Intel SkullTrail Preview - Dual Core 2 Extreme QX9775 Processors

Skulltrail Enthusiast Platforms Arrive
When AMD launched the QuadFX system it got Intel pondering the thought of a high-end desktop PC platform based on workstation-class chips. Intel responded just two months later and showed off the V8 test system with eight cores of processing power! Six months later Intel had two Xeon X5365 processors and the Intel S5000XVN workstation motherboard that made up the V8 system in our hands and the benchmarks showed Intel had nothing to worry about from QuadFX. Sadly, AMD ended the QuadFX program not even a year after it was launched, but that didn't stop Intel from releasing another V8 system with the code name - Skulltrail. Legit Reviews first spotted Skulltrail at the Intel Developer Forum last fall and found out that this board would support both ATI Crossfire and NVIDIA SLI video card technology, which is neat to say the least. It was originally said to support Triple-SLI and maybe even Quad-SLI since the motherboard supports four x16 PCI Express lanes, but that seems to have changed in recent months. In the days leading up to the launch of Skulltrail this statement was sent out by NVIDIA:

There are rumors that 3-way SLI on Skulltrail could be enabled with a driver from NVIDIA. Just wanted to inform you that Skulltrail motherboards use two NVIDIA nForce 100 SLI MCPs. The nForce 100 SLI chip allows a maximum of two GeForce graphics cards to work together, enabling SLI between two GeForce GPUs such as the GeForce 8800 GTX, and enables Quad SLI on dual-GPU graphics boards such as the GeForce 7950 GX2. The nForce 100 SLI MCP will NOT support 3-way SLI. This cannot change even with a driver/bios update.

Seems just two card SLI is available on Skulltrail, but that is great compared to not being able to run SLI at all. Without further ado, lets take a look at Skulltrail and get to it!



The Intel Skulltrail platform consists of the Intel D5400XS motherboard that supports two LGA771 based processors at 1066/1333/1600 bus speeds, for up to 8-core processing. The Skulltrail configuration that we are looking at today consists of a pair of Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processors. The Intel D5400XS supports both Core 2 and Xeon LGA771 processors, so if you are worried about the budget alternate CPU's are available at various price points. The Intel D5400XS is basically a workstation board and as such uses the EATX format, so a larger chassis will be needed. The D5400XS uses up to four slots of FB-DIMM dual-channel memory at either DDR2 667MHz or 800MHz speeds. This might be the last time we see FB-DIMM's on the high-end enthusiast platforms as rumor has it that Intel might be going to DDR3 memory. Notice that the MCH is passive cooled, but the pair of NVIDIA nForce 100 chipsets and south bridge are actively cooled.



Other board features are what one would expect on a high-end enthusiast motherboard and include 4 PCI Express x16 (1.1) slots, 2 PCI slots, Intel High Definition Audio, Intel Matrix Storage Technology (RAID 0,1,5,10), Intel PRO 10/100/1000 LAN, 10 USB 2.0 ports, 8 SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (including 2 eSATA), and a Parallel ATA (2 devices) connector. As mentioned previously the PCI Express lanes support both SLI and CrossFire technology. Since the NVIDIA nForce 100 chips are being used PCI Express 2.0 support is out the door, so PCI Express 1.1 will have to do.



Intel recommends a kilowatt or better PSU for a system with 4GB of memory, two GPUs, and two CPUs. If you want to run four GPUs and 8GB of memory, they recommend a PSU rated for over 1400W! Legit Reviews has a few PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1kW-SR power supplies laying around and was able to make do with one and had no problems with 4GB of memory and a pair of GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB video cards running SLI. Remember Intel D5400XS motherboard has dual eight-pin aux power connectors in addition to the 24-pin ATX connectors, so you'll need a power supply that has the right connections.



Before we move on we have to show the LGA771 socket and the unlocked Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processors we will be using for testing. Clocked at 3.2GHz, these 45nm processors with dual 1600MHz front-side buses are sure to perform great. They are based on the LGA771 Xeon (Harpertown) architecture even though they have a feature list that is nearly identical to the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770. Intel informed us that this setup will offer a total of 25.6GB/s of bandwidth, so this is hands down the most powerfull system that we have ever looked at. The processors are also part of the reason for the high power supply requirements as these 3.2 GHz quad-core processors with dual 6MB chuncks of L2 cache have a TDP rating of 150W. This TDP is just a little bit higher than the 136W TDP of the QX9770, but otherwise, they are virtually equivalent processors. It will be interesting to see what cooling solutions enthusiasts come up with for this platform!

