Intel Pentium G620: specifications and reviews

Intel processors based on Sandy Bridge architecture have become sales leaders in many segments of the computer solutions market due to their high performance, manufacturability and energy efficiency. Among the most popular chips of the corresponding line is the Pentium G620. What are its main competitive advantages? What do experts and users say about their experience of using the capabilities of this chip?

General characteristics of the processor

The first thing that makes sense in the Pentium G620 processor is the characteristics. The chip in question has:

- LGA 1155 connector for connection to the motherboard;

- 2 cores, released using Sandy Bridge technology and corresponding 32 nm process technology;

- frequency, which is 2600 MHz;

- System bus type DMI;

- built-in graphics module such as HD Graphics, operating at a frequency of 1.1 GHz;

- Built-in memory controller with a bandwidth of 17 Gb / s;

- the first level cache in the amount of 64 KB, the second - 512 KB, the third - 3,072 KB;

- a set of modern multimedia instructions, such as MMX, SSE;

- Compatibility with NX Bit, as well as Virtualization Technology;

- a heat dissipation factor of 65 W;

- an indicator of the maximum temperature of preservation of functionality in the value of 69.1 degrees.

The maximum amount of RAM that is supported by the device is 32 GB. The type of memory modules that are compatible with the processor is DDR3. The controller RAM, which is installed in the chip - two-channel.

The built-in graphics module of the Pentium CPU G620 processor has 6 computational pipelines, operates at a frequency of 850 MHz, which in dynamics can rise to 1100 MHz. This module assumes the use of RAM resources up to 1.7 GB. Among its notable features - support for 2 monitors, as well as accelerated decoding of the video stream.

You can also consider a number of disadvantages of the chip in question. Of course, they should be distinguished as very conditional - in practice, the average user, perhaps, will not notice them.

So, it's worth noting that the chip does not implement Hyper-Threading technology, which allows to calculate 2 data streams within the 1 processor core, and therefore the operating system does not define it as a 4-core processor, such as an Intel Core i3 chip. The considered microcircuit can not be accelerated, as in it the multiplier responsible for setting the processor frequency is blocked. Also, the chip does not support the implementation of some cryptographic and vector standards.

It will be useful to consider the specific architecture of Sandy Bridge, on which the processor under consideration is released.

Sandy Bridge Architecture Features

The corresponding microarchitecture of the core of the Pentium G620 chip was introduced to the market by Intel Corporation in 2011. Later in the segment appeared an alternative development from AMD - Bulldozer architecture. As experts note, the competing solution from AMD on most parameters was inferior to what was offered to the market by Intel. In general, devices based on the microarchitecture in question, many experts in the computer industry tend to be among the most successful products of the American corporation, which leads the world market for PC processors.

In total, about 29 chips were produced on the basis of Sandy Bridge technology - for desktops and laptops, as well as about 10 new chipsets. At the same time, 15 processor models were adapted to mobile platforms. The microarchitecture under consideration allowed Intel to produce 32nm process-based chips - in fact, the Pentium G 620 chip is among the corresponding products.

One of the main competitive advantages of chips based on this microarchitecture is the presence of an integrated high-performance graphics module Intel HD Graphics type 2000/3000, which is placed on a single chip with microchip cores. This approach can be considered innovative. Before the corresponding microarchitecture was brought to the market, the concept was used, according to which the processor cores and the graphic module were located on different crystals. It is noteworthy that the chip for processing video data, which is built into the considered chip, has access to the third level cache - like all processor cores.

Sandy Bridge architecture supports common interfaces, such as PCI Express, which assumes the installation of DDR3 RAM modules on the controller CPU with 2 channels.

The Sandy Bridge technology was based on the Nehalem microarchitecture. In its turn, it was later upgraded, and Ivy Bridge architecture was developed on its basis. Its application corresponded to the process technology as early as 22 nm.

So, now we can begin to study the capabilities of the Pentium G620 chip. The characteristics of the processor, as well as its microarchitecture, have been studied by us, now our main task is to investigate how the resources available in it can be used in practice. But first, we'll study the characteristics of its configuration: before the user installs the chip in his computer, the delivery kit of the product in question will fall into his hands.

Equipment

As experts note, the box in which the Pentium G620 processor is supplied is practically the same as those in which the manufacturer places other chips of the same line.

It is important only before unpacking, for example, if the microchip came in the mail, make sure that the sticker that is placed on the box indicates the correct characteristics. So, there should be noted the processor clock speed - the Intel Pentium CPU G620 - 2.60 GHz, the cache of the third level - 3 MB, the fact that the processor has a LGA 1155 connector, the power consumption level of the chip is 65 W. Also on the sticker there must be a serial number of the chip and its code.

The full name of the processor sounds like Intel (R) Pentium (R) CPU G620, that is it reflects that the name of the microchip and its manufacturer are registered trademarks. In the delivery set, the chip itself must be present, as well as:

- cooling system;

- a guide to installing the processor;

- information on the manufacturer's warranty;

- Intel branded sticker.

