INTEL Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor

Dual core processing, we hardly knew ye, and despite the advent of four cores, we'd still like to get acquainted. Sure, we'd have no qualms about accepting a Core 2 Quadro rig outfitted with four gluttonous 8800GTX videocards to satiate our quad-SLI craving, but the problem is we don't know anyone giving away such a feast of PC debauchery. And call us penny pinching misers all you want, we're just not taking out a second mortgage in order to fund a faster Super Pi time that won't help us shoot straighter in Counter Strike or increase our productivity with negligibly quicker load times for Word or Excel. And thanks to Intel's Core 2 Duo lineup, we need not feel bad about picking up a more budget friendly solution because when it comes to real world performance, there's not a whole lot that separates a sub $200 processor from a $1K chip. Today we look at Intel's budget minded Core 2 Duo E6300 processor. Clocked at 1.86GHz coupled with 2MB L2 cache and an economical price tag, the E6300 looks to be the ideal jumping off point for that upgrade to a Microsoft Vista capable system.

Intel's Core 2 Duo line shares the same IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) as the Pentium D lineup, which was Intel's first attempt at offering a dual core processor. Also familiar to Intel aficionados is the MALAY marking, denoting this chip was packaged (not manufactured) in Malaysia. The 8 digit FPO/Batch number also appears on the IHS, and they refer to the following (in order):

x = Test Site
x = Year of Manufacture
xx = Week of Manufacture
xxxx = Lot Code Identifier (includes Stepping)

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
CPU Socket Type	LGA775
Core	Conroe (w/ half of the 4MB L2 cache d isabled)
Operating Frequency	1.86GHz
L1 Cache	2 x 32 KBytes
L2 Cache	2MB
Processor Type	65nm
TDP (Max Thermal Power)	65W
Hyper-Threading (HT)Technology	No
64-bit Support	Yes
Instructions	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, EM64T
Voltage	0.85V - 1.3525V
Thermal Specification	61.4C
Warranty	3 Years (Retail Boxed)

INTEL QX6850 Quad Core Extreme Processor INTEL QX6850 Quad Core Extreme Processor

Earth to AMD......earth to AMD........come in AMD.........where are you? A lot of us are asking that question these days, and to be honest, AMD had better arrive on the scene soon, as INTEL's most recent releases offer only a modest improvement over their predecessors. Looking at it from purely a business standpoint, Intel is doing it right: Why compete against yourself? Until AMD gets their act together and releases a processor that forces Intel's hand, there's really no point in bringing any major upgrades to market. While that may be good for Intel's bottom line, its bad for us enthusiasts who wait with baited breath for the next best thing.
A lot of us are asking that question these days, and to be honest, AMD had better arrive on the scene soon, as INTEL's most recent releases offer only a modest improvement over their predecessors. Looking at it from purely a business standpoint, Intel is doing it right: Why compete against yourself? Until AMD gets their act together and releases a processor that forces Intel's hand, there's really no point in bringing any major upgrades to market. While that may be good for Intel's bottom line, its bad for us enthusiasts who wait with baited breath for the next best thing.

All of this should change toward the end of the year, as Intel's Penryn and AMDs Phenom are now on the horizon. But for now, we're basically limited to refreshes of Intel's current Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad lines of processors.

Today we take a quick look at Intel's QX6850 Core 2 Extreme. For those of you with no mortgage, no bills, a great job, or rich parents, the QX6850 is currently the pinnacle of the processing world.

CPU	Core 2 Extreme QX6850
Model	BX80562QX6850 SLAFN
Core	Quad Core Kentsfield 65nm Core Stepping: G0
Frequency	3.0GHz
FSB/Multi	1333/x9 Unlocked (x6 to x16)
Cache	L1: 64KB+64KB L2: 2 x 4MB (8MB Total)
Voltage	1.100V-1.372V
TDP	130W
Thermal Spec	64.5C
Special Features	Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology Execute Disable Bit 1 Intel® EM64T 2 Intel® Thermal Monitor 2 Intel® Virtualization Technology
Current Pricing	Price

The QX6850 is the Barry Bonds of processors, a steroid freak designed for pure power. Offering four cores each operating at 3GHz, unlocked multipliers giving the enthusiast every possible overclocking option, and 8MB of L2 cache, the QX6850 is a serious ass kicker.