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Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Processor Intel Core 2

Intel Dual-Core Processors Go 45nm - Wolfdale


When AMD released the quad-core Phenom processor series last November, Phenom shocked the industry with low performance numbers and clock frequencies. If that was not enough, AMD then had to deal with the TLB erratum number 298 that presented a BIOS workaround that fixes the issue for a large performance loss. Even during this bad news, other headlines from November to February revolved around video cards, as both NVIDIA and ATI launched new series that both marked significant improvements over previous generations. With all the media focus going to the new video cards and how bad Phenom is doing, almost no one noticed the refresh of their Core 2 Duo processor lineup. The old 65nm Conroe dual-core processor that we have all come to know and love has been replaced by a new 45nm Wolfdale dual-core processor! The Intel Wolfdale based processors have the same technology benefits that LR has already talked about in previous articles, so if you don't know about High-k + metal gate transistors or Intel's lead-free technology you have some catching up to do.



With a die size of just 107mm2 and 410 million transistors, it is smaller than its predecessor, the Conroe, as it had a die size of 143mm2 with 291 million transistors. The above pictures are not to scale, but they show what the layout of the dies look like. Most of the 119 million new transistors are for the larger 6MB L2 cache on the Wolfdale as the Conroe had just 4MB. Other transistors are dedicated to the new SSE4 instruction set and the super shuffle engine. The TDP rating (Thermal Design Power) for the chip impressively stays the same, though, at just 65W. For comparison, the fastest single desktop processor that Intel has to offer right now is the quad-core Intel QX9770, which has a TDP rating of 136W. All of the Intel dual-core Wolfdale series processors are rated at 65W TDP and have 6MB of L2 Cache.

Processor
Cores
Frequency
L2 Cache
Bus Speed
Multiplier
1ku Price
Street Price

E8500
2
3.16GHz
6MB
1333MHz
9.5
$266
$285

E8400
2
3.00GHz
6MB
1333MHz
9
$183
$207

E8200
2
2.66GHz
6MB
1333MHz
8
$163
$172

E8190
2
2.66GHz
6MB
1333MHz
8
$163
N/A



Intel currently offers four Wolfdale processors and, as you can see from the table above, half multipliers are back in action as the Intel E8500 has a multiplier of 9.5. Of the four dual-core Wolfdale processors you might be wondering what the difference between the E8200 and the E8190 is as they have the same basic features. Basically, the E8190 lacks Virtualization and Trusted Execution Technology. Many people don't even know what virtualization is, so one can expect prices on the E8190 to eventually be less than that of the E8200. It should also be pointed out that some rumors are going around that Intel will have a Core 2 Duo E8300 with an 8.5x multiplier and an E8600 with a 10x multiplier coming out later this year.



Today, we will be testing out the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor against six other processors, but keep an eye on the $269.99 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor and $259.99 AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition Processor as these processors are in the same price range.

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Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Processor

The $133 Wolfdale Arrives - Core 2 Duo E7200
The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor isn't even out yet, but it is by far one of the most talked about processors in 2008 and with a rumored price of $133 it is no wonder as to why. This means that the E7200 will be priced lower than what you can purchase an Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 for today as it will set you back for $149.99. The E7200 at 2.53GHz is 70MHz slower than the E4700 that currently works at 2.6GHz, but don't worry as the E7200 has 1066MHz FSB, which is faster than the E4700 that has just an 800MHz FSB. The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 has a 3MB chunk of L2 cache that should perform better than the 2MB L2 cache found on the E4700. The faster Front Side Bus (FSB) and increased density on the L2 cache should make up for the lower clock speed and make the entry level Core 2 Duo very competitive.

As much as the enthusiast community has been talking about the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor, Intel has been pretty silent about the upcoming processor. This is strange seeing how the launch of it is coming up in the weeks ahead (rumored to be on May 11th, 2008). After the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor arrived here at LR, we had some questions for Intel about the pricing and power ratings and Intel had this to say:

Oh, for pricing, we are not giving that out yet as launch is still just slated for “Q2” and it isn’t launched yet. I will say however it will fit into our mainstream dual core 65W TDP. - Intel PR

With Intel not sharing any information other than providing us with a processor let's take a look at what we have and run some numbers! The rest of the information will come out when the launch date gets closer.



