HotHardware reviews Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad-core processor
It seems like Intel started talking about the Penryn core as soon as the Conroe core launched in the form of the first Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors. Penryn was to be the next evolution in Intel's Core microarchitecture and would be the foundation of a new class of mobile, desktop, and server processor built using the company's advanced 45nm manufacturing process.
Penryn wouldn't be a straight die-shrink of Conroe, however. With Penryn, Intel planned to introduce new SSE4 instructions, increase the amount of L2 cache per core, reduce power consumption, and generally enhance overall performance, clock for clock. All things that sound good to a PC enthusiast.
After many months of trickling out information regarding Penryn and Intel's 45nm manufacturing process, we're finally able to offer you some firsthand information regarding Yorkfield, Intel's quad-core, desktop Penryn derivative. We recently got our hands on a new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 processor and were able to run it through a host of benchmarks and overclock it as well. Read on to see how the QX9650 performed and whether or not Intel's 45nm manufacturing process is all the company has claimed it is cracked up to be...
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