[ivwshane]

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/..._64/index.html

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=2795


To summerize:

First of all let me sort the facts: As soon as Core 2 Duo hits the market, it will...

* be the fastest x86 processor (both single and dual core models)
* make the Pentium D and all predecessors look like antiques
* be the clear choice for performance users despite its rather expensive price
* outperform the complete Athlon 64 family (X2 and FX) in all areas, including gaming, where AMD has traditionally been very strong
* consume less energy than other standard desktop processors
* transform the whole Intel platform from an energy-hungry beast to a reasonable solution that is competitive in terms of performance per Watt



Intel's Core 2 Extreme X6800 didn't lose a single benchmark in our comparison; not a single one. In many cases, the $183 Core 2 Duo E6300 actually outperformed Intel's previous champ: the Pentium Extreme Edition 965. In one day, Intel has made its entire Pentium D lineup of processors obsolete. Intel's Core 2 processors offer the sort of next-generation micro-architecture performance leap that we honestly haven't seen from Intel since the introduction of the P6.

Compared to AMD's Athlon 64 X2 the situation gets a lot more competitive, but AMD still doesn't stand a chance. The Core 2 Extreme X6800, Core 2 Duo E6700 and E6600 were pretty consistently in the top 3 or 4 spots in each benchmark, with the E6600 offering better performance than AMD's FX-62 flagship in the vast majority of benchmarks. Another way of looking at it is that Intel's Core 2 Duo E6600 is effectively a $316 FX-62, which doesn't sound bad at all.



It's too bad for amd, they were just starting to gain momentum too!

[ThatHideousStrength]

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...wxLCxobmV3cw==


This review is pretty different.

[ThatHideousStrength]

I like the fact that Tom didn't benchmark the 6300 on gaming.... which would of been the one I was interested in.

[ivwshane]

We have proven here that the flurry of canned benchmarks based on timedemos showing huge gains with Core 2 processors are virtually worthless in rating the true gaming performance of these processors today. The fact of the matter is that real-world gaming performance today greatly lies at the feet of your video card. Almost none of today’s games are performance limited by your CPU. Maybe that will change, but given the trends, it is not likely. You simply do not need a $1000 CPU to get great gaming performance as we proved months ago in our CPU Scaling article.

No shit! which is why both anandtech and tomshardware did benchmarks on more than just games. Not all computer users are gamers and the conroe is significant for other reasons as well, power consumption is one of them.

[mistawiskas]

I'ma want one. I've been eagerly awaiting the reviews from these guys. Durability/OC ability, these too, are things I want to know before I buy. Only time and customer reviews will tell that story.

[hans5849]

the fucking fack that the Extreme is unlocked totally makes it fucking awesome, its also a great way to get support from the hardcore community.

[mistawiskas]

What's the price on the conroe extreem going to look like?

[ivanolo]

Wait for AMD to lower prices.

[hans5849]

Originally Posted by mistawiskas

What's the price on the conroe extreem going to look like?

about a grand

[MSP]

Originally Posted by ivanolo

Wait for AMD to lower prices.

BINGO! This is what happened before when Intel had the performance crown. AMD sold their slightly slower chips at rock bottom prices. But from what I've read the Duo makes their stuff look more than "slightly" slower.