With the latest version of CPU-Z 1.44.2, we can see our dual-core 'Wolfdale' processor is correctly identified at 2.53 GHz with a 1066MHz FSB and 3MB L2 cache. This is a 45nm processor with the Q-spec code of QAFS. The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 should be a great overclocker as it has a 9.5 multiplier (266MHz FSB x 9.5 multiplier = 2,527MHz). If you increase the FSB to 333MHz that will make the CPU 3.16GHz and if it could do 400MHz that would make it 3.80GHz! We will try to reach these higher clock frequencies in our overclocking section.



Moving over to the cache tab in CPU-Z the 3MB of L2 cache can be seen. With a larger L2 cache size the Core 2 Duo 7xxx series should be able to perform better than the Core 2 Duo 4xxx series.



Flipping the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor over, some differences can be noted between the various 45nm processors by Intel.

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Intel Core 2 Quad 9300 Processor

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 - Budget Phenom Slayer
For those that haven't been keeping up with all the new processor launches the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor is the newest 45nm quad-core 'Yorkfield' processor. It is also the entry level 45nm quad-core processor, which means it has the lowest price tag! At $285.99 plus shipping on PriceGrabber the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 is still fairly pricey, but you get what you pay for and it should run circles around the $235 AMD Phenom 9850 quad-core processor. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor has been getting a ton of attention these days as retailers are offering it in some pretty killer bundles. Microcenter for example has the Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9300 (OEM) processor and a 2GB (2x1GB) OCZ Gold DDR2-800 memory kit being offered together for $250. If these deals are looking tempting, but you are unsure about the processor and how it stacks up against others on the market you are in luck as we are going to run the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 against seven other processors to see how it does.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor Review
With the latest version of CPU-Z 1.44.2, we can see our quad-core 'Yorkfield' processor is correctly identified at 2.50 GHz with a 1333MHz FSB and 6MB L2 cache.Our processor is an M1 stepping and has a TDP of 95W, which is the same as the Q6600 that it replaces. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 should be a pretty good overclocker, but it only has a 7.5 multiplier (333MHz FSB x 7.5 multiplier = 2.5GHz). With a somewhat low multiplier the FSB will have to be increased beyond 450MHz to break the 3.5GHz mark. This eliminates the use of many low end motherboards as to hit FSB speeds above 450MHz it will really tax the platform. If you increase the FSB to 400MHz that will make the CPU 3.0GHz, which should be easy to reach! We will try to reach these higher clock frequencies in our overclocking section as many enthusiasts will be buying this processor just to overclock it.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor Review
Moving over to the cache tab in CPU-Z the 6MB of L2 cache can be seen.
The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor Bottom
Flipping the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor over, some differences can be noted between the various 45nm processors by Intel.

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Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 on the Dell M1730

Dell Offers Users The Ultimate Mobile Processor - Intel X9000
Dell XPS M1730 with the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 Processor
It has been a long time since I've written about notebooks since I've been busy looking at desktop hardware, but I finally had the time to dedicate to one very nice notebook. What I have here today is the Dell XPS M1730 gaming notebook, which is hands down the fastest notebook I have ever laid my hands on. The Dell XPS M1730 has been around since October 2007, so I won't bore you with a review on a notebook that is now over half a year old. What we are looking at today is the new 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor that you have the option to purchase when you pick up one of beasts. When the Dell M1730 first came out it was offered with an Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 at 2.8GHz. What is the difference then you ask? The Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 is built with a 65nm process and has an L2 cache size of 4MB, while the recently released Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 uses a newer 45nm process technology and has an L2 cache size of 6MB. What stands out the most about the transition though is the power savings. The X7900 has a TDP of 44W, while the new X9000 has a TDP of just 35W. Intel has managed to add cache and manage an impressive power reduction thanks to the die shrink. This processor is hands down Intel's fastest notebook CPU for the performance enthusiast, gaming, and multimedia markets. If you crave speed and don't mind Desktop Replacement (DTR) sized notebooks then you are in luck.
Dell XPS M1730 with the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 Processor
The Dell XPS M1730 is the perfect system to test the out the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor as it has all the latest technology stuffed under the hood. The Dell XPS M1730 offers support of the highest-end components available today, Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX SLI graphics, the first mobile PhysX processor, and two SATA hard drives. Our test system (pictured above) came with a pair of NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX graphics cards in SLI, a pair of 250GB Seagate Momentus 7200.3 ST9250421ASG hard drives in RAID, 4GB (only 3GB available) of DDR2 667MHz memory and of course the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 Processor.
Dell XPS M1730 with the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 Processor
Before we jump into the testing, I wanted to show how cool the keyboard illumination looks when computing in the dark. This is ideal for gamers that like to play with the lights off. The Dell XPS M1730 laptop also incorporates a built-in Logitech GamePanel LCD display above the keyboard; four buttons beneath the LCD let you navigate menus to toggle between system status, in-game statistics, and other vital information on the 0.8-inch-high screen. My Dell XPS 1710 is starting to look a little dated!

