Benchmark Results: Media Apps

Well-threaded, MainConcept gets a clear benefit from Hyper-Threading. Even without HT though, Intel’s Core i5-750 passes up the Core 2 Extreme. It’s not able to maneuver past AMD’s 3.4 GHz Phenom II X4 965 BE, though, which bests the $199 chip by two seconds.

Here’s where we’d expect to see Turbo Boost shine, and indeed the Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 both fly past the Core i7-920. The next-closest contender is the once-$1,000 Core 2 Extreme QX9770, though the fact that it’s being outclassed by a $199 Core i5 speaks volumes.

Our DivX transcode readily runs across eight threads, but seems to get a substantial boost from Turbo as the i7-870 and i5-750 both scoot past the Core i7-920. It’s great for AMD that its flagship is now able to topple the fastest Core 2-based chip here. But there’s a new mainstream sheriff in town and its name is Core i5.

Xvid is lightly threaded, so the fact that Intel’s Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 take first and second place is attributable to Turbo Boost yet again. Core i7-920 takes third, followed closely by Core 2 Extreme.

We weren’t seeing any benefit from the 64-bit build of Lame used in previous processor reviews, so we’ve switched to a newer 32-bit build here. Still single-threaded, Turbo Boost seriously bolsters the performance of the two Lynnfield chips, leaving Core i7-920 and Core 2 Quad Extreme behind.