Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad-Core Benchmarks

Slimpickin writes "Intel gave access to quad-core Kentsfield-based systems to select members of the press at IDF. The embargo has been lifted on a preview of performance numbers with the new 2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor. HotHardware showcases Intel quad-core performance from a few different angles, from digital video processing and encoding, to 3D modeling and rendering, along with a few of the more standard benchmarks. the new Intel quad-core puts up performance numbers, depending on the application, at nearly double the performance of a 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo processor based system. Core 2 Quad will also drop right into existing motherboards that are compatible with the Core 2 processor line."

Comments

Already tested: Two Quad-Cores in a Mac Pro, makin

[chriss]

A few weeks ago Anandtech already tried to plug two 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Clovertons (Xeons) samples into the new Mac Pro featuring two LGA-771 sockets. Worked like a charm, a nice eight core machine. And since dual socket motherboards are quite expensive, the Mac Pro might even be a cheap version.

Well, All I have to say is...

[HuckleCom]

Quake 3 Voice: QUAD DAMAGE!

Time to refine operating systems...

[b0r1s]

For years, most operating systems have been designed for 2-4 processors, with some handling more, and others doing better with less (I'm sorry, FreeBSD fans, I use it myself, but let's be honest, SMP was horrible until 5-REL, and it still isn't up there with Linux and *ugh* Microsoft).

With 4 core out this year, and 80 cores out in 5 years, it's time to rethink multiprocessor operating systems. There needs to be a significant change in the locking and threading metaphors, because 4 and 8 way will be obsolete by this time next year.

Re:Time to refine operating systems...

[Jeff DeMaagd]

So why does an app or a library have to care how many CPUs or cores the PC has? Surely that's the job of the OS?

Yes and no. Programs can split the hard work across several threads and all of those threads will be managed by the task scheduler regardless of how many cores there are. The hard part is making an algorithm that can split the heavy processing work to multiple threads, that threading has to be programmed. If the program has all the hard work in one thread, then it's not going to use more than 100% of one CPU, 50% each of two CPUs, etc.

Re:Intel FSB vs. AMD Hypertransport?

[jiushao]

It can equally well be argued that AMD's solution is a "kludge". Intel has four processors arranged in two pairs, within each pair the processors are connected by shared L2 cache, but the pairs are connected by the FSB. AMD on the other hand have all four processors communicating over HyperTransport links. Shared L2 is clearly better than HyperTransport links, and the HyperTransport links are better than Intel's current FSB.

The physical packaging simply doesn't tell much about the quality of the interconnect. Sure it is harder to make a truly great interconnect with separate packages, but looking directly at the interconnect tells the much more accurate story.

Either way, it is not an all that great suprise that the dual-FSB design of modern Intel platforms manages four cores decently, but yes, AMD probably still has a clear edge on 8 core systems.

Re:ExtremeTech has more benchmarks

[mikemuch]

Well that linking format didnt' work: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2021888 ,00.asp

Did Intel learn *anything* from Java2?

[Kostya]

What the hell is with this Core2 Quad crap? It should be Core2 and Core4. You would have thought Intel would have learned from the nightmare Sun/Java went through with the whole "Java2 1.4" branding nightmare. Sun finally wized up and started calling everything Java 4, Java 5, and Java 6. Why would Intel start such a fiasco?

I get that they are trying to say "Hey look, it is a totally different architecture!" But calling it Core2 isn't going to do that. People will just end up calling them Dual Core or Quad Core anyways, not Dual Core2 and Quad Core2. It's just going to detract from their branding, not help it.