Probably the only argument you can raise against investing in a Quad Core processor is software support. At least in the present tense, not many programs take full advantage of four cores (not all that many take full advantage of two cores, either). However, as multicore processors are the future and continue to build up a mainstream userbase, more and more software applications will be optimized for multicore operation. Another factor to keep in mind is the ability to use the processor's affinity (located within your Windows task manager) to assign cores to specific applications (you'll need to reset the affinity each time you start up a program or reboot).

CPU	Core 2 Quad Q6600
Model	BX80562Q6600 SL9UM
Core	Quad Core Kentsfield 65nm Core Stepping: B3
Frequency	2.4GHz
FSB/Multi	1066/x9
Cache	L1: 64KB+64KB L2: 2 x 4MB (8MB Total)
Voltage	1.100V-1.372V
TDP	105W
Thermal Spec	62.2C
Special Features	Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology Execute Disable Bit 1 Intel® EM64T 2 Intel® Thermal Monitor 2 Intel® Virtualization Technology
Current Pricing	Price

Browsing forums across the web, you'll see several threads regarding the Q6600 and steppings. Steppings are simply revisions of the CPU where the manufacturer makes adjustments that improve the performance of the CPU. When Intel announced their price cuts the last week of July and released the E6X50 line of processors with the G0 stepping, the Q6600 migrated over to the new G0 revision, joining its big brother, the Q6700. The G0 stepping brings with it a lower TDP, dropping from the B3's 105W to the G0's 95W and the Thermal Spec rises from 62C to 71C. What does this mean to the end user? Slightly lower power consumption, a bit lower temperatures, and potentially better overclocking ability as a result of the lower thermals.

INTEL QX9650 Core 2 Extreme Processor

Based on a 45nm process, INTEL's Penryn family of processors is more than just a die shrink of the immensely popular Conroe processors. The dual-core Wolfdale (pictured above) and quad-core Yorkfield (pictured below) are identical in design, with the exception being the number of cores. Both offer a plethora of enhancements; most notably, these new parts boast much better power efficiency and SSE4 instructions, which touts a hearty boost in video encoding performance, among other things.

Today, HardwareLogic breaks down the quad core QX9650. While a casual glance might leave the impression there's little difference between the QX9650 and its predecessors (the QX6800 and QX6850), looks can be, and in this case, are deceiving. There's much more here than meets the eye...

CPU	INTEL QX9650 Core 2 Extreme	INTEL QX6850 Core 2 Extreme
Model	EU80569XJ080NL SLAN3	BX80562QX6850 SLAFN
Core	Quad Core Yorkfield 45nm Core Stepping: C0	Quad Core Kentsfield 65nm Core Stepping: G0
Frequency	3.0GHz	3.0GHz
FSB/Multi	1333/x9 Unlocked (x6 to x16)	1333/x9 Unlocked (x6 to x16)
Cache	L1: 64KB+64KB L2: 2x6MB (12MB Total)	L1: 64KB+64KB L2: 2 x 4MB (8MB Total)
Voltage	.85V-1.3625V	1.100V-1.372V
TDP	130W	130W
Thermal Spec	64.5C	64.5C
Process	45nm high-K metal gate transistor technology Total Die Size - 214mm² 820M transistors	65nm Total Die Size - 286mm² 582M transistors
Special Features	Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology Execute Disable Bit 1 Intel® EM64T 2 Intel® Thermal Monitor 2 Intel® Virtualization Technology MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, EM64T	Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology Execute Disable Bit 1 Intel® EM64T 2 Intel® Thermal Monitor 2 Intel® Virtualization Technology MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, EM64T

INTEL Q9450 Core 2 Quad Processor

Ever since Intel released their Core 2 Duo line of computer chips, they've been winning the war for processor supremacy. And not only at the high end of the spectrum, their more affordable dual and quad core chips have shown better performance than their AMD competition at similar price points which leaves consumers hard pressed to take the AMD route. With their foot planted firmly on the neck of the competition, the boys in blue are unleashing a killer combo of budget quad cores that make AMD's new Phenom already look dated.

