Laptop magazine has a test drive of Intel’s new Core 2 Duo mobile chip, Merom. As expected, the results were great, with the Merom based laptop significantly outperforming its older sibling, the Core Duo, in all tasks.

The chip tested featured a 2.16Ghz clock speed and a 4MB cache. It utilizes Intel’s Wide Dynamic Execution technology to deliver more executions per clock cycle for an overall improved execution time. And the advanced power gating functions allows parts of the CPU core to shut itself down in order to reduce power consumption.

Machines using the Core 2 Duo mobile chip should be appearing now. I’m certainly waiting anxiously for the release of the new Macbook Pro.

Intel Core 2 Duo Test Drive [LAPTOP Magazine]