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Intel Announces The Centrino 2 Platform

Intel Centrino 2 Takes Off Running
Today is a special day for Intel as it is the 5thanniversary for the Centrino mobile platform and they are celebrating it with the launch of the Centrino 2 platform (Montevina). Intel started to design the Intel Centrino mobile platform in 1999 and for the time it was cutting edge as WiFi in 1999 was a just dream. When the Intel Centrino platform was launched in 2003 only 16% of notebooks contained Wireless technology (WiFi). Today over 95% of retail notebooks contain WiFi. With Centrino 2, Intel is planning for the future with a platform that is able to adapt to what we need in today’s marketplace.
Intel believes that social networking, user-generated content and visualization are the driving forces in the market today. What platform will bring these uses to the user? Intel believes the Centrino 2 platform will be the perfect match for consumers to bring these driving forces together.
Centrino 2 is made of of three major components, the processor, the wireless card and the chipset. Intel Centrino 2 processors are 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad processors with up to 6MB L2 cache and a 1066MHz FSB. Intel is introducing the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile Processor X9100 which is now the highest performing flagship processor for the Centrino 2 platform and operates at 3.06GHz. Just like other Extreme mobile processors the X9100 has Overspeed protection removed, so consumers will be able to overclock the processor if the notebook allows it. When it comes to TDP ratings the X9100 is mobile friendly at just 44W. Intel showed a demo of the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile Processor X9100 playing Ubisoft’s Assassins’ Creed on a notebook with a pair of ATI mobile graphics cards running in CrossFire and the game play looked great!
Other than the new 45nm processors with a faster FSB and more cache the Centrino 2 platform also has a new chipset. The Intel 45 Express Chipset will be the heart and soul of the Centrino 2 platform and has improved graphics thanks to 5th generation graphics that are integrated into the chipset. The improved graphics offer nearly a 2X increase in performance versus previous generation chipsets. The new chipset also support dual channel 800MHz DDR3 memory modules, which offer more bandwidth and consume less battery power. The memory speed bump is an increase of 133MHz which means that consumers can now run 800MHz memory kits versus 667MHz in current Centrino platforms. Intel has said that the Blu-ray playback will be clear and stutter-free with the integrated graphics. Intel also says they can get through the entire Blu-ray movie on the battery, which is a big deal.
Intel says that this is possible thanks to HUGI. What the heck is HUGI? It stands for Hurry Up and Get Idle. Intel has improved the time it takes to get to sleep and to wake up and they claim it has improved battery life by a significant amount. Intel claims that HUGI is the secrect sauce for Centrino 2 as battery life is so important with high definition graphics such as Blu-ray playback. While we are on the subject of Blu-ray Intel made said that by 2013, the number of Blu-ray drives shipping in laptops will outnumber Blu-ray drive shipments in game consoles. Think about that one for a second!

