PC Perspective - Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield Processor Review

	Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield Processor Review
	Author: Ryan Shrout Date: Oct 29, 2007 Subject: Processor Manufacturer: Intel

The PC Perspective Podcast is your weekly stop for the latest PC tech news and reviews! Give it a listen!

Summary

The following is a summary of the more detailed analysis of Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor. For all the in-depth analysis and testing you'd expect from us, be sure to click this link to get all the details!

Click this link to get the full article

The introduction of the new Penryn core enhancements to Intel's desktop product line up is known as Yorkfield. That core designation has existed for some time and most PC enthusiasts have been looking forward the updates in performance, features and power consumption that Intel's move from 65nm to 45nm process technology could bring.

he Penryn-based Yorkfield core brings with a couple of key updates that will make the processor even more impressive than its brethren. At the heart of all the change is a migration from Intel's 65nm process that all Core 2 Duo processors have used up until now to the smaller, more power efficient 45nm technology. Less die size doesn't always mean less power and heat, but in this case the 45nm process that Intel has developed seems to have no problems delivery on that part.

Let's see some benchmarks:

Power Consumption

Here's where it gets even better: when running under a full load with 4 threads on CineBench 10 the QX9650 uses 52 fewer watts than the QX6850 based on the 65nm process technology. Only two processors, the dual-core X6800 and E6750 CPUs, run at lower wattages, but they have HALF the processing cores. When we bring in the UT3 testing, the QX9650 is again using 54 fewer watts than the quad-core QX6850 and even less than the dual-core X6800.

Performance

I think the previous pages of benchmarks are really able to speak for themselves. The new Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is the fastest processor we have ever tested and even though it doesn't have a significant gain over the previous flagship QX6850, it is faster in most of our results. The new Penryn-based Yorkfield core, with its larger L2 cache and additional architectural enhancements such as SSE4, is definitely an evolutionary step rather than revolutionary; but faster is always better.

Final Thoughts

There is simply no denying that Intel's Yorkfield processors are going to be the source of a lot of excitement in the enthusiast community. If we had stars, I'd give them; if we had scores, they'd be high; instead Intel will just have to settle for us saying the new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is simply the fastest processor for gaming, media encoding and just about anything else you could do on your PC.

Be sure to use our price checking engine to find the best prices on the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and anything else you may want to buy!

Click here for the Detailed Review