 GB RAM in each machine). The machines were constructed from entirely new components, as listed below. The components were purchased from various on-line retailers, primarily Amazon.com, Newegg.com, and BestBuy.com. Both machines have been up-and-running now for roughly 1 month without problems. I have yet to flash any BIOS's. I have run simple tests on nearly all components; virtually everything has worked "out-of-the-box". Before getting into the hardware review, I'll provide a bit of background. I am an electrical engineer, and the assembled machines were scoped to be dependable work horses -- as opposed to gaming machines. I built my first desktop machines back in the early 1990's. I have always used Intel and ASUS motherboards, due to their reputations for reliability; recently I have used ASUS exclusively. The machines currently dual-boot Windows 7 Ultimate (SP1 64-bit) and Fedora 19 (64-bit); both OS's use UEFI secure boot. I don't currently run VMware or VirtualBox, though I may later on. Currently, I am not overclocking the machines in any way, though I may do so in the future; hence I cannot comment on their suitability for such. Here are the principal hardware components for the machines: Case: Corsair 650D PSU: Corsair AX750 (Gold) MB: ASUS P8Z77-V Pro (MB rev. 1.0; AMI BIOS rev. 1805) CPU: Intel i7-3770k (3.5 GHz quad-core LGA 1155) (model BX80637I73770K) RAM: Corsair Vengeance Black [16GB (4x4GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600MHz 1.5v low profile] (CML16GX3M4A1600C9B) Hard disk: Western Digital 1TB SATA3 (WD1002FAEX) (no RAID system) GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 660 (GTX660-DC2-2GD5) DVD burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST (OEM) Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse II Backlit keyboard (USB) Radio mouse: Logitech V450 Nano Cordless Laser I also elected to install the following additional components: CPU cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Dual-port NIC: Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter (EXP19402PTBLK) USB 3.0 pass-through cable: USB 3.0 20-Pin MB header to 2 Type-A Female Connectors Y-Cable Comments: Cases: We looked at a number of different cases at brick-and-mortar stores before settling on the Corsair 650D. (I've used Antec cases in the past; the Cooler Master cases were strong contenders this time around.) The Corsair 650D cases are solid and nice-looking from a conservative perspective (not flashy); gamers would probably consider them boring. Since the P8Z77-V Pro does not offer eSATA support (and USB 3.0 has better specs than eSATA), the eSATA drive caddy on the top of the case is not useful for us. Also, I found the quick-release mechanisms for the front drive bays to be unreliable: I secured the DVD drives the old-fashion way -- with screws. However, we really do like the see-through side panel feature. Finally, the 650D was designed before the USB 3.0 motherboard header configuration was finalized, therefore the USB 3.0 cables that connect the front-panel USB 3.0 ports won't attach directly to ANY motherboard. To remedy this, I bought the adapter cable listed above; if you want one, here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/8-inch-20-Pin-Motherboard-Connectors-Y-Cable/dp/B007PODI1W/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1356639600&sr=1-3&keywords=usb PSU: I believe the AX750 series has been discontinued now. I chose the older Corsair power supplies based on their reliability and the fact that they used Japanese capacitors; I couldn't determine whether the new Corsair PSUs had quality capacitors. The fan in the AX750's makes a clicking sound at very low rpm -- typically only occurs just as the machine starts up. Other than that, they are extremely quiet and solid units. Also really like the modular cable feature; fewer cables in the case. Motherboard: I spent many hours reading motherboard reviews and comparing MB feature sets before choosing the P8Z77-V Pro. I mostly looked at ASUS boards, including some in their Workstation line. (I know that there are many other quality makers of MBs available, but ASUS retains its status as one of the best, and, with just 2 choices of manufacturers, the number of offerings simply becomes mind-boggling.) Ultimately it was a combination of reasonable price and a simple yet versatile feature set (PCI slots, SATA buses, video ports, peripheral ports, etc.) that drove my choice. I've found the P8Z77-V Pro to be solid and pleasant to work with. So far no problems with bad slots or ports; the on-board video and audio work fine. Some of the P8Z77-V Pro comments I saw online complained about slow upload/download problems associated with the on-board