It's been a few months since the release of the high end Yorkfield processor, the QX9650 Core 2 Extreme. Today 45nm quad cores are available for the masses as the Q9300, Q9450 and Q9550 processors hit the shelves. HardwareLogic reeled in the new Q9450 Yorkfield and put it through our vicious benchmarking suite in order to see what it was made of. Read on to find out if this processor was worth the wait.

If you've been eyeing the QX9650 with envy the past few months but could not force yourself to throw down a grand for it, this is probably the chip you've been waiting for. With the success of last year's Q6600 quad core, enthusiasts hold high hopes of similar overclocking success with the Q9450. The apparent road block is the modestly locked multiplier that will require supersonic front side bus speeds to achieve high clocks. Speculation is now over so lets find out what this chip is capable of.

CPU	INTEL Q9450
Model	EU80569PJ067N (OEM) BX80569Q9450 (Retail) SLAWR
Core	Quad Core Yorkfield 45 nm Core Stepping: C1
Frequency	2.66GHz
FSB/Multi	1333/x8
Cache	L1: 64KB+64KB L2: 2x6MB (12MB Total)
Voltage	.85V-1.3625V
TDP	95W
Thermal Spec	71.4C
Special Features	Enhanced Halt State (C1E) Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology Execute Disable Bit 1 Intel® EM64T 2 Intel® Thermal Monitor 2 Intel® Virtualization Technology MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, EM64T
Current Pricing	Newegg

We covered Penryn's new features in detail with our review of the QX9650 and the Q9450 does share several characteristics with its big brother. They have the same L1 and L2 cache size, identical voltage range and special features including the SSE4 video rendering instructions.

The biggest difference between the two processors is the locked multiplier found on the Q9450, which is set to 8. You can lower the multiplier to 7.5, 7 or 6 but it won't it won't go higher. The core stepping is now at C1 with a lower thermal design power (TDP) of 95W and higher thermal spec of 71C. What you need to know in a nut shell is that this processors will perform better and use less power than its 65nm counterpart. This is due to new microarchitecture, double the number of transistors utilizing high k metal gates, more L2 cache, new SSE4 instructions, and lower power requirements.

INTEL CONROE CORE DUO 2 REVIEW VS AMD AM2

According to the new announcements of processors generation Core, the first serial products should appear in June-July, now we have imperceptibly crept to the middle of May. So, it is necessary to start to prepare for public for a meeting with Conroe. Company Intel has already lowered the prices for processors of the previous generation, now on turn promulgation of new trade marks.

As i have informed last week from numerous sources, on this Monday company Intel will make property of the public trade marks and names of processors Conroe, Merom and Woodcrest. More precisely speaking, this news in a greater degree concerns first two families for server processors Woodcrest will simply join modelling line Xeon under a symbol " Xeon 51xx ".

Much more interestingly business{affairs} with evolution of trade marks of processors Conroe and Merom are: they will receive an identical brand " Core 2 Duo ", desktop processors will concern to a series " Core 2 Duo E6xxx " (models about 1066 MHz bus) or " Core 2 Duo E4xxx " (models about 800 MHz bus), and mobile processors will concern to a series " Core 2 Duo T5xxx " (models about 2 Mb of cache) or " Core 2 Duo T7xxx " (models about 4 Mb of cache). Frequency range of Merom at the announcemnt moment will lay within the limits of from 1.83 up to 2.33 GHz, for Conroe it will make from 1.6 up to 2.66 GHz. In the further it can extend both aside increases, and aside reduction.

We have studied processors Conroe XE, a semblance of a photo of one of which only yesterday, will receive own trade mark - " Core 2 Extreme ". Apparently, counters of the first the processor with frequency will start to master of 3.33 GHz and 1333 MHz the trunk, but some source specify That should be the max from the Core 2 Extreme with frequency of 3.0 GHz. It can happen a little bit later, when processor Pentium XE 965 (3.73 GHz) and then Core 2 Duo Extreme 3.0 GHz become it replacement will quit the stage, having kept and moderated for Conroe the price in $999.

