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Reviews Around The Web
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Choose Web Reviews from this Maker:
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
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Indeed, the latest Core 2 Duo E6850 is based on the 65-nm core. That is, a new processor on the old core. On the other hand, Core 2 Duo E8200 operates at the old 2.66 GHz, even though it features the new 45-nm core. That is, the new core at the old frequency. In this review we shall compare these two as well as three Intel Core 2 eXtreme processors.
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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How do you define the ultimate gaming system? Is it the best price/performance system or just the system with the most power, regardless of the cost? Intel's answer goes by the name of SkullTrail, which gives you the opportunity of using two high-end processors and two high-end video cards in one system. Today we'll take a look at what Intel is offering in terms of performance compared to a regular high-end system.
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Monday, March 3, 2008
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We're writing to let you all know that we have just posted a new article at HotHardware in which we evaluate the features and performance of Intel's recently released, Wolfdale-based Core 2 Duo E8500 processor. The E8500 uses Intel's 45nm Penryn derived Wolfdale core, with a 3.16GHz clock speed, 6MB of L2 cache, and support for SSEE4.1. Overall, even in its stock configuration this processor was a strong performer, while consuming less power than Intel's 65nm processors. But while overclocked to over 4GHz on air-cooling alone, it put up some truly impressive benchmark scores. Head on over to the site and take a look...
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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The Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 that we specifically looked at in this article did very well in the benchmarks and consistently beat the AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition quad-core processor. This goes to show how well the Wolfdale core has been developed and also how bad of a position AMD is in when it comes to processors. When it came to overclocking, the 45nm Wolfdale processors do great and hitting 500MHz FSB is easily possible, which means 2GHz DDR3 memory kits can be finally released and companies like Corsair Memory have already launched such products...
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Monday, February 18, 2008
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The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad-core processor is no mere upgrade of the Kentsfield-based Core 2 Extreme processors. Underneath the heatspreader lies a radically-different processor, built not only using the smaller 45 nm process technology but also Intel's new high-k dielectric and metal gate technology. The result? A smaller, cooler and more efficient processor. Oh, let's not forget... a 50% larger L2 cache! The Core 2 Extreme QX9650 sports a massive 12MB L2 cache. All with the same TDP of 130 W. Amazing, isn't it?
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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To be frank, there's not really much to say because this puppy is a monster, but one that comes dripped in bling for a high price. With Intel dominating the high end it can charge precisely what it wants for its "enthusiast" Extreme Edition parts. "Enthusiast"? No. More money than sense and an ego to fill? Yes. Anyone who owns one of these and doesn't drive a Ferrari to work won't have bought one - this CPU is merely a technical demo and a marketing exercise for Intel (and its partners) to flex its muscles after AMD's lukewarm attempt at competing. This CPU, while oh-so-awesome in its technology and its performance, is an economic travesty for the consumer. It's exactly the reason why we need adequate competition, and in that respect, it's like the graphics card market, for example. It's not Intel's fault, it's simple economics - supply and demand.
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Monday, February 11, 2008
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Skulltrail. Even the name sounds mean. If you haven't heard the codename before now then we have a treat in store for you today. Skulltrail is a high end desktop PC platform based on Xeon class workstation processors. How does Dual Cpu, 8 Cores, four graphics card slots, dual 1600mhz front side buses with a total of 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth grab you?
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Overall the Skulltrail as a platform is one that is on a road all its own as no one at this timeframe has a platform that crosses so many different barriers in one system package. Price may be a daunting factor to some, but you have to figure into the equation how many systems you are not buying when you get a Skulltrail. This entire platform will only appeal to those who really work from home and want an all in one solution to both their business and personal computing needs. Personally I can't wait to see what happens as the drivers and BIOS mature as then I am sure we will see some even better results performance wise from the Skulltrail.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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Intel really has been firing up their engines at full speed and the new SkullTrail takes the multiplatform system to new levels. This is the first anything and everthing platform as it has all the power that worstation class users need, and all the thrills and features that gamers and enthsiasts covet for their personal PC. This is the only Intel platform that integrates NVIDIA's SLI technology and on a board that supports CrossFire as well. There is more to this system than we even got to in this review, but so far this system has been the fastest and most feature oriented one we have seen yet. Truly Intel has been doing their homework and the overclocker audience once shunned and ignored is now embraced in the boldest move by the boys in blue yet. Check out the cool SkullTrail case we modded from a CoolerMaster Stacker 830, its sweet!
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When it comes to performance the Intel Skulltrail platform is hands down the fastest platform that we have ever looked at. With the dual 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9775 quad-core processors in the system it consistently outperformed the other test systems in multi-threaded tests that could take advantage of the eight cores. The only two areas that the Skulltrail platform didn't shine was in memory bandwidth and gaming. The DDR2-800 FB-DIMMs just don't provide the memory bandwidth needed to compete with DDR3 memory kits and it shows where memory bandwidth does come into play. When it comes to gaming it's not the fact the board is only PCI Express 1.0, it is because the games are not optimized to run on eight cores. In reality many games are designed to run on just three cores as many games are now written with consoles in mind...
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Monday, February 4, 2008
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During a meeting with Intel representatives at CES, we were informed that Intel's ultra high-end Skulltrail enthusiast platform would finally be available for testing and evaluation in just a few weeks. And it turned out they were true to their word. We've been banging on a Skulltrail setup complete with a matched pair of 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processors and DDR2-800 FB-DIMMs for a couple of weeks and have the result available on-line right now for all to see. Head on over to the site and take a look...
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For some time now we've been waiting for Intel to move on to a more efficient and highly hyped 45nm fabrication technology, which was released just last month. The new 45nm Wolfdale line-up includes the E8200 (2.66GHz), E8400 (3.00GHz) and E8500 (3.16GHz) processors that are expected to operate at lower temperatures - and thus reduce fan noise - as well as receive newer SSE4.1 instructions and ship with a larger 6MB L2 cache. It should not take pages of benchmark results to convince you that the E8500 is a better buy than the E6850 as that clearly is the case. However, those currently in possession of an E6000 series processor or even older Intel or AMD processors, may still be quite interested to see how much faster these new E8000 series CPUs are, and if they are worth upgrading to. The non-race is on then!
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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Intel's 45nm Dual-Cores have finally arrived, so it's only fitting that we take one for a spin. Our test subject is the 3.0GHz E8400, offering 6MB cache, SSE4 and more. Overclocking is impressive, with 3.8GHz stable being possible without even raising the voltage! This chip definitely proves itself a winner.
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Monday, January 21, 2008
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After months of hype and anticipation, INTEL and AMD have unleashed their next generation processors on the market. While AMD's Phenom line has received luke warm reviews to this point, INTEL's Penryn line has been the toast of the town. Why? Today, HardwareLogic breaks down the quad core QX9650. While a casual glance might leave the impression there's little difference between the QX9650 and its predecessors (the QX6800 and QX6850), looks can be, and in this case, are deceiving. There's much more here than meets the eye...
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Thursday, January 17, 2008
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The ITX standard has been around since VIA unveiled it back in 2001. It was a great idea put into use that promised relatively powerful computing in a small and power-efficient package. Unfortunately, the powerful computing part usually doesn't stand up. There have been many new companies pushing into ITX, but most boards are expensive. Enter Intel's D201GLY2. This ITX board pairs an integrated Celeron processor in a package that is less than $80. That's pretty incredible.
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