networking (I also turned off the MB wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) feature in the BIOS, so I cannot comment on its functionality; this feature also gets many negative comments in P8Z77 blogs.) The MB AMI BIOS is well-designed and fairly user friendly. I was disappointed to see how many unnecessary 3rd-party software add-ons were included on the ASUS CD-ROM that contains the MB device drivers. (Experienced machine builders typically ignore the CD-ROM and get the latest device drivers from on-line repositories, but I tend to only flash-and-patch on an "as-needed" basis.) Anyway, after some web research, I opted to NOT install the following ASUS CD-ROM software features: Network iControl (Many on-line posts recommend disabling this.) LucidLogix Virtu MVP (As far as I can tell, this only helps gamers -- and even a fair number of them recommend NOT using it.) CPU: The Intel i7-3770k CPU represented the best price/performance trade-off available last spring. The "k" model offers better overclocking capabilities; if you are interested in running VMware or VirtualBox, you might want to go with the straight "3770" model. RAM: I opted for the Corsair memory on this go-round simply based on reputation and price. I haven't yet seen a single memory hiccup. In the past I've used Crucial. You want to buy the RAM in packages of matched modules (to avoid timing conflicts). Also, use of the "low-profile" modules avoids potential MB space conflicts when mounting a CPU cooler. Hard drive: I've used Western Digital drives exclusively for years. They are fast, quiet, and I'VE NEVER HAD ONE CRASH even though I frequently have 2 or 3 drives in my machines. (I cannot say that about other HD lines.) (Note: I religiously replace my HDs at the point that their warranties expire; the 2 desktop machines I am currently replacing have been in service for over 9 years, and each one has had the primary drive replaced twice.) I saw some on-line reviews that stated that the WD1002FAEX model is noisy. The reviewers must have gotten bad units: the two that I just installed are whisper quiet. And the WD1002FAEX comes with a 5-yr warranty. GPU: We may not play games at home, but we often watch uTube and DVD videos. I chose the ASUS GeForce GTX 660 based primarily on reviews. (I went the nVIDIA route, as opposed to AMD graphics, because of nVIDIA's strong reputation for UNIX/Linux OS support. ATI's support was abysmal, and AMD seems to be following suit.) The card runs cool and quiet, and it even came with a cable adapter for my old 21" CRT monitor. We get gorgeous, even-color images at 1600x1200 and higher resolutions. DVD burner: No issues so far with the DVD drives, though we haven't tried burning anything yet. The burner software provided (on CDROM) with the drive isn't worth much; we're going to try Ashampoo (free) this time around. Keyboard: I bought my first Saitek Eclipse II at least 7 years ago for doing work with my laptop while reclining on the couch at home. We now have 3 of them. The keyboard gets decent reviews on-line; some reviews complain about the paint wearing off the keys. The keys on my original one show no signs of wear. I'll admit that only the violet backlighting color works well when typing in the dark; perhaps that's why gamers give it mixed reviews. For us, the keyboard offers good heft, nice tactile response, and longevity. Mouse: Like the Saitek keyboard, I bought my first V450 Nano mouse for use with my laptop. Soon after, I replaced the corded mouse on my old desktop machine with a second one. We now have 3 of these in the house. Recommendation: The mouse runs on a pair of AA batteries: get a decent battery charger and some rechargeable AAs. CPU cooler: Although we currently live in a city where outside temperatures rarely surpass 80 degrees (F), it was only a few years ago that we lived in an area where temperatures regularly exceeded 100 F in July and August. Also, the Intel i7 LGA 1155 CPU series reportedly has poor heat dissipation characteristics. Hence I opted to forego the heat sink that came with the Intel CPU and instead deploy the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooling system in our new machines. The Hyper 212 EVO is one of the cheaper (but still well regarded) cooling solutions on the market; it should suffice as long as we don't seriously over-clock the systems. (I also opted to use Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound rather than the thermal compound that Cooler Master provided with the Hyper 212 EVO. The Artic Silver 5 compound is among the most effective products of its type; many of the expensive commercial compounds available perform worse than mayonnaise. See link below.) [...]

