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Intel Core i5 661 3.33GHz Socket 1156

The Intel Core i5 661 carries an on-die GPU, it also hum along to the tune of 3.33GHz, despite the clock speed advantage, the 661 only feature two physical cores. Another feature present in the i5 661 is Turbo Boost. When both cores are active the multiplier can be boosted by 1x, so for the Core i5 661 that would take the multiplier to 26x, resulting in a frequency of 3.45GHz. If just a single core is active then multiplier is boosted by 2x, taking the Core i5 661 to an impressive 3.60GHz frequency.

Based on 34 reviews

Excellent:

9
Good:

17
Average:

3
Bad:

5

Pros

Good performance.
Turbo Boost technology.
HyperThreading technology.
Integrated GPU provides excellent Windows Aero and HD content performance.
32nm process gives great overclocking headroom.
Low power draw (when not overclocked).
Perfect for HTPC or nongaming rig.
Very Affordable.
Lower Thermal Output.
Turbo Technology.
Cheaper Dual Channel Memory Support.

Cons

Overpriced for the level of performance provided.
Integrated GPU inadequate for even lowend gaming.
Requires new motherboard to use integrated GPU.
Very high power draw when overclocked.
IGPU requires 32M128M of memory for a frame buffer.
Socket 1156 Motherboard Upgrade Needed.
Different CPU cooler Needed (in most cases)
Lots of rendering issues in games due to drivers.
No support for Anti Aliasing.
No duallink DVI output.
No support for DirectX 10.1, 11.
No support for CUDA.

By TechSpot on January 01, 2010

The new Core i5 661 may just be a dual-core processor, but it's still incredibly fast at 3.33GHz, even when compared to high-performance quad-core parts. Accompanied with the rest of the Core i5 and Core i3 line-up, we finally have Intel moving...

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By PCWorld New Zealand on March 29, 2010

Back in mid 2006 Intel released their Core 2 range of processors, which went on to dominate the CPU market for about three years. Their combination of price, performance and availability, particularly the mainstream Core 2 Duo lineup, made them...

80
By BeHardware on March 07, 2010

With these new processors, Intel is offering an LGA1156 platform with performance/energy consumption ratios never seen before! The Clarkdales are as fast as the entry level Socket 775 quad cores, but with energy consumption on a par with entry level...

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By Trusted Reviews on February 18, 2010

The Intel Core i5 661 is the first CPU we've seen of a new series based on the new Intel Clarkdale design and for want of a better description it lies somewhere towards the top end of the bottom half of Intel's current CPU line-up. In other...

70
By Benchmark Reviews on February 16, 2010

Even at its arguably inflated price, the Core i5-661 represents the sweet spot in the Clarkdale Core i5 lineup. The Core i5-670 adds fractionally more speed (3.46GHz vs 3.33GHz) and Trusted Execution Technology, but drops iGPU speed from 900MHz to...

84
By OverClock Intelligence Agency on February 08, 2010

Most items we get in for review are pretty linear and have a clear-cut target audience. This makes our job easier as reviewers and your job easier as the consumer. Some products, however, like the new 32nm Core i3 and i5 chips, fall somewhere outside...

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By ThinkComputers on February 07, 2010

So where do the Core i5 600 series processors fit into the scheme of things? Well, if it means anything, a quick look at my favorite online retailer found 20 H55 motherboards. Out of the 20, 19 were mATX boards. There was one H57 board, and it was...

100
By PCQuest on February 01, 2010

The processor provides equal if not better performance as compared to quad core? processors, the Core i5 750, but slightly overpriced considering it's a mainstream dual core processor.PrintCommentEmailDiggDel.icio.usRedditTwitter...

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By OverclockersQH on January 28, 2010

I have used a lot of CPU’s in my time and I have never used one like the Clarkdale that was specifically designed for use, out of the box, as a media based PC build. I never mentioned this in the testing section because it is hard to...

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By FutureLooks on January 27, 2010

– How Does Clarkdale 32nm Measure Up? The objective of the Dual Core i5 and i3 aren’t to compete with the stronger Quad Core processors per se. Their purpose is to take what we as consumers appreciate about Dual Core processors and almost...

90