Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Review
By Vince Freeman : October 29, 2007
Introduction
There are a couple of tried-and-true strategies of the PC world that never seem to get old, and continue to supply us with endless new processor revisions and ever-higher performance. One of these is the venerable die shrink, where process technology moves to the next level, allowing ever-smaller transistors, and potentially higher clock speeds. This does not represent a new architecture, but an enhancement on the existing one, and in the process, extends its lifespan. We've seen this employed in virtually every processor line, and now it's time for the Core 2 to get a facelift, moving from 65nm to a new 45nm world.
The 45nm Penryn Explained
The Intel Penryn is the name given to Intel's 45nm processor family, which is made up of the Yorkfield quad core and Wolfdale dual core models, which correspond to the Conroe (dual) and Kentsfield (quad) from the 65nm era. Both Penryn models are based on 45-nanometer (nm) High-k metal gate silicon technology, which uses a combination of high-k gate dielectrics and conductors, rather than silicon, to build the transistor gates in a Yorkfield quad core. A prime advantage of this technology is faster transistor switching speeds, but at reduced power, which in turn allows higher processor speeds at a lower thermal and power envelope.
Another bonus to any die shrink is that the basic core architecture has been tweaked and improved since inception, and the Penryn will include the latest microarchitecture enhancements. Other enhancements include SSE4, Super Shuffle Engine, Enhanced Intel Virtualization Technology, and Fast Radix-16 Divider. This last feature effectively doubles the divide speed of the Penryn compared to previous models, which can aid in the performance of any math intensive functions. Power efficiency is also addressed through features like Deep Power Down Technology, which improves on the 65nm Core 2 by allowing, according to Intel, the lowest power state a processor can reach.