The i7-3770k is a fantastic processor! Out of the box (with no overclocking), I got a Windows Experience Index rating of 7.7 (on a 1.0 to 7.9 scale). The CPU installation is quite easy and the 'k' at the end of 3770k means the processor is unlocked for easier overclocking. The HD 4000 graphics are also great! I got a Windows Experience Index of 6.5 in both graphics categories without the need for a discrete GPU (if you don't need serious graphics performance, this processor could save you money on a graphics card!). This chip laughs at anything I give it. It can transcode a 1 hour 45 minute HD video in just a few minutes without using most of the full force of the processor (my particular trial lasted about 11 minutes and utilized just under 20% of the CPU power including my internet browser). I do have a few light reservations, however. First, the price is going up (at least on amazon) and will eventually drop off a bit. The recommended retail price (given by Intel) is around 320-330 (similar to what the i7-2700k goes for). Second, the Intel Core i5 3570K Processor 3.4 4 BX80637I53570K shares a lot of the great features of the i7-3770k for a lot less money (100 dollars or more cheaper). You lose 2MB of L3 cache, 100 MHz in clock speed and turbo speed, and the hyper-threading technology when you move down to the i5-3570k. But you keep the HD 4000 graphics and the unlocked processor for overclocking (the i5-3570k might even be slightly better for overclocking purposes which could make up for its 100 MHz decrease, and even some of the hyper-threading). In general, if you have software which can fully utilize 8 threads, this processor is probably worth the extra cost. Third, the ivy bridge lineup does run a bit hotter than sandy bridge, but this is completely expected from a smaller architecture. This shouldn't be much of a problem (very good overclocking with air is still easily possible and extreme cooling allows for some incredible results) but upgrading from an overclocked sandy bridge might not make much sense - unless the HD 4000 graphics are worth it for you. Overall, this is one of the greatest processors available today (definitely the best performer on its socket type). Any processor which beats this one costs at least several hundred dollars more and doesn't gain nearly that much in extra performance. So, if you can handle the somewhat higher price than the i5-3570k, get this beast of a CPU!

I'm a software developer and typically enjoy building my own systems. My previous system was an overclocked i7-920. This processor is FAST... though I wish Intel had more competition! This is a very good processor with PCI Express 3.0 support. The matching Z77 chipset also adds features that I didn't have on my previous i7-920 machine, like USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps. Most of the Z77 motherboards support up to 32GB of RAM, but, for unknown reasons, I had instability with 32GB of RAM and am now using 16GB and 4x4GB sticks instead of 4x8GB sticks. I easily overclocked this processor (all 4 cores) to 4.4 Ghz using only a +.05 voltage offset in the BIOS on my Asus Z77 Sabertooth motherboard and found it stable with IntelBurnTest and Prime95. I'm sure I could have gone for more, but I like an energy-efficient, conservative overclock. A "free" 900 Mhz increase isn't bad and at this voltage with a Cooler Master 212 EVO cooler, the CPU temperatures are well under control. This scores a 7.8 in the Windows 7 Processor performance score (the highest is 7.9 which is hard to obtain unless you have a 6 core+ processor). I always use a 3rd party cooling solution, though I'm sure the provided fan and heatsink is sufficient when not overclocking. The reason I like 3rd party solutions is for greater cooling power (useful when overclocking) and for quieter operation, so consider a better cooler if you want to overclock or want something that might be a little quieter. The non-"K" version has some additional features, but for 99%+ of people who overclock, I doubt giving up the unlocked multiplier (the "K") is worth it.

