Yup, all rendering tests give the Core i7 860 a higher score than that of the Core i7 920. A couple more advantages:
Consumes less power, and thus runs cooler.
Has better Turbo Boost for applications that do not use all cores.
As the new 860 works on a simplified architecture, it uses cheaper motherboards. A basic Intel mobo for a Core i7 920 goes for $300 (BOXDX58SO), while a basic one for a Core i7 860 goes for $100. (DP55WB)
Uses dual-channel memory instead of tri-channel one. This means you can buy a mobo with 4 slots, like the Intel DP55WB, and buy two memory modules today and two more later, while with Core i7 920 you need to find a 6-slot mobo if you want to add more memory in the future. The basic $300 mobo for Core i7 920 I quoted has only 4 slots, meaning it's a dead end if you want to take advantage of tri-channel . Also, as the tests have shown, tri-channel doesn't help render faster.
Is newer than the old Core i7 920, which means it was designed with Windows 7 in mind.
A better explanation:
[flash=560,340:18ocnmud]http://www.youtube.com/v/lf2FuIlxyqU[/flash:18ocnmud]
(edited post to add cool video)
