Intel Core i5-750S: Since When Does The S Mean Slow?

The Core i5-750S is a low-power version of a CPU we often recommend as a solid value for the gamer on a budget: the popular Core i5-750 quad-core, based on Intel's Lynnfield design and widely regarded as a potent overclocker. The S-suffix that represented low-power models is now being used on a processor that, as expected, drops power from the i5's standard 95W TDP. However, it only does so at decreased performance. Is Intel starting to taper off performance in order to hit its lower power consumption figures?

The Intel S Processors

We reviewed the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S and Q9550S processors almost a year ago, and they delivered expected levels of performance at decreased idle power and, more importantly, at clearly decreased peak power. What had previously required a 95W thermal envelope fit into a 65W frame with the S-series. The only disadvantage was monetary. For most users, the S might as well have stood for "Soooo expensive!"

A New Kind of S?

While the Core 2 Quad S-models had identical clock speeds and performance as their mainstream siblings, only differing in voltage settings and power consumption, Intel has released an S-model processor that reaches its power savings through performance reduction.

The Core i5-750S does not run at the same 2.66 GHz nominal clock speed as the regular Core i5-750. Instead, the chip is limited to 2.4 GHz. Moreover, there's another drawback with Turbo Boost technology, a key advantage of the Core i5/i7 processors over their predecessors. The i5-750S will not increase the core clock speed for all four cores at all, limiting performance in well-threaded applications, although it still switches to as much as 3.2 GHz for one or two cores.

We compared the Core i5-750 and i5-750S, analyzing their performance, power consumption, and efficiency. This time, the results are less impressive that usual.