Good:If you are looking for a powerful CPU and don't want to get to go for X79 6 core this is it. It outperforms my friend's i7 3820 by around 10% in benchmark tests. Combine it with a good video card and this will play the latest games and video edit all day without problems. Sort of bad: the temps will increase greatly with even a small voltage increase during overclocking. If you're overclocking at all you really need a fairly high end cooler. I'm using the Corsair H100i with Arctic Silver paste and I'm still getting near 75C at 4.2 Ghz and 1.1V at 100% load. These processors are more resistant to high temps than the older generation but is still a slight issue. Value: If you are on a budget you can get the i5 3570k for $100 less. The i5 will perform the same in most games at the current time but it does not have hyperthreading so it will be slower in video editing and other CPU intense. So this chip may not have the best price/performance ratio but I think it will be more future proof than the i5. Final Thoughts: Regardless of this heat issue this is still one of the best Intel processors without spending an insane amount of money on a 6 core and X79 motherboard. Its better than the current quad core X79 cpu the i7 3820 but its not as good as the new Haswell 4770k, the Haswell chip is around 10% faster than this one but is $30 more at the moment and the motherboards are slightly more expensive as well. If you are building a new rig this will be great for years to come, definitely worth a buy if you want to edit videos and the hyperthreading will probably be beneficial for future games

This process that is very, very powerful and wearing care from gaming shdlwm and for bmd type and more popular games. I like this chip said because it's so curl. Shdlwm and shdlwm. So it has only in only one thing. It has only one big crash or on the metal plate. And it is only God that is very good is the the processor is very cured, very performance and very, very pretty like another ones and I like this, but these by these by these guys buy this because it is. Good very good , good good good good good good good good good good

I purchased this processor to replace an old Q9965 I'd had in my LGA 775 build for years. I've got to say I am completely satisfied with the purchase. This processor is fast, like blazingly fast. I do alot of gaming and animation and this thing just crushes whatever I throw at it. I'd really get my monies worth if I did video editing or used more threading intesive programs, but part of the reason I got the i7 over the i5 of comparable quality is just because I wont buy another processor for a few years and I figured why not, maybe in the future I will use more threading intensive applications. Took my Windows Experience Index up to 7.8 out of 7.9 . I waited for a while to upgrade to the Core i series of processors and really wanted the Ivy Bridge so I ended up waiting an extra few months to snag this thing. Can't say that I regret purchasing over the Sandy Bridge, performance increase comparatively is negligable though. About 3-6% better performance out of the Ivy Bridge. The Ivy Bridge also runs hotter than Sandy Bridge, but even with the stock fan it stays cool enough under load. Integrated graphics (especially with a Z77 chipset motherboard) are a pretty neat feature, however I do not utilize it as I'm running with a 470 gtx. The really nice thing about this processor is that it has native support for USB 3.0, SATA III, and PCI Express 3.0 right out of the gate. Making it relatively future proof for at least the next few years (granted your motherboard has support). So when I do get that new graphics card I dont have to worry about compatibilty issues :) I would highly recommend purchasing this processor if you're looking for a new Ivy Bridge. I would not however recommend upgrading from a Sandy Bridge for this, as the difference in performance is minimal at best. No need to speed another $350 on a cpu that does what your old one does except 4% better. But if you're still stuck 2 or 3 generations back as I was, this makes a world of difference, you wont be sorry.

Water Cooling (2 Liter selfmade custom radiator) 100% CPU load on maximum heat stress test prime95 x64 @3900MHz. Room temp: 25°C Mainboard temp: 30°C CPU all cores: ~68°C CPU mainboard: 55°C IDLE @1600MHz all cores: 37°C IDLE @1600MHz CPU mainboard: 34°C Intels CPU Tcase: ~67°C (which should roughly be ~10°C lower than core temp - theoretically measured on top of the cpu heat spreader, but there is no sensor) The Tcase temp is the maximum temp intel guarantees it to work perfectly fine. So adding ~10°C to the core temps you measure, the allowed maximum should be around ~77°C for not overclocked systems. I reached this in stress test with watercooling, while the water and copper pipes I use just are lukewarm. The problem is the high density of the CPU under it's new hood. It's more cramped together and less coolersize to give it up to. So it's only normal to be more hot than the older generation. The new HD4000 integrated graphic chip, which shares place with the 4 CPU cores is taking quite the huge part and if you are not careful in selecting your mainboard, you will find this GPU completely unused by your system. For the information: Intel is not working in harmony with Nvidia so you can't combine the GPU