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Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 released and tested.
Verdict: This dual core wolfdale based processor is faster than AMD Phenom quad core processor.
Could this be the knockout punch from Intel?
If you took the time to read through our benchmark results, you would no doubt agree that Intel’s new Core 2 Duo E8500 is a powerful chip. Intel’s new “Wolfdale” architecture and its hefty 6MB of L2 cache bring excellent speed gains to the Core 2 lineup, and also offers dramatically improved overclockability and video encoding performance. Considering many thought that dual-cores would go end-of-life once quad-cores hit mainstream prices, the new Core 2 Duo lineup certainly proves otherwise. With its high core clock speed, this chip delivers nearly all the performance of a lower clocked quad-core with most applications, but without the drawbacks of power consumption and heat production.
Of course, the Core 2 Duo E8500 is not an inexpensive chip. While it has not hit the market in volume yet, most are expecting this model to sell in the high $200 to low $300 range, which is right on par with Intel’s low-end quad-core models, like the Core 2 Quad Q6600. In the grand scheme of things, $300 for a chip with this kind of performance is honestly a pretty decent value – although some may be swayed by the benefits of having two extra cores at lower clock speeds rather than a highly clocked dual-core. It’s a tough call, and what you should choose should depend on the applications which you’re running.
If you’re a gamer, the Core 2 Duo E8500 will deliver better performance compared to a low-end quad-core. Games benefit from the large amount of L2 cache coupled with low latencies and high clock speeds. If you’re looking for a workstation chip, we would likely opt for a low-end quad-core instead, as these chips can handle multi-tasking a bit better and can bring excellent performance if your application of choice is multithreaded. If you’re an enthusiast looking for the best bang for your buck, it’s a very tough call. Intel’s new 45nm Core 2 Duo lineup is far more overclockable compared to 65nm Core 2 quad processors, and they seem to be much more flexible and can handle 4.0 GHz+ clock speeds with relative ease. Comparing a low-end quad-core system to a 4.0 GHz overclocked dual-core “Wolfdale” system, we could honestly feel a large speed difference in Vista for the better with “Wolfdale”. Make no mistake, you still can have a blazing fast Vista system with a dual-core.
The market appeal for such chips may be limited, especially considering Intel’s mainstream 45nm Core 2 Quad processors are hitting the market soon as well, but this chip is perfect for those who want a highly clocked system with plenty of cache, while still remaining very tolerable in terms of heat and noise. The Core 2 Duo E8500 is a great chip, and while it’s a bit pricey at this point, it’s completely worth it in our opinion.
Source: *www.hothardware.com/articles/Wolfdale/?page=8
Verdict: This dual core wolfdale based processor is faster than AMD Phenom quad core processor.
Could this be the knockout punch from Intel?
If you took the time to read through our benchmark results, you would no doubt agree that Intel’s new Core 2 Duo E8500 is a powerful chip. Intel’s new “Wolfdale” architecture and its hefty 6MB of L2 cache bring excellent speed gains to the Core 2 lineup, and also offers dramatically improved overclockability and video encoding performance. Considering many thought that dual-cores would go end-of-life once quad-cores hit mainstream prices, the new Core 2 Duo lineup certainly proves otherwise. With its high core clock speed, this chip delivers nearly all the performance of a lower clocked quad-core with most applications, but without the drawbacks of power consumption and heat production.
*www.hothardware.com/article_helpers/icons/conclude.gif
Of course, the Core 2 Duo E8500 is not an inexpensive chip. While it has not hit the market in volume yet, most are expecting this model to sell in the high $200 to low $300 range, which is right on par with Intel’s low-end quad-core models, like the Core 2 Quad Q6600. In the grand scheme of things, $300 for a chip with this kind of performance is honestly a pretty decent value – although some may be swayed by the benefits of having two extra cores at lower clock speeds rather than a highly clocked dual-core. It’s a tough call, and what you should choose should depend on the applications which you’re running.
If you’re a gamer, the Core 2 Duo E8500 will deliver better performance compared to a low-end quad-core. Games benefit from the large amount of L2 cache coupled with low latencies and high clock speeds. If you’re looking for a workstation chip, we would likely opt for a low-end quad-core instead, as these chips can handle multi-tasking a bit better and can bring excellent performance if your application of choice is multithreaded. If you’re an enthusiast looking for the best bang for your buck, it’s a very tough call. Intel’s new 45nm Core 2 Duo lineup is far more overclockable compared to 65nm Core 2 quad processors, and they seem to be much more flexible and can handle 4.0 GHz+ clock speeds with relative ease. Comparing a low-end quad-core system to a 4.0 GHz overclocked dual-core “Wolfdale” system, we could honestly feel a large speed difference in Vista for the better with “Wolfdale”. Make no mistake, you still can have a blazing fast Vista system with a dual-core.
The market appeal for such chips may be limited, especially considering Intel’s mainstream 45nm Core 2 Quad processors are hitting the market soon as well, but this chip is perfect for those who want a highly clocked system with plenty of cache, while still remaining very tolerable in terms of heat and noise. The Core 2 Duo E8500 is a great chip, and while it’s a bit pricey at this point, it’s completely worth it in our opinion.
Source: *www.hothardware.com/articles/Wolfdale/?page=8
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