Conclusive ThoughtsWhen we first requested a sample from Intel Benelux we were told not to expect an improvement as we saw last year when Core 2 Duo was launched. After all, this 45nm CPU is a tweaked version of the existing Conroe.
By moving to 45nm manufacturing process Intel can produce more CPUs per wafer, thereby lowering their production costs, another benefit of the die shrink is reduced power consumption and possibility to run at higher frequency.
Intel launches their top of the line 45nm CPU dubbed QX9650 with 4 cores and a 2x6Mb L2 cache, which is a 50% more cache compared to Conroe. Our performance results show you that clock for clock the Yorkfield is slightly faster (5~12%) in CPU intensive applications and benchmarks.
Gamers will find that sticking with a Dual Core CPU will be enough for now, the extra 2 cores on the QX9650 could not show a noticeable advantage in Crysis, one of the most anticipated and multi-core ready games of this year.
A wafer of 45nm CPUs (image courtesy of Intel)If you look past the $999 price tag and quirky motherboard support (for now) for this latest CPU from Intel you’ll find that there is nothing else out there currently on the market which matches the raw multi core power.
Those into overclocking will certainly enjoy the extra headroom provided by the lower default vcore. While our overclocking attempts with air cooling were below average, once we switched to single stage phase change cooling this Quad Core scales beyond what its 65nm siblings has to offer, reaching close to 5Ghz, very impressive!
At the end of the day though you have to wonder if this $999 processor, which is only marginally faster than a $270 counterpart in most everyday applications, is worth the extra cost. Of course not, as with the launch of every new processor, the top of the end will come at a large premium. Money conscience people will wait until this 45nm goodness trickles down to the mid range and low end products, where they will surely shine in the performance/price department. No news of those gems yet though, but keep you eyes open in the next few months.
Intel is not sitting on their laurels; they are aggressively pushing up the performance of their products, introducing new technologies at a breakneck speed. Can AMD keep up? The future will tell.
We thank Intel Benelux for their cooperation, until next time!