Posted on 07/14/2006 8:31:15 AM PDT by ShadowAce
Two weeks from now, Intel will release its all-new Core 2 Duo processor. The technical details were made available to the public in March 2006, and first benchmarks made clear that Intel is not joking: Core 2 Duo shall become the undisputed leader in performance and performance per Watt. It's time to separate facts from rumors.
Intel does not talk about changes to the processor architecture; it talks about a complete redesign. The engineers took elements from the current Pentium D NetBurst architecture and added ingredients that made the Pentium M and Core Duo mobile processors successful, and voilá: The Core2 micro-architecture was born. Key design goals were an ideal relation between processing performance and power consumption, which was a direct result of AMD's processors delivering better performance per Watt of energy, and the public complaining about unreasonably high power consumption and cooling requirements for Intel platforms.
For industry experts, Core 2 Duo beating the Athlon 64 processor family is no surprise: On the one hand, Core 2 Duo is a brand-new state-of-the-art processor, whereas the Athlon 64 X2 has been around for a while. On the other hand, Intel must come out with a superior product to finally beat AMD after two years of Athlon 64 headwinds.
So fasten your seatbelts, because Core 2 Duo is the new high-flyer. We will go through all technical aspects that have not been discussed on the web. So don't expect lots of architecture details (these can be found in our Spring IDF article), but hands-on testing and analysis. We will also have a look at the impact Core 2 Duo might have on AMD.
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First of all let me sort the facts: As soon as Core 2 Duo hits the market, it will...
We expect Core 2 Duo to roll out slower than Intel proclaims, so don't expect to get every model in every shop right from the start. All eyes are staring at Intel, especially after it announced decreasing revenues and layoffs. For these reasons we believe that it will do everything that is necessary to ensure a stable processor supply.
Is the game over for AMD then? By no means. The performance race might be over for the time being, but it still can look at more attractive platforms for the enthusiast customer base (for ATI Crossfire and Nvidia SLI). In addition, AMD spokesperson Damon Muzny told us earlier this week that AMD intends to adjust its processor prices to keep delivering the best price/performance for the customer. Although we do not have any numbers yet, you can be pretty sure that the price cuts will be substantial, so check processor prices before you buy! And that is not all: There are AMD's low-power Athlon 64 X2 processors, rated at 65 W and 35 W - these will help the firm to compete in the digital home space. As Intel moves towards its first quad core processor in the winter and AMD will rollout first 65 nm processors, we will certainly see the battle heating up even more.
True, but my comments about THG's overal Intelophelia and AMDophobia are still valid.
I disagree, but you're welcome to your opinion. I haven't seen THG differ significantly from other first-rate sites in their methods or results.
Not really too much to go against when I purchased, but I am very satisfied with size, quality, resloution, workspace etc. The color is good and with a spyder, you can improve beyond that. As always a good CRT will beat a LCD, but the wide format with room on the desktop and low heat are worth it for what I do. I paid about $825, but I think they are a bit higher now.
>>a good CRT will beat a LCD<<
I've heard this before, but I've compared these things side by side and notice little, if any difference. I have a pretty keen eye for detail.
Off topic, but whatever happened to the two high school kids who invented a chem-free air conditioner using heat sinks? That was pretty cool -- all pun intended.
Over a relatively short period of time, AMD went from niche players who could only really compete on price, to technology leaders who were able to push the market and even lead in many ways.
Intel has had to work hard to get back on top, and while they appear to be taking the lead again, the question of how long they can maintain that lead is a serious one in most people's minds.
Most people, myself included don't need to processing power these newest chips provide, but the somewhat slower processors they do need keep dropping in price and becoming more affordable.
I concur. These 'needless' speed increases and performance battles only benefit the consumer, especially since it leads to more advanced software that is able to do much more because of the speed and other architectural increases, also with this healthy competition we are able to pay a actual decent price for a processor unlike the days when there was only one game in town and you had to pay hundreds of dollars for an entry level processor, now we might actually only pay $100 for the entry processor.
I'm not against it. Just pointing out that now it has become a sales gimmick for 90% of the population.
Yea. I just look at as a preview of the things I might be interested in buying in a year of two once they become affordable.
On anyone planning on running the next bloated windoze OS...
Sounds like that guy(dem) from Illinois...Whose shoebox contained 'How Much Cash' when he died?..LOL....
""On anyone planning on running the next bloated windoze OS..."
heheheh I'm kinda partial to Linux myself but I bit my tongue and decided not to start a Linux / Windoze war....
Good idea...
Like me. I like to stay a ways back from the cutting edge when I rebuild. It saves tons of cash.
Further reference for ya: the [H] runs through a battery of gaming tests in their usual format, and basically concludes both FX-62 and Core 2 Duo are easily powerful enough for any current game.
So, if you prefer this methodology, it can still be a very close thing. I'm waiting for the AMD price drop, in my choice of PC budget this can be the key event. (IMO it's silly to chase bleeding edge performance as things become obsolete very quickly).
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwxLCxobmV3cw==
Tell us how you really feel about Tom's Hardware.
I honestly don't think it's a concious effort to decieve anyone, but I do think there's a bias there. It's Ford and Chevy or Yankees and Dodgers. Some folks just can't give the competition a fair shake.
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