Power Consumption and Final Thoughts
For the power consumption testing this time around, I decided to try two instances of running a system at load levels. The first is the one I have been using before: CineBench 10 in multi-threaded mode. The new one is done on the Unreal Tournament 3 that stresses both the CPU and the GPU to see if any discrepancies pop up.
The only discrepancy here is: DAMN! If you are looking for the QX9650 processor, keep scrolling down the graph…there it is, second from the bottom. At idle, the QX9650 is using 181 watts (as a whole system) and is actually the LOWEST idle power of all the systems tested. Keep in mind this is a quad-core processor that is running at the highest frequency that Intel offers to the enthusiast.
Here’s where it gets even better: when running under a full load with 4 threads on CineBench 10 the QX9650 uses 52 fewer watts than the QX6850 based on the 65nm process technology. Only two processors, the dual-core X6800 and E6750 CPUs, run at lower wattages, but they have HALF the processing cores. When we bring in the UT3 testing, the QX9650 is again using 54 fewer watts than the quad-core QX6850 and even less than the dual-core X6800.
These numbers point to startling outcome: the performance per watt of the QX9650 is going to be better than any other processor on the market for consumers today. Remember, it beats out the X6800 and E6750 in some cases by more than 100%, yet in our testing it uses just about the same power at full load. Obviously, Intel has done their homework and the 45nm process that they are delivering is simply astounding!
Performance
I think the previous pages of benchmarks are really able to speak for themselves. The new Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is the fastest processor we have ever tested and even though it doesn’t have a significant gain over the previous flagship QX6850, it is faster in most of our results. The new Penryn-based Yorkfield core, with its larger L2 cache and additional architectural enhancements such as SSE4, is definitely an evolutionary step rather than revolutionary; but faster is always better.
The other interesting aspect here is that Intel is simply burying the AMD Athlon product line up into a deeper hole than it was in before. The desktop version of AMD’s Barcelona called Phenom will launch in just a few short weeks but the word I am hearing is that they will be doing fantastic if they are simply able to keep competitive. As the initial server-based CPU reviews pointed out, the AMD architecture needs to scale in frequency fairly high in order to compete with what Intel has produced.
Overclocking and Headroom
The overclocking testing with the QX9650 Yorkfield processor had its highs and lows. On one hand, not being able to get the front-side bus up over the 450 MHz mark is rather disappointing. This could be an issue with the 0503 BIOS that we were using with the QX9650 and we’ll definitely be checking in with Asus in that regard. We’ll also be keeping an eye on other reviews sites that we trust and see how their overclocking tests unfold.
Of course, being able to hit the 4.00 GHz mark with this CPU is a fantastic feat on its own. A 33% frequency increase is nothing to baulk at and this proves that Intel has some pretty good headroom with their 45nm Penryn-based processors going forward.
Pricing and Availability
The QX9650 isn’t going to be available for about 2 weeks – Intel is calling this a “preview” of the new processor, rather than a launch. Because of that, Intel is mum on the pricing of the units exactly, but I am fairly confident that you’ll see the standard Intel Extreme price placed on it: $999. In the last few launches though, the top-end CPU prices were coming in higher; in fact, the QX6850 was priced as high as $1300 after its release at Newegg.com, though now you can find it for just barely under $1000 on our pricing engine.
If you want the best, you’ve got to pay for it. Hopefully the ramp up on the 45nm parts will be fast allowing for these parts to come down in prices sooner.
Final Thoughts
There is simply no denying that Intel’s Yorkfield processors are going to be the source of a lot of excitement in the enthusiast community. If we had stars, I’d give them; if we had scores, they’d be high; instead Intel will just have to settle for us saying the new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is simply the fastest processor for gaming, media encoding and just about anything else you could do on your PC.
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