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Intel ATOM 230 versus VIA Nano L2100 - Battle of the Mini-ITX Platforms

The Battle of Mini-ITX Platforms
The Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors have been making a ton of noise in the market place as they are inexpensive, energy efficient and fit into sleek and sexy devices that consumers are looking for today. The day the VIA Nano processor was announced I was actually at Centaur Technologies down in Austin, Texas meeting with Gleen Henry where I got to see some Nano processors being produced right before my eyes. I had to wait nearly a month to get a VIA reference board in my hands with a VIA Nano processor, but it has been worth the wait. Since I have already covered the basics and introduced the Nano processor in my Centaur Technologies Tour article we will jump straight into things.
Intel Mini-ITX
Armed with the VIA Nano processor and the Intel Atom processor, I can now do a direct performance comparison against two of the most talked about processors for 2008. The VIA Nano reference platform we were sent isn't a retail product, so keep that in mind while reading the rest of the article. The Intel Atom was tested on the D945GCLF, which is a retail product you can purchase today for $66 plus shipping.
Intel Atom Versus VIA Nano Chart
These two platforms might both be using Mini-ITX motherboards, but the features do differ between the very different processors. The VIA Nano processor is built using 65nm process technology (the Atom uses 45nm) and it's major claim to fame is the 64-bit Superscalar Speculative Out-Of-Order MicroArchitecture. Will this be enough to keep the Intel Atom processor at bay? Let's take a look a closer look at the test systems and find out which one is faster in the benchmarks!

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Intel E8600 Core 2 Duo Processor

A Brief IntroductionIntel E8600 Review
Intel Wolfdale color-enhanced die-shot.
Processors come in various revisions as the manufacturers test and modify the circuits that comprise the finished product. The previous Wolfdale stepping, C0, was introduced with all previous versions of the E8xxx, E7xxx, and Q9xxx series processors. If you need a quick refresher on what was introduced with the original 45nm processors, check out Nate's Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Processor Review.Intel E8600 Review
The differences between the C0 and E0 steppings aren't much on paper. There is a new function called the Power Status Indicator that will let motherboards drop their VRM down from a multi-phase circuit to a single-phase circuit to save power when at idle. There were also two additional instructions added to the instruction set, XSAVE and XRSTOR, neither of which are world changing. This stepping also features a step towards being green with the introduction of a halide-free package, just another step towards being cleaner like the move to lead-free processors. So, since the processors are electrically, mechanically, and thermally identical to the C0 stepping, why do they deserve a brief review? Simply, it's all about that need for speed and the E8600 delivers.

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Intel Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Processor

The Core i7 Series Arrives


Intel has finally lifted the embargo on the yet-to-be-launched Intel Core i7 processors and the Intel X58 Express chipset. Intel strongly believes that this new platform will be the must have work horse for digital media & gaming enthusiasts for many months to come. With so much to talk about this new platform we made the decision to focus just on processor performance for this article and then take a deeper dive at other features in the weeks to come. This should work out nicely as the processors won't be available to purchase until later this month and many companies are just now getting us production grade triple channel memory kits and video card drivers for this new platform.



The Intel Core i7 Processor (known as Nehalem internally) has some very big architecture changes as you can tell from the picture above. The new Core i7 processor has 1366 pins and as a result the size of the processor, socket and heat sink mounting brackets are all larger than LGA 775 based processors that have been out now for a couple of years. The die size of Core i7 processors is 263 mm2 and the transistor count is 731 Million.



Taking a look at the die of the Core i7 processor we see a first for Intel processors -- the integrated memory controller. This on-die, triple channel, DDR3 memory controller is unique in the fact that it allows consumers to run three memory modules together for optimal performance. By moving to an integrated memory controller and triple channel memory the platform has over 25GB/s of throughput between the processor and DDR3 memory modules!

For those that follow processor architecture you will notice a brand new cache structure on the Core i7 diagram shown above. All Intel Core i7 processors feature L1, L2, and shared L3 caches. Before, Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad processors had just an L1 and L2 cache. The break down on the cache is as follows: there is a 64K L1 cache (32K Instruction, 32K Data) per core, 1MB of total L2 cache, and an impressive 8MB chunk of L3 cache that is shared across all the cores. That means that all Intel Core i7 processors have over 9MB of memory right there on the 45nm processor!

Can it get any better than this?



Of course it can! The new Core i7 processor has a huge list of improvements that have been made to it.

