Quad-core Core 2 Extreme

Intel today made public its first quad-core desktop processor, the Core 2 Extreme QX6700. The chip, previously codenamed Kentsfield, effectively merges two of the company's Core 2 Duo desktop processors on to a single die. This gives gamers and other performance enthusiasts the abillity to handle four computing tasks at once without requiring a costly two-socket mainboard, according to Intel. While the new chip operates at 2.66GHz instead of the 2.93GHz of the dual-core Core 2 Extreme, each half of the QX6700 has 4MB of L2 cache that helps share data between cores. The updated Core 2 Extreme will be available later this month for $999 for volume system builders; the workstation- and server-oriented equivalent, the Xeon 5300 series, is also due later this month and may find its way into systems such as the Mac Pro. A less expensive, 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad is expected in January for $851.

By Electronista Staff

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