HEXUS.reviews :: Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs

[Tarinder]

Since the Intel Developer Forum revelations, the Core 2 Quad has gained a name and the range has already expanded. Aside from the flagship QX6700, which takes over from the X6800 as Intel’s most extreme Extreme, there are already two versions for more modest users, the Q6600 and Q6400. We got our hands on all of them, and put them up against a variety of pretenders, from Core 2 Duo and Pentium D stable mates to AMD’s current dual-core finest. So read on to see if Intel’s Core 2 Quad really is the processing powerhouse we were all expecting!

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=7129

[awm]

I think the core uArch is great, but the idea of putting two separate pieces of silicon on a chip (and their associated heat) seems not to be very cost effective. It seems like a core 2 duo should be sufficient until developers catch up (or course if you are in the ray-tracing business ignore me). I also have to wonder what this does to performance/watt, Intel's current method of judging CPUs.

[ExceededGoku]

I'll wait for the native quad cores thanks , but good review!

[Fabula]

Very nice chip. But a bit pricy for anything other than CAD etc.

I would much rather wait a year for consumer applications to start using multiple cores.

Unless of course I won the lottery...

[asteroth]

nyer.... not too bothered really. its a lovely concept and sure to get the cpu geeks going, but at high resolution gaming it becomes moot. for single threaded games i.e. 99% of them my opteron@3Ghz is going to perform just as well. be honest; how long before game developers start coding multithreaded games?

bloody ages i bet, if ever. its all about the GPU.

[chuckskull]

Overpriced, too hot, bodged attempt at quad core, but damn it I want one now

[SpawnofSonic]

it does seem a bit bodged, i think ill continue to wait for a "proper" quad core and by then hopefully applications will make use of it, although to be honest id probably only use it to do encode / listen to music while playing css and stuff

[DR]

At the end of the day if you are planning on buying a high end chip - this is top of your list.

Game developers have been coding for this for a while and I suspect Q1 07 we will see games which take advantage of this.

[Thorburn]

I also have to wonder what this does to performance/watt, Intel's current method of judging CPUs.

Can't do that badly as it exists in the same thermal envelope as the FX-62 and Pentium Extreme Edition 955, and even in dual core form the E6700 can outpace those.
In benchmarks where it shows little or no gain over the Core 2 Duo then yeah, performance per watt is gonna take a hit, but in examples such as the Raytracing, Cinebench or the 3D Mark CPU tests which are highly optimised for multi-core then performance per watt can increase as demonstrated by Anandtech here.

The real place this is going to be great is in single socket servers, being able to fit 4 cores in a lower end servers or workstation will be a real bonus and might negate the need for a more expensive 2S setup for some people.

[DR]

I spoke to one company today - they have 11 Blades with one of these per Blade - giving them 44 Cores in a 3U box....

[chuckskull]

I spoke to one company today - they have 11 Blades with one of these per Blade - giving them 44 Cores in a 3U box....

Can we get a emote?

[DR]

Can we get a emote?

Heh

Another company has the Clovertown "Super Computer" coming - 5 Blades, with 2 CPUs per Blade - 40 Cores - but higher memory and hdd density.

[Thorburn]

with 3 CPUs per Blade

Typo?

[DR]

Typo?

Yes Corrected

[moby_matt]

Is this new series of chips likely to push down the retail of Core 2 Duo CPU's?

[chuckskull]

Is this new series of chips likely to push down the retail of Core 2 Duo CPU's?

Not straight away as this is just a new 'extreme' chip. When quads are standard then it will. I'm guessing first quarter next year.