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz/4MB L2/1066MHz FSB)
AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 (2.8GHz/1MB x 2/1GHz HT)
Intel Pentium XE 965 (3.73GHZ/2MB x 2/1066MHz FSB/HT)
MSI 975X-Platinum (i975X + ICH7R + VRM11)
Foxconn C51XEM2AA (nForce 590SLi)
Corsair DDR2- 8001 GB x 2 (CL5-5-5-15)
Gigabye Geforce 7800GTX 256MB (430MHz/1.2Ghz)
Delta ServerPower 550W
Windows XP Professiona w/SP2
nVidia Forceware 91.28 Beta
nForce Driver 9.34 for nForce 590SLi
Intel INF Update Utility 8.0.1.100 2

conroe core duo overclock

only yesterday we had the chance to overclock the conroe under luiquide nitrogen we had looked for 4.5 ghz ++.this could be achevable the new B0 core: on a motherboard with good opportunities to increase the vore voltage. the processor with a high multiplier (10x) under influence of liquid nitrogen has not wanted to go over 4.6 GHz. What could be the bottleneck? Most likely, the motherboard which cannot simply go over 460 MHz. How to improve the overclock result?just with finding motherboard with higher overclocking potential , or to use a processor with a unlocked multiplier. their is only one conroe cpu capable of those adjustment this one is the Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93 GHz).

INTEL PENTIUM D 920 , INTEL PENTIUM D 930 , INTEL D930 REVIEW , INTEL D920 REVIEW , BENCHMARK

Intel Pentium D 920, intel;Pentium D 930 , Intel D930

Review, Intel D920 Review , benchmark

Let??в„ўs see how Intel??в„ўs shift to 65nm Presler core has affected the youngest dual-core Intel processors. This article offers you a detailed study of the performance and overclocking potential of the new Pentium D processors. Maybe it is high time we started expressing more excitement about dual-core Intel CPUs?

Almost three months have passed since the dual-core Intel Pentium D processors on the Presler core appeared in the market. The CPUs of this type managed to get pretty widely spread since then and now you can easily buy one almost anywhere. Until today our testlab has been working mostly with the top-of-the-line Presler based processors with the price point exceeding $600

Of course, products like that are not for the mass market and are very unlikely to become the sales leaders because of that. Only dedicated hardware enthusiasts will go for them. So sooner or later we had to turn to more ???mass??? solutions from the dual-core Pentium D product family on Presler core. Especially, since they have been significantly improved. They acquired larger L2 cache than the predecessors based on the older Smithfield core. And if the slower Pentium D models could be regarded as competitors to AMD Athlon 64 X2 only thanks to their lower price, now the situation has every chance to change.

It is important that Intel decided to change the processor core of its dual-core CPUs without raising the price of the processors. According to the official price-list, the slower Pentium D models on the new core sell at exactly the same price as their predecessors based on the older 90nm core. It means that Intel has acquired a new weapon in the mainstream market segment that can help the company to win back some of the market from AMD Athlon 64 X2. On the one hand the new younger Pentium D processors cost considerably less than the best value dual-core competitor CPU ??“ Athlon 64 X2 3800+.

On the other hand, Pentium D can now boast higher performance, lower heat dissipation and greater overclocking potential due to the transition to finer 65nm manufacturing process. Are these changes enough for the users to change their mind in favor of the Intel Pentium D processor? This is exactly what we are going to find out in our today??в„ўs test session that will be devoted to two youngest Pentium D CPUs on Presler core: Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930

Pricing of Intel D930 Review , Intel D920 Review

First of all I would like to take a look at the price-list. In order to better understand the correct disposition of the Athlon 64 X2 and Pentium D in the today??в„ўs market, we need to check out their prices. The official price of the youngest Presler based CPU, Pentium D 920, is $241. Pentium D 930 is priced at $316. The least expensive competitor??в„ўs dual-core solution, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, sells at $301. It means that this processor is most likely to be a direct competitor to Pentium D 930. As for Pentium D 920, it is the today??в„ўs cheapest dual-core desktop processor.

Moreover, in the second half of April Intel is planning o lowering the prices of its dual-core CPUs. After that both, Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930, will drop down to $209. No doubt that AMD will respond to this measure with an inevitable price reduction for its Athlon 64 X2. However, we still believe that Intel will retain the title of the manufacturer of the world??в„ўs most affordable dual-core processors.

Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 feature a pretty typical exterior looks. They are based on the Presler core revision B1, which is the only revision available at this time. Now we will only dwell on the features of the Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 processors that are given in the table below:

	Pentium D 920	Pentium D 930
Frequency	2.8 GHz	3.0 GHz
Packaging	775-pin PLGA	775-pin PLGA
Vcore	1.25-1.4 V	1.25-1.4 V
Bus frequency	800 MHz	800 MHz
Typical heat dissipation	95 W	95 W
Core stepping	B1	B1
Max . typical case temperature	63.4o C	63.4o C
L2 cache	2 MB + 2 MB	2 MB + 2 MB
Production process	65 nm	65 nm
Hyper -Threading Technology	None	None
EM64T (Enhanced Memory 64 Technology)	Yes	Yes
EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology)	None	None
VT (Virtualization Technology)	Yes	Yes

These processors feature SL94S and SL94R S-Spec. These are the today??в„ўs only models available until Intel starts shipping CPUs with Presler C1 core stepping. This should happen next month. The launch of the new core stepping should also eliminate the major drawbacks of the B1 core stepping and reduce the heat dissipation of the top Pentium D models. As a result, Intel will be able to release faster models within the same family with the nominal clock rate reaching 3.6GHz. However, the slower Pentium D processor models will be the last ones to acquire the new C2 core stepping. As for the Pentium D 920, this buddy will never exist with the C1 core stepping at all.

The working frequencies of the Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 are 2.8GHz and 3.0GHz respectively. The CPUs support 800MHz system bus, so they can be used in any mainboards that support dual-core processors in general. Here I have to stress that these processors boast relatively low heat dissipation. Thanks to 65nm process, the youngest Pentium D CPUs turned out considerably less power hungry than their predecessors. However, when we compare them to the competitors from AMD, they will still be dissipating too much heat to be the winners in this parameter. For example, here are some results of the heat dissipation test we carried out for the youngest dual-core processor models from Intel and AMD:

	Power consumption in idle mode	Power consumption under workload
AMD Athlon 64 3800+	11.4 W	65.0 W
Intel Pentium D 930	40.8 W	103.2 W
Intel Pentium D 920	39.6 W	100.2 W

However the heat dissipation of the Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 is noticeably smaller than what the top Pentium 4 CPUs on Prescott core would demonstrate. So, we have every right to conclude that Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 do not set any specific requirements to the

Among the distinguishing features of these processors we should definitely mention large L2 cache memory of 4MB total (2MB for each core). As you already know, dual-core Pentium D processors do not use the entire available L2 cache memory at once. At this time only the mobile Intel Core processors have shared L2 cache memory. Another peculiarity of the Pentium D processor is the absence of Hyper-Threading support. Although it is theoretically implemented in the Presler core, it is truly activated only in extremely expensive Pentium Extreme Edition CPUs. However, Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930 fully support x86-64 64-bit extensions and Virtualization Technology.

I would like to specifically point out that Presler processors on B1 core stepping do not support Intel Enhanced SpeedStep technology. At the same time, these processors do not support the entire Demand Based Switching set, i.e. Enhanced HALT State and Thermal Monitor 2. Although the minimal multiplier Presler processors theoretically support equals 12x, power saving technologies will only be implemented in the C1 core stepping.

AMD TURION 64 X2 REVIEW : SOCKET S1 AND DDR2 BENCHMARK OVERLCLOCK

AMD Turion 64 X2 review : socket S1 and DDR2 benchmark overlclock

Introduction

The long lethargy of AMD seems finally finished. Indeed, except one énième variation of K8 architecture at the beginning of the year in the person of Athlon 64 dual FX-60 core, we did not have anything of nine to put to us under the tooth. This May will be different, perhaps. Indeed, AMD does it arrive with a new architecture? Not. Will AMD launch processors engraved in 65 nanometers? Either. Actually AMD draws still more on the rubber band of its K8 architecture, itself derived from K7 architecture. Indeed, on May 23 the Athlon processors 64 AM2 will unload which do not bring enormous innovations, the principal one being the storage medium DDR2 via a passage of the socket 939 with the socket 940.

