Intel Core i7 920, one of the promising contenders in Intel's Bloomfield lineup of highly efficient processors has been a hot pick for several reasons. Here are some of the common test results that clearly indicate the capabilities of the Intel Core i7 920 processor.

Data Encryption Test

During this test, some precious data is encrypted by using the CPU and several encryption algorithms are applied. But, surprisingly, the i7 920 failed to perform well, and the AES dominated the show during most of the preliminary tests. So, Intel has to improvise on this aspect for sure, nevertheless the i7 920 didn't produce miserable results either. 

Over-Clocking

Wondering how the i7 will 920 improve over-clocking? Well, thanks to QPI, the i7 processors can adjust workload and in comparison to a singly pumped FSB at 133, the i7 can achieve 12-14 times higher clocking speeds. 

So, in simple terms, during idle time effective clock frequency becomes 12x133 = 1596MHz.

When you consider fully loaded processor, clock frequency becomes 133MHz x 24mp = 3.2 GHz - simply brilliant, isn't it?

Hyper Threading

All the processors in the Nehalem family including the i7 920 are simply unbeatable in terms of multi-threading and hyper-threading, allowing as many as 8 different threads to be processed at a time. This will mean that a core will be able to handle two independent software threads, and double the performance quite clearly.

Conclusion

The i7 920 even rocks in Multi-threaded Video Transcoding from VC-1 to WMV9 and it has shown exceptional results in a number of benchmarking tests including Mandel FPU benchmark, memory read/write, ZLib CPU test (carried out for measuring combined memory subsystem and CPU performance).

The Intel Core i7 920 processor is indeed something out of the lot, by all means as it can match the performance level of Intel Core 2 Q9770 processor, which is available for over $1,200. However, the i7 920 processor costs under $300, and still delivers unbelievable multi-threading, and hyper-threading performance, and outsmart some of the most expensive processors in the market. Even the power consumption is pretty low and new Intel QuickPath Interconnect replaces the good old FSB.

The i7 920 was initially featured with quad-core trim, and a single die 8-core version is expected to come out sometime this year. But, the only bad news is that the i7 920 Bloomfield processors require X58 series main board, which is marketed in the $200-$250 price range. Lastly, the CPU data encryption capabilities of the i7 920 are not too convincing and Intel will definitely need to think about a work around before marketing these processors in bulk.