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.