Side of the processors for portable computers, AMD did not propose anything when Intel launched the third Centrino generation introducing Intel Core Duo and Solo. The giant of Santa Clara thus found himself to only propose processors dual core in the laptops. AMD opposite had only Turion 64 which is only one Athlon 64 proposer a TDP of 35 or 25 Watts. Today, AMD launches Turion 64 X2, pushed back on several occasions. According to various rumours, this delay would have been to allot to the difficulty in reducing consumption to an acceptable level compared to Athlon 64 X2 AM2, other theories justifying this time lengthened by a morose market on the level of the sales of portable PC. But let us not mislead there we, Turion 64 X2 does not have anything again, nor of transcendent. It acts neither more nor less than one Athlon 64 X2 “AM2” socket S1 whose thermal envelope was reduced.

New a socket and support of the DDR2

Processors AMD Turion 64 inaugurate new a socket: S1. It is equipped with 638 pines only whereas the precedents Turion 64 (individual core) functioned on socket 754 pines. These Turion X2 will thus not be usable on the mother charts currently available of office and it is far from probable that board manufacturers mothers leave the models equipped with socket S1 since AMD will decline Athlon 64 X2 AM2 in version EE not meaning here Extreme Edition but corresponding to the versions Low Voltage of the AM2, with a TDP announced for 35 or 65 Watts according to the model.

Initially, Turion 64 X2 will be engraved in 90 nanometers, of the versions 65 nanometers being envisaged later on. Three versions are awaited corresponding to as much value of TDP: Keene with a TDP of 25 Watts, Taylor with a TDP of 35 Watts and finally Trinidad and a high TDP of 62 Watts reserving it for portables DTR (Desktop Replacement). This information however remains to confirm since today, AMD launch only Turion 64 X2 Taylor.

Our specimen of test is the processor most highly given rhythm for the introduction of Turion X2, namely 2 GHz. It names AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-60 and is equipped with 2x512 KB of L2 mask, that is to say a L2 mask by core of execution while the L1 mask is of 128 KB. Its TDP is of 35 Watts since it is about the core Taylor while its revision is the BH-F2. On the level of the supported instructions, one is entitled to the MMX (+); with the 3Dnow! (+), with the SSE, the SSE2, the SSE3 and obviously with the instruction set x86-64. In short, nothing new good compared to Turion 64 of first generation.

What is new on the other hand and which constitutes the principal innovation of processors AMD on socket AM2 and S1: the support of the DDR2 400 and 533 into dual channel. Indeed, these Turion 64 X2 have a controller report allowing the management of memory DDR2 in double channel. The HyperTransport bond on its side is fixed at 800 MHz, that is to say in terms of FSB, a value of 200 MHz. Let us finish by some figures by quoting the size of the die which is 172.1 mm ² while the number of transistors rises to approximately 153.8 million. There in terms of size, the processor in itself is smaller than Turion 64 socket 754 and approaches more than one Core Duo on this level. What strikes on the other hand, it is the size of the die compared to its Intel competitor. On the level of the chipsets compatible with its Turion 64 X2, AMD announces tiddlywinks SiS, VIA, ATI, ULi and NVIDIA.

Classification of the models

Turion 64 X2 preserve the principle of the classification of individual Turion 64 core made up for recall of two digits and two letters. Here, there is TL (Thin and Light) follow-up of two digits:

• TL-60: 2 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
• TL-56: 1.8 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
• TL-52: 1.6 GHz, 2x512 KB of L2 mask
• TL-50: 1.6 GHz, 2x256 KB of L2 mask

All are processors dual core and they support all the management of énegie PowerNow. Lastly, they all are compatible with the virtualisation which for recall makes it possible to emulate two machines starting from one only processor, so certain material conditions are respected. It will be noted that the TL-50 is given rhythm at the same frequency that the TL-52 but is equipped with twice less mask. From there with saying that AMD touches the bottom by proposing similar dual processor core, there is only one step that many will not hesitate to crossвЂÂ¦

INTEL CORE I7 920 REVIEW BENCHMARK AND OVERCLOCKING

The announced in 2006, core architecture , marked the beginning of new high performance desktop and mobile systems. Processors on base Of core combined the superiority on performance over NetBurst architecture , low energy consumption ( low heat emission ) and overclocking potential. The architecture core helped Intel company to avoid the economic problems, connected with relative unpopularity of NetBurst processors . During the last two years Intel consecutively enlarged the possibilities of core architecture , released new revisions, and recently transferred the release of processors to the 45nm technical process. In 2007 Intel stated about the announcement of nehalem architecture ( processors core i7), built on base Of core with a number of cardinal update :

• The memory controller was transferred from the north bridge (motherboard) directly in the processor itself
• support 3- X (triple) channel operation mode
• in contrast to Kentsfield/yorkfield, which consist on two crystals with 2 core each, all 4 core Bloomfield are located on one crystal

• At the given moment, the presented core i7 consists on three 4- core processors: 920, 940 and 965 Extreme edition.