Now let's turn to the practical results of using the capabilities of the Pentium (R) chip of the G620 CPU. The most informative for us will probably be those that reflect the experience of testing this processor. Let's start by studying such a chip parameter as power consumption.

CPU Testing: Power Consumption

As the tests carried out by experienced experts with the help of specialized applications show, the energy saving in this processor is realized at a very high level. So, in a number of modes, the chip consumes about 40 watts of power less than, for example, another popular chip on Sandy Bridge - Intel Core i5-2500K. This advantage makes it possible to install a less efficient and therefore not so noisy cooling system in the computer.

CPU performance in synthetic tests

Let us now turn to the study of the speed of the chip. In particular - detected at the level of synthetic tests. As some experts note, it makes sense to check the performance of the chip to focus on using, primarily, single-threaded testing tools. Their advantage lies in the ability to trace how the speed of the chip varies, depending on its operating frequency.

As the results of testing the Pentium (R) G620 processor with appropriate tools show, the performance of the chip is at the level of the leading Intel products within the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture - in particular, the 2500K chip noted above. Although in some modes the model in question is inferior to it. But this is understandable, since the chip 2500K is 4-core.

The performance of the chip in archiving files

Another significant aspect of processor performance is the speed of file archiving. In this case, experts fix the undeniable leadership of 4-nuclear competitors. Moreover, in the 2500K processor, a mechanism is implemented, within which the frequency of the chip is dynamically regulated, which further increases its performance. However, due to the high frequency of the Intel Pentium G620 - 2.60 GHz, this chip in practice, from the point of view of the archiving speed, is not too inferior to the 4-nuclear processor model.

The performance of the chip in multimedia encoding

The next most important aspect of the performance of the chip is the speed of encoding audio and video data. Benchmarks, which measure the speed of the decision of the chip appropriate tasks, usually single-threaded. Therefore, their performance is almost entirely in this case is determined by the clock speed of Intel (R) Pentium (R) G620 - 2.60 GHz. An exception to the corresponding rule can be traced when encoding video data. The point is that this task is solved, as a rule, with an efficient distribution of the load on the processor cores. Therefore, the considered chip can yield in the corresponding aspect of performance to 4-nuclear models. But in general, as the tests show, its speed of operation remains sufficiently high.

The performance of the chip in image processing

The performance of the processor in practice is important from the point of view of the user's comfort with the applications through which the graphics are processed. In this case, the speed of the chip, again, depends on the number of cores, as well as on the frequency (of course, if its performance in the compared processors does not differ much).

Therefore, the 2-core Intel Pentium (R) G620 chip is inferior in the speed of image processing to 4-core models on the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. However, when using applications that allow loading only 1 kernel - for example, such as GIMP, the performance difference is not so noticeable and depends, in turn, on the chip frequency.

In principle, even in one of the most popular graphics processing solutions - Photoshop, the difference in the speed of 2-core and 4-core chips in practice is often not noticed by users. But this feature, according to experts, is due, first of all, to whether the program supports the mode of using several cores. If it is, then it makes sense to pay attention to more productive solutions, which, perhaps, are more expensive. If the task does not require the use of multiple cores or the program does not support the corresponding function, then a more economical solution can be made. To such, in fact, the chip belongs to Pentium G620.

The performance of the chip in mathematical calculations

In many cases, the role is played by how productive the processor is in terms of mathematical calculations. It is noteworthy that tests that measure the speed of the chip in the performance of their respective functions, load the core chips almost completely. In this case, both the frequency and the number of nuclei are important. Therefore, some lag of the processor under consideration from the competing solutions in the Sandy Bridge range is quite understandable by the difference in the performance if not by the first parameter, then by the second one.

Performance of the chip in games

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of processor performance is the speed of the chip in games. The operation of the microcircuit in the corresponding mode presupposes the actual solution of all the above types of tasks-sound, video, graphics, and mathematical computation.

It is worth noting that in modern games, almost always performance is achieved through the use of all available resources of the processor. Therefore, the speed of the chips will depend both on the frequency and on the cores. In addition, the quality of microchip support for various multimedia standards that are implemented in the game engine will be important.

Thus, when comparing the performance of chips in pure form, the Pentium G620 processor, which is quite understandable, is inferior to the 4-core models of the Sandy Bridge line. But it is worth noting that in practice the difference in the speed of the work of these or other solutions may not be very noticeable, from the point of view that even on accessible resources at the level of the chip under consideration, a comfortable gameplay is provided. That is, in practice, the gamer will play at the same rates of frame change with the same level of quality of their drawing - in spite of the fact that, for example, a 4-core solution can potentially be more productive.

Reviews

What do users say about their experience of using the capabilities of the Pentium G620 chip? As the owners of the PC consider, it is quite applicable for solving tasks that are facing modern users. This is due to the high speed of its work in single-threaded applications and sufficient performance in many types of games, graphics processing programs - both advantages are due to the high frequency of the chip in question.

This processor is characterized, as many users believe, by a good level of energy saving, it supports up-to-date multimedia technologies. In general, the microchip is valued by the owners as quite competitive not only with respect to models that were put on the market simultaneously with it, but also in terms of comparing its capabilities with the latest solutions in the field of computer technology development.