New SSE4.2 Instructions
Improved Lock Support
Additional Caching Hierarchy
Deeper Buffers
Improved Loop Streaming
Simultaneous Multi-Threading
Faster Virtualization
Better Branch Prediction
Intel always told us that Hyper-Threading was not dead and they were right as the technology has surfaced again and is enabled on all of the Core i7 processors. With Hyper-Threading enabled on quad-core Core i7's processors the operating system sees eight virtual cores that can be used. Intel has told Legit Reviews that when Hyper-Threading originally came out the idea was solid, but that the Pentium 4 processor might not have been the best processor to bring it to market. The Core i7 series should highlight all the strong points of Hyper-Threading as they are calling it Hyper-Threading "done right" now. If you want a deeper look at the Intel Core i7 architecture take a look at this presentation that was given at the Spring 2008 IDF and this one that was given at the Fall IDF.

Intel will be releasing three Core i7 processors and all have a TDP of 130W and an on-die shared L3 cache of 8MB. All current Core i7 processors are not intended for multi-processor motherboards, so it has only one Quick Path Interconnect (QPI).

Core i7 965 Extreme Edition - 3.2GHz with 8MB Shared L3 cache and a 1x6.4GT/s QuickPath interconnect - $999
Core i7 940 - 2.93GHz with 8MB Shared L3 cache and a 1x4.8GT/s QuickPath interconnect - $562
Core i7 920 - 2.66GHz with 8MB Shared L3 cache and a 1x4.8GT/s QuickPath interconnect - $284
Now that we know what the general processor improvements are let's take a closer look at the chipset changes.

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S Processor

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S Processor
With the economy still chugging along not too many people are thinking about buying a processor above $300, so today we will be looking at the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor. This 45nm processor retails for just $169.99 online, which makes it interesting due to the price point alone. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor isn't really anything to laugh at as it operates at 2.33GHz with a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and 4MB of L2 cache. The only thing that this processor is really lacking is cache, but how many people really need more than 4MB of L2 cache?



It should be noted that when the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 originally came out it had a Thermal Design Power (TDP) rating of 95W. The processor I have in my hands today is a new stepping that has a TDP of just 65W! Intel is has recently silently launched R0 revisions for both the 95W and 65W TDP Core 2 Quad Q8200 chip, which the 95W TDP chip is currently using an M1 stepping. Intel informed Legit Reviews that the 65W parts would carry an S at the end, so this part is the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S.



This new 65W part does carry a price premium over the older 95W parts, but they are aimed at the specialty OEM/channel that build small form factor computers and not consumers. It should be noted that 65W TDP does NOT necessarily translate to substantial, measurable AC "at the wall" power savings and doesn't change the performance of the processor. TDP is simply a measure of the maximum power seen with commercially available apps. If you are looking to order a specific Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor be sure to use the sSpec number to make sure you get the right TDP and stepping that you desire.

Intel Q8200 sSpec Numbers:

SLG9T - 65W TDP w/ R0 Stepping
SL9GS - 95W TDP w/ R0 Stepping
SLB5M - 95W TDP w/ M1 Stepping
Let's take a look at the benchmarks to see how the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S does. It will also be interesting to see how this new R0 stepping overclocks!

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S Processor

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Processor
Last month with the economy in the gutter we brought you a review on the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor and found that it packed some serious performance for being a $169.99 processor. While many of our readers would be happy with a 2.33GHz processor with a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and 4MB of L2 cache, others want something a little faster. Since the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 is lacking in cache, we figured you'd enjoy a review on the more powerful Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 has four processing cores running at 2.83GHz, a whopping 12MB of shared L2 cache and a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) to keep things moving along nicely. At $275.99 the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 is roughly 60% more expensive than the Q8200, but for those that don't overclock the extra clock frequency and cache may be worth it.




It should be noted that when the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 originally came out it had a Thermal Design Power (TDP) rating of 95W. The processor I have in my hands today is a new E0 stepping that has a TDP of just 65W! Intel informed Legit Reviews that the 65W parts would carry an S at the end, so this part is officially the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S. The performance between the Q9550 and Q9550S remain the same, so the only difference is the thermal profiles.



This new 65W part does carry a price premium over the older 95W parts, but they are aimed at the specialty OEM/channel that builds small form factor computers, and not consumers. It should be noted that 65W TDP does NOT necessarily translate to substantial, measurable AC "at the wall" power savings and doesn't change the performance of the processor. TDP is simply a measure of the maximum power seen with commercially available apps. If you are looking to order a specific Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, be sure to use the sSpec number to make sure you get the right TDP and stepping that you desire.