  	Core i7 965 Extreme edition	Core i7 940	Core i7 920
  Socket	LGA 1366
  Technical process	45 nm
  Quantity of core/threads	4/8
  Frequency	3.20 GHz	2.93 GHz	2.66 GHz
  Multiplier	x 24.0	x 22.0	x 20.0
  QPI	1 x 6.4 GT/s	1 x 4.8 GT/s	1 x 4.8 GT/s
  Cache	4 x 256 KB L2/8Mb L3
  Supported memory type	DDR 3-800/1066/ 1333/1600	DDR 3-800/1066	DDR 3-800/1066
  TDP, in watt	130
  Price in parties from 1000 pieces	$999	$562	$284

Core I7 920 operating temperature :

According to the utility CoreTemp version 0.99, the processor temperature with the regular box Intel cooler , varies in the region 35-40 degrees . Under load (using OCCT utility version 2.0.0 ) the temperature rose to 55-60 degrees .

Core I7 920 overclocking :

The default voltage for this processor is 1.2V (1.16 with full load) , in this case the processor was stable at the frequency 3000 MHz (@ default voltage), but @3100Mhz it immediately crashed under OCCT test. After raising the core voltage to 1.3V it was possible to pass OCCT test at the frequency 3200 MHz . In this case 1.4V gave a stable 3400Mhz. The tendency is clear. We decided to give this processor 1.5V ( :-) , note it is not recommended to use 1.5v ), but @ 3600 MHz the system could not even POST. As it was explained later, the reason for the observed limitation is due to the QPI bus , in other words, The max stable QPI bus is 175 MHz (motherboard limitation ); therefore the processor overclock was limited to 3500MHz.

Core I7 920 vs Core architecture :

For comparison we used some popular four core processor : Intel Q6600 and Q9450, based on 65nm and 45nm technical processes.

Here is the list of used computer hardware:

Socket 1366:

• Intel core i7 920 (Engineering sample) Bloomfield C0
• Intel DX58SO (Engineering sample, Bios 2260 )

Socket 775:

• Intel core2 quad q6600, Kentsfield G0
• Intel core2 quad q9450, Yorkfield E0
• ASUS P5W64-WS evo (Intel x48, Bios 0601)

• 2x1Gb Kingston KHX14400D3/K2 (DDR 3-1800 CL8, micron D9GTR chips )
• 1x1Gb OCZ3P16002GK platinum (DDR 3-1600 CL7, micron D9GTR chips )
• XFX 8600GT XXX edition
• Intel SSDSA2MH080G1GN (80Gb SSD)
• Chieftec CFT-750-14CS (750W)
• No case :-)

Software:

• Microsoft Windows XP service pack 2
• Intel INF drivers version 9.1.0.1007
• nVidia forceWare version 169.21
  
• Futuremark 3DMark06 version 1.1.0
• CineBench r10 version
• CPUmark99
• Everest version 4.60.1500
• Fritz chess benchmark
• NucleaRUS version 2.0.0
• ScienceMark version 2.0.0
• SuperPi version 1.5
• TechArp x264 HD version 0.59.819M
• WinRAR version 3.71
• wPrime version 1.55

Core i7 does not love excessively high memory capacity . We can reach the frequencies 920-930Mhz with 6-6-5-15, but, absolutely all tests showed a performance loss relative to the same frequency with 7-7-7-16 or 8-7-6-18.

Now let us say a few words about the Intel memory voltage limit equal to : 1.65 v . In practice a constant use of memory with 2.2-2.3V have not influenced at all the overclocking potential/stability (Note we deal here with few days test , the time required to write this review , So some defect may appear for longer operation , but in our case 2.2-2.3 v was pretty safe).

