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Intel releases its new CPU architecture with 16 new processors

Intel's new Penryn architecture snagged more than a few headlines this year, but today finally marks the launch date for the world's first 45nm processor. The launch consists of 16 new processors for the server and high-end desktop market.

Penryn is the follow-up optical shrink to Intel's 65nm Conroe architecture. While the core architecture of Penryn remains essentially the same as Conroe, Intel's desktop variant of Core 2, the smaller transistors yield more features and cache. Penryn comes with 6MB of L2 cache, whereas Conroe only had a maximum of 4MB.

New to Penryn is the SSE4 instruction set.  These new instructions will yield improved operation times for many CPU-intensive applications like rendering and encoding, though very few applications can take advantage of these optimizations. yet. 

Additional tweaks to the CPU frequency dividers have also been refined with Penryn, though most users will not notice a difference between equivalently clocked Conroe processors for general computing.

However, with the new 45nm process node, Intel can increase the frequency considerably while also decreasing the thermal envelope -- which in turn leads to faster processors.

15 of the new processors launched are Xeons and targeted directly at the server market. Prices of the new Xeons range from $177 all the way to $1,279. Although Intel is aiming for immediate availabily, distributors tell DailyTech that certain models will not reach retail availability for another 45 days.

Intel today only launched one Penryn processor for desktops, the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650. The Core 2 Extreme is a high-end, quad-core desktop processor. Intel guidance claims the retail price of the new processor at $999.

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Sweeet!
By Maximilian on 11/12/2007 5:15:41 PM , Rating: 2
Sweeet! I want an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650!!




RE: Sweeet!
By Ammohunt on 11/12/2007 6:39:12 PM , Rating: 5
I haven't seen (at least on anandtech) a significant performance gain with extreme processors to warrant the premium they want for them.


RE: Sweeet!
By walk2k on 11/12/2007 7:27:39 PM , Rating: 5
There is definitely a non-trivial performance increase. The question of whether it's worth triple the price (or more) is up to who's money you are spending...

I mean when you can get a Q6600 for $270 while the QX is $999? If it's my money? HELL no. But if the company is paying? Oh yeah boss, I need that faster computer, I'll be SO much more productive *wink wink*.

By "productive" of course I mean pwning bitches in Counter-strike.


RE: Sweeet!
By Polynikes on 11/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: Sweeet!
By afkrotch on 11/13/2007 12:10:08 PM , Rating: 2
Unlocked multipliers is something worthy of a price increase, not up to $1000 though.


No QX9650's in Japan
By miahallen on 11/12/2007 5:20:01 PM , Rating: 2
Walked around Akihabara all day yesterday (Nov 12th) but NOBODY had retail QX9650's in stock. All the stores wanted me to pre-order it!?! Some said they should be availible today (the 13th)...others said the launch had been delayed by a month over on this side of the pond? Pretty frustrating as I'm usually only able to make it down there (to Akihabara) once a month or so, and I've been planning yesterday's visit since Intel announced the launch date....ggggrrrrr!!!




RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By Mudvillager on 11/12/2007 5:53:44 PM , Rating: 2
None available here in Sweden either... I really can't wait for this CPU much longer >_<


RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By shsanjp on 11/12/2007 6:54:25 PM , Rating: 2
Well I did managed to get mine in Softmap in Akihabara yesterday but they had only 1 left after.
It seems that Softmap got most of the allocation for Tokyo.

I first went to Bless and the manager told me that they had only 2 today and no idea when they would get the new batch.

So I guess I am a very lucky guy.

Now back to finish the installation.


RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By Min Jia on 11/12/2007 10:20:52 PM , Rating: 2
QX9650 has been available in the beginning of the month.
http://www.xfastest.com/viewthread.php?tid=4603&ex...


RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By Min Jia on 11/12/2007 10:23:08 PM , Rating: 2
Forgot to mention, Taiwan is the place.


RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By afkrotch on 11/13/2007 12:05:11 PM , Rating: 2
Considering that Taiwan manufactures majority of PC parts, it's no real surprise they'd have it.


RE: No QX9650's in Japan
By dcalfine on 11/13/2007 8:44:08 AM , Rating: 2
desu


The real benefit is mostly to Intel.....
By crystal clear on 11/13/2007 6:45:52 AM , Rating: 3
Its important to note that-

While Intel will benefit from switching from 65- to 45-nanometer manufacturing, which will allow the chip maker to squeeze more processors onto a wafer and increase its own efficiency and production, analysts say consumers and enterprise customers should stay focused on the Santa Clara, Calif., company's roadmap for the coming year.