Intel Q9550 sSpec Numbers:

SLGAE - 65W TDP w/ E0 Stepping
SLB8V - 95W TDP w/ E0 Stepping
SLAWQ - 95W TDP w/ C1 Stepping
Let's take a look at the benchmarks to see how the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S does. It will also be interesting to see how this new E0 stepping Intel Q9550 processor overclocks!

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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Processor

The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Processor
When it comes to Intel processors things are pretty quiet as nothing new has been recently released and a price change hasn't happened in months. This year we have reviewed the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor, which is aimed at the entry level quad-core market, and fastest mainstream quad-core processor: the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor. Priced at $169.99 and $274.99, respectively, both are fast processors, but there is a processor available that is priced between these that could be right for your next system. At $229.99 the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 has four processing cores running at 2.66GHz, 6MB of shared L2 cache and a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB).
As you can see from the March 15th, 2009 pricing sheet above, the Intel Q8300 and Q8200 processors have just 4MB of L2 cache. For those that want more cache you can move up to an Intel Q9300 or Q9400 processor as those processors have 6MB of L2 cache, which is a 50% improvement. For those that want even more performance, the Q9550 and Q9650 offer 12MB of L2 cache. AS you can see price and CPU clock frequency also increase as the cache size increases, so depending on what you do on your computer will determine which processor you really need.
The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 was released in the Fall of 2008 and has manufacturing availability for 7+ years, which means this processor will be an important one for the benchmark charts. The Q9400 has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) rating of 95W, which is on par with the other desktop quad-core processors.

The processor I have in my hands today is an R0 stepping with the sSpec number SLB6B. According to Intel the core voltage on this processor is 0.850v - 1.3625v, but as you can see above it was running at a core voltage of 1.192v on the ASUS motherboard.


Let's take a look at the benchmarks to see how the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 does.

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Intel Xeon X5570 and E5520 Gainestown Processors

A Pair of Intel Xeon X5570 Gainestown CPUs

Intel has officially announced the Xeon processor 5500 series, previously codenamed "Nehalem-EP," which is the server version of the the Intel Core i7 desktop processor. These new LGA1366 server processors that are derived from the Nehalem microarchitect

ure and are officially known to be Gainestown cores. These SMP-enabled parts feature a second 6.4GT/s QPI link to broker inter-CPU communication, which is the main difference between them and desktop parts. As far as specs are concerned, the processors sup

port tri-channel DDR3, 4MB or 8MB L3 cache, and an 80-130W TDP. The Intel Xeon processor 5500 series includes many of the same breakthrough technologies that radically improved system speed when the Core i7 desktop processor was launched. Technologies such as Intel Turbo Boost Technology, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, int

egrated power gates, and Next-Generation Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) improved through extended page tables, allow the system to adapt to a broad range of workloads.

Intel does not have just one or two of these processors coming out, they have ten Gainestown processors that are on the way to retail markets around the world. When it comes to pricing the Intel Xeon processor 5500 series ranges in price from $188 to $1,600 in quantities of 1,000. Major computer makers, such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and IBM will feature them in servers soon, if they have not already.

130W TDP / DDR3-1333:

• Xeon W5580

95W TDP / DDR3-1333:

• Xeon X5570
• Xeon X5560
• Xeon X5550

80W TDP / DDR3-1066:

• Xeon E5540
• Xeon E5530
• Xeon E5520

80W TDP / DDR3-800:

• Xeon E5506
• Xeon E5504

80W TDP / DDR3-800 / Dual Core:

• Xeon E5502

The Intel Xeon W5580 (BX80602W5580) is the fastest of the Gainestown processors as it operates at 3.20GHz with 8MB of L3 shared cache and a TDP of 130W. Due to this the processor has an MSRP right around $1600 USD each! While I would h

ave loved to get my hands on a pair of Xeon W5580 processors, I was able to get a pair of Intel Xeon X5570 processors to benchmark!