Since the memory controller is build in the processor, the memory overclock depends now also on the processor temperature .

As conclusion, I can say only that core i7 is a new step in the development of desktop processors. Yes, the overclocking potential is low currently , but this may be fixed with time or luck . The use of HT technology and built-in memory controller considerably improved the performance in comparison with previous families processors.

Now this is a question of price since user have to pay not only for the processors. and motherboard Socket 1366 but also for the DDR3 memory ..

Rock integrates Core 2 Duo processors in its T12 gaming notebook

Rock’s latest gaming notebook integrates Intel Core 2 Duo processors and manages to squeeze 7 hours of juice out of its battery.

The Pegasus T12 features a unique 10,000mAh extended battery that is able to last “all day” according to Rock, because the new Intel processors need less power to run.

The T12 features a 15.4-inch screen, up to 2GB Ram, an 80GB hard drive, 8x +/- dual layer DVD writer, and weighs 3.1Kg.

We’ll get back to you about pricing on Monday, after the embargo has been lifted on the final specs.

Intel joins Dell in protesting Psion's "netbook" trademark

We brought you the news that Dell has filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark office to request that Psion's ownership of the word "netbook" as a trademark be cancelled, and it seems Intel is now on the case too.

Intel has filed a complaint with the US District Court of Northern California requesting that Psion's "netbook" trademark be "negated".

Intel makes the Atom processors that are found in many of the little laptops, especially lower cost models, so has a vested interest in the future of the netbook industry.

Intel states: "The consuming public has already adopted 'netbook' as a generic term for a category of notebook computers that are small, inexpensive and contain less processing power, making them optimal for connecting to the internet".

"Netbooks are simply extensions of the notebook category... Psion's allegations [that netbooks aren't generic] must therefore fail".

Intel unveils six-core Xeon 7400 processor

This is the monster of all chips - the Intel six-core Xeon 7400 processor.

Joining the chip series, that was codenamed "Dunnington", this is expected to be the last of the Penryn family as Intel is soon to move over to a new chip tech, or processor architecture, called Nehalem.

A four-quad-core chip was already available, but this latest chip is basically made up of three dual-core Penryn processors packed onto a single processor die.

Intel has used what it calls a 45-nanometer (as opposed to a 65-nanometer) process to make the new chip, which means that the features on a chip are smaller and it uses less power.

What this means for the consumer is faster machines.

The 7400 series processors has added a 16MB level 3 cache, which means performance is boosted, especially for memory hungry applications.

Intel announces new specialised Atom processor

New Atom-powered smartphones and in-car entertainment systems could be heading our way towards the end of the year, says Intel.

It's all very boring on the surface, but the company has announced four versions of processors and two new system controller hub additions to the company's offerings around the Atom processor Z5xx series, based on the processor used in many of the netbooks available on the market today.

Like Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset, Intel is hoping that the new offering will allow it to power more and more devices as we all start to demand more from our mobile "computers".

Intel says the new products will be designed for use in in-car infotainment devices, media phones, eco-technologies and other industrial-strength applications.

"With the addition of these new products, we can bring the benefits of Intel processors to new applications, devices and customers who develop products used in unconstrained thermal environments with low-power in mind", said Doug Davis, vice president, digital enterprise group and general manager, embedded and communications group, Intel.

Intel see the move as ensuring its future: "Meeting the needs of embedded environments and new market segments will play a large role in delivering the connectivity and functionality necessary as the number of devices connecting to the embedded Internet is expected to grow to an estimated 15 billion devices by 2015".

The new products will be available to companies in the second quarter, so look out for product announcements after that.

Intel announces 45nm "Penryn" processors

Intel has unveiled 16 server and high-end PC processors, from the code-named "Penryn" platform that promise to increase computer performance and save energy use and will be used in high-end PCs, desktops and performance laptops.

These new chips, under the "Intel Core 2 Extreme" and "Xeon" brand names are the first to be manufactured on the company's 45nm manufacturing process, which boosts performance and lowers power consumption.

Intel says combining these two advancements with new processor features enables Intel to continue delivering faster and more energy-efficient processors that are better for the environment.

The smaller, faster and more cost effective processors are expected to be seen in products from early-2008.