So the verdict’s officially in on Intel’s new quad-core processors: Four cores is better than two. On the surface that might not seem like a big shocker, but as I’m sure you all know not all new technologies live up to their promises. There’s more than a smattering of coverage coursing through the Internets’ pipes today, but ComputerShopper.com popped out a full review of the $999 Core 2 Extreme QX6700 along with three detailed desktop reviews. The reviewer says the QX6700 “is the season’s must-have upgrade for video-editing enthusiasts.”
In our tests, the QX6700 blew away the X6800 on multithreaded applications that can take advantage of multiple cores. Rendering DVD video using multiple filters in Sony Vegas 7.0 took 2 minutes and 56 seconds, compared with 4 minutes and 59 seconds for the X6800. Many Photoshop CS2 tasks, such as converting images to RGB or CMYK format, were nearly twice as fast on the QX6700. And results on Futuremark’s 3DMark06 CPU tests were 60 percent faster than with the dual-core X6800.
The only real hiccup is that the processor only truly shines while cranking on multiple, multithreaded apps, which are few and far between. However, the wide availability of quad-core CPUs will undoubtedly result in the development of software and games that’ll take full advantage of the power. It looks like Intel’s got a winner on its hands though, which is good for all of us in the end.
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700: Four Cores to the Floor [Computer Shopper]
Other coverage:
Intel’s Quad-Core CPU (codenamed Kentsfield) Arrives…and Delivers [pc mag]
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 [cnet]