With a clock frequency of 2.93GHz the Intel Xeon X5570 is still a force to be reckoned with and as you can see from the CPU-Z shot above. According to the CPU-Z readings and from what I could tell in the BIOS this 95W TDP processor runs at idle with 0.936V and at full load at 1.104V. These are awesome voltage numbers that are being seen from

a recent D0 stepping processor. With a full 8MB of L3 shared cache and a 6.4GT/s QPI link this processor should destroy any other processor that we have ever benchmarked here . It should be noted that on the Intel Xeon X5570 the processor operates at 2.93GHz with DDR3 memory speeds up to 1333MHz. Under certain conditions, Intel Turbo Boost Technology can provide operating frequencies up to 3.33 GHz, depending on the processor and system configuration. Let's take a look at Cinebench R10 and find out

! I'll also be including the performance results of a pair of Intel Xeon E5520 Gainestown processors that operate at 2.26GHz with a full 8MB of shared L3 cache, but a lower QPI of just 5.86GT/s. Thanks to the lower QPI speed the DDR memory can only run at 1066MHz.

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Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Processor

Core i7 Gets A Speed Bump

When the Intel Nehalem microarchitecture was announced in November 2008, Intel unleashed pure ownage into the processor market. The Intel Core i7 series consisted of just three processors, the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition, i7-940, and i7-920. When these processors were paired with the brand new Intel X58 Express chipset you had a performance monster under your thumb as the advantages of the new microarchitecture and triple-channel memory requirement blew any and all competitors out of the water. It's hard to believe that more than half a year has passed, but it has, and it is time to give the Core i7 series a refresh!

Last week, Intel released a pair of new additions to the Core i7 line of proces

sors

that will eventually replace two of the three current Core i7 series processors as the months roll by. Being replaced are the Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition that runs at 3.20 GHz and the Core i7-940 that runs at 2.93 GHz. Replacing them is the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition, which will operate at a frequency of 3.33 GHz and the Core i7-950 that runs at 3.06 GHz. The speed bump is a modest 133 MHz on each processor thanks to each part having its multiplier value increased by x1. Both the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition and the i7-950 will be based on the much desired D0 stepping, which the Core i7 920 has also been transitioned to over the past several months. By the end of summer all of the C0/C1 stepping Core i7 series processors should be off store shelves and the new D0 steppings should be available across the board. The new Core i7 D0 steppings have some minor tweaks that were done to the memory controller on the chip allowing for higher DDR3 memory overclocking and improved thermals from what we have been told by Intel.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the processor that is in the hot seat today - the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition. This processor will be available in retail box (BX80601975) or tray configurations for a cool $1039 shipped.

Core i7 CPU Name	Cores	Clock	Cache	QPI/FSB	TDP	Pricing
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme	4	3.33GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$1039
Intel Core i7-965 Extreme	4	3.20GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$999
Intel Core i7-950	4	3.06GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$574
Intel Core i7-940	4	2.93GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$559
Intel Core i7-920	4	2.66GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$278

Many of our readers can only dream about processors that cost over a thousand dollars, but keep in mind the Intel Core i5 series of processors (Lynnfield) are due to arrive in the market in September 2009, according to sources at motherboard makers, not Intel. Rumor has it that Intel plans to launch three Core i5 processors with frequencies of 2.93GHz, 2.80GHz, and 2.66GHz. These will be priced at $562, $284 and $196 in thousand-unit tray quantities. All of the Core i5 processors at launch will feature a TDP of 95W, which isn't bad and much lower than the Core i7 series as they range from 130W TDP to 150W TDP. While the Core i5 processors operate lower frequencies than Core i7 they are faster clock-for-clock than the Intel Core 2 Quad solutions that are currently on the market. This means that Intel will have to clear those processors from the channel for the Core i5 processors to find a useful place in the market. Giving the Core i7 series a speed bump while you are at it ensures that the Core i7 series will stay in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts.

Using an early version of the yet to be released CPU-Z 1.52.0 we are able to see the how the processor runs with default settings and turbo mode turned off (the way we benchmark all of our Core i7 processors). The Core i7-975 Extreme Edition runs at 3.40GHz with an impressive 8MB of shared L3 cache and 1MB of L2 cache.

Many enthusiast motherboards have 'Turbo Mode' enabled by default, so the first time we fired up the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition and put it under load the processor was running at 3.47GHz and not 3.33GHz. This is due to the fact that the processor will scale a single bin speed higher when thermals allow it.

At idle the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor would drop down to a x12.0 multiplier, which meant the system was operating at 1.60GHz during an idle state.

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