Many of these upcoming products will focus on mobility, which is increasingly becoming the most important part of the PC market.

"A line shrink is never that exciting and, except for a few feature tweaks, the line shrink really benefits Intel more since it can now get more chips on the same wafer," said Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates, referring to Intel's new manufacturing. "You have some new features with Penryn and there is lower power consumption based on the line shrink, but the real benefit is mostly to [Intel]."



http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2215496,00.as...

Obeservations -

1) "Intel can manufacture more of these processors onto a wafer and it allows them to sell the chips for lower prices and still make money. It's a very cost effective product."

This way it gets marketshare & profits

2)By contrast, Advanced Micro Devices will not begin producing its first 45-nanometer processors—Shanghai—until the middle of 2008.

3) AMD is struggling to get out even slow versions of its new four-core Opteron chip.

IBM can't get its hands on even AMD's slowest, most plentiful mainstream versions of the new Opterons (Barcelona).

IBM has flagged its benchmarks as non-compliant because it cannot get the systems to customers in a reasonable amount of time.

http://www.spec.org/cpu2006/results/res2007q3/cpu2...




By Master Kenobi (blog) on 11/13/2007 8:24:13 AM , Rating: 2
Intel is just better at process and logistics. Always have been. Even when their chips weren't as good as AMD's they were able to flood the market with chips.


RE: The real benefit is mostly to Intel.....
By Screwballl on 11/13/2007 9:18:10 AM , Rating: 2
Remember, this is just a die shrink of existing cores, performance will be the same or maybe 5-10% higher than similar Conroes. It will not be until Nehalem that it steps up the next notch performance-wise.


By zsdersw on 11/13/2007 10:07:02 AM , Rating: 2
Who was implying something other than what you just said?


What about mobile
By atimob3800 on 11/12/2007 8:39:15 PM , Rating: 3
No mention of mobile CPUs, when can we expect these and for how much?




RE: What about mobile
By theflux on 11/12/2007 9:12:20 PM , Rating: 2
I'm interested in this too. I would expect and official mobile quad core part can't be far behind the die shrink...


RE: What about mobile
By Christopher1 on 11/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: What about mobile
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 11/13/2007 8:21:58 AM , Rating: 2
Depends on if your board can handle the 1333/1600 FSB that is standard on these chips. If it can then your fine, its still an LGA 775 socket. If not, then wait for Nehalem in July/August when you will require an entire system rebuild anyways.


By Roy2001 on 11/12/2007 5:36:57 PM , Rating: 2
Cannot wait for a quad core desktop CPU to hit 4Ghz easily.




By Mitch101 on 11/12/2007 7:25:13 PM , Rating: 2
A while back Intel made the comment at 32nm the Ghz race will return. Not sure why but with improved IPC and More cores on a chip its going to be amazing.


By PlasmaBomb on 11/13/2007 10:32:05 AM , Rating: 2
Nahelem brings improved SMP as well, so 32nm procs should be damb fast.


6MB of L2 cache
By Martimus on 11/13/2007 9:40:49 AM , Rating: 2
I thought that Penryn was supposed to have 12MB of L2 cache. Is that a typo, or was the amount of cache changed?




RE: 6MB of L2 cache
By PlasmaBomb on 11/13/2007 10:33:49 AM , Rating: 2
The quad core parts will have 2 x 6MB = 12 MB cache :D


RE: 6MB of L2 cache
By Martimus on 11/13/2007 10:56:17 AM , Rating: 2
Thanks. I was a little confused when I read that.


Q9450
By 5c8wc4 on 11/12/2007 7:29:15 PM , Rating: 3
The real winner will be the Q9450 estimated at 300$. I cant wait to get my hands on one of those and overclock it.




RE: Q9450
By DeepBlue1975 on 11/13/2007 12:43:14 PM , Rating: 2
That can be a little monster I guess.
If my q6600 b3 is doing 3.0ghz at default voltage on air cooling, Penryn's will be highly interesting for the overclocking community out there (at least those overclockers that, like me, get a cheap CPU to overclock the lga array out of it so that it behaves like a CPU performs the same at at stock speeds but costs threefold)


"Nowadays you can buy a CPU cheaper than the CPU fan." -- Unnamed AMD executive

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