of Intel and Nvidia (normally). I got lucky with an ASUS mainboard, which uses Virtu Logix that is at least able to switch on *exe, which GPU shall be used. That means both are using their minimum power all the time, which is more as if you just run your PC with only the CPU HD4000 graphic. But therefor you can have the ultimate power more easily. For example is nvidia with CUDA much slower than Intel in converting HD videos now, with the right Software (Media Espresso). Took me 2 Minutes to convert a 1.4GB 1920X1080 video stream with HD4000, compared to 4 Minutes with CUDA on a GTX560TI from NVIDIA. So this onboard Graphic can be very supportive with the right applications and may save energy for older programs that don't need a 300Watt power consuming PCI-E video card. :) Overclocking: As others mentioned in various tests and benchmark, it might only take 1 minute to overclock this CPU, even in windows easily and stable. On my first day I just tried to see and made 4.5GHz stable with just rising the voltage to ~1.2V Be careful with your mainboards OC abilitys. Mine took advantage while it had some "auto range" and pushed this cpu to 1.45 Volts already while I didn't notice. I only was warned by mainboard CPU sensor peak temperatures of 75-95°C for short. This was probably the mainboard sensor only. Means the core was probably even more hot. So the tendency of this thing is to heat up fast if it gets too much voltage. I used to set 1.85V later and the autoranger software pushed it up to 1.25V. The trick is to get as low as possible and have it still stable calculating. The less heat you will receive. So 1.2V might be a working number, but depending on your software/bios and mainboard this may vary. Sum: While running on 4.5GHz or similar this thing beats up the 1st places on some CPU benchmarks in AIDA64 or Passmark. For more power I had to update Win7 to SP1 since 1 CPU feature was not used before. The Benchmark AIDA64 advised this and the result prooved the higher power with SP1. Ah, btw: the cores are clockable individually or together (4 cores in total). So you can have core 1 on 3400, core 2 on 3900, core3 on 4300, core 4 on 3600MHz. I don't really get an Idea how to use that feature yet, but it might save power or if you are using software that adresses individual cores only, you might save heat if you have the unused cores throttled down at slow speed. Who knows yet?! With this CPU you will have one of the most powerful CPUS there are at the moment. Only contrary is the integrated graphic chip that I did not need. If you go for a Z77 chipset you can use the full overclocking potential and can use the integrated graphic, as well as a dedicated one. Depending on the MB manufacturer maybe the Virtu MVP to switch between both in windows. I would have bought the same CPU withouth the HD4000 since I don't render videos or playing in low resolution. The software that uses quicksync to squeeze out the full power is very limited at the time. Mediaespresso for example, and this can not render MKV HD audio files, which makes it totally useless for me. What does the speed if the file format I want is not supported? :) It makes me feel strong, but useless too. Thanks to not having the integrated graphics on the mainboard and in the CPU instead it only wastes important cooling space in my opinion and therefor overclocking power is limited due to higher temperatures, thanks to a iGPU that overclockers don't really need to have for gaming. Hope this was helpful

I highly recommend this processor for anyone. This is a great top of the line processor and has been amazing. The only people who should not get this is people who have unlimited money and that love to overclock a machine to the fullest extent just to show how high it could go. Unless you're that person you should get this processor. It has been reported there is heat problems with the new Ivy Bridges. I have not seen my processor go over 38C with not being overclocked. Those concerns were for overclocking this cpu and I have not overclocked it yet because I have not felt the need. It is performing way above what is needed to run any game out there on its highest setting flawlessly so i have not found the need to overclock it. Nothing has even come close to fully utilizing this CPU. My set up includes the following: Asus Formula Z77, GTX 680, 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600, AX850, Samsung 830 SSD, and Cooler Master Haf X. At one point I had 50 Internet Explore browsers sessions open, was running a MKV 1080p Video file in Windows Media Player, and had Crysis 2 running. The CPU was at 14% usage and the memory was at 30%. So this Quad core is almost overkill for gamming. But For 320 bucks it's the perfect price range. Going with anything lower is something you will regret in the future unless you build one of these ever year. You really do not get that much more out of the 3930K Hex core unless you're just trying to look cool from getting crazy numbers from overclocking. I would go with this Processor. Those numbers do not help you gaming experience or any other multimedia activity. I would save the 200 dollars and get the GTX 680 vs the getting the 660 Ti or 670. The only question is the endurance of this CPU. So far I am extremely impressed. I will update the review if any problems arise in the near future.