Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 review: Quad Core is here!


Since the release of Intel’s Conroe micro-architecture, the company has been making waves, massive waves. In terms of performance, Intel washed away main competitor AMD, and they have continued to do so during the past three months with the success of their Core 2 Duo and Extreme processor series.
The only counter AMD has been able to come up with so far is to completely slash prices for all their existing processors, making them extremely tempting as well. Nevertheless, the performance of the Core 2 Duo processor range is so compelling, that even die-hard AMD fans have been taking notice.
The Conroe, or as it is better known, the Core 2 Duo, is a Pentium replacement, meaning we will now longer see any new Pentium branded processors. The Pentium 5xx, 6xx and D series are already becoming a thing of the past. So with Intel now focusing all their attention on the Core 2 series, you can expect it to expand quite rapidly.
Currently, there are four Core 2 Duo processors which were released at the initial launch (E6300, E6400, E6600 and E6700). There is also the Core 2 Extreme processor dubbed the X6800, though it offers very little in the way of performance over the E6700. There is said to be four new Core 2 Duo processors on the way that will run on a 1333MHz FSB and will all feature the larger 4MB L2 Cache. They are the E6650, E6750, E6800 and E6850, though we are not here to discuss these processors today. Rather, we are here to examine the new Kentsfield micro-architecture which is based on a quad-core 65nm design.


Hardware- Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (2.66GHz)- Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz)- Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz)- Intel Pentium D 950 (3.40GHz)
- 2GB Corsair XMS DDR2-800 (CAS4)
- ASUS P5W DH Deluxe (Intel 975X)
- Seagate 250GB 7200RPM (Serial ATA II)
- Gigabyte Radeon X1900XTX (512MB)
Software- Microsoft Windows XP Pro 32bit (SP2)- ATI Catalyst (6.10)- Intel System Drivers (7.2.2)




Although both the E6700 and QX6700 operate at 2.66GHz, the QX6700 has four cores working away while the E6700 has just two. The end result was 3.5x more performance for the QX6700 over the E6700, which is obviously very significant. Despite this, Super PI showed no performance gains for the QX6700, as this program does not support quad-core processors. PCmark2005 also showed no performance gains for the QX6700 over the dual-core processors.

Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700
The world’s best desktop processor for multimedia applications, the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700 is up to 80 percent faster** than the company’s current Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor X6800.
This is the world’s first quad-core desktop processor available for unmatched, highly threaded performance. Ideal for today's games with incredible performance for tomorrow’s highly threaded games; the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700 is available at 2.66GHz with a 1066MHz FSB. The processor runs on Intel’s existing 975X Express chipset family.
The company plans to offer a mainstream quad-core processor starting in the first quarter next year under the Intel Core 2 Quad processor brand name. The processor will be an ideal choice for processor-intensive, highly threaded programs such as entertainment, gaming and multimedia activities.
Pricing and Availability
Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor X5355 2.66GHz 1333MHz 8MB 120W
$1172
Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor E5345 2.33GHz 1333MHz 8MB 80W
$851
Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor E5320 1.86GHz 1066MHz 8MB 80W
$690
Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor E5310 1.60GHz 1066MHz 8MB 80W
$455
Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700 2.66GHz 1066MHz 8MB 130W
$999