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Hardware Intel Introduces Second Core 2 Duo Stepping
Anh Tuan Huynh (Blog) - July 16, 2007 1:07 AM

45 comment(s) - last by Setsunayaki.. on Jul 18 at 1:26 AM

Intel's newest 1333 MHz front-side bus processors take the center stage

Intel today announced a new lineup of 1333 MHz front-side bus dual and quad-core processors. The new Intel 1333 MHz front-side bus lineup consists of three dual-core and one quad-core processors. The dual-core lineup features the new Core 2 Duo E6550, E6750 and E6850.

Intel clocks the lowest Core 2 Duo E6550 at 2.33 GHz, which slots between the previous 2.13 GHz E6400 and 2.4 GHz E6600. Intel does not have a 1333 MHz front-side bus Core 2 Duo E64xx or E66xx planned. Intel intros the Core 2 Duo E6550 at $163, below the current retail prices of the Core 2 Duo E6400.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6x50
Model	Core Frequency	L2 Cache	FSB	Pricing
E6850	3.0 GHz	4MB	1333 MHz	$266
E6750	2.66 GHz	4MB	1333 MHz	$183
E6550	2.33 GHz	4MB	1333 MHz	$163

The middle of the 1333 MHz front-side bus consists of the Core 2 Duo E6750. Intel prices the Core 2 Duo E6750 at $183, $20 more than the E6550. The extra $20 yields a 330 MHz higher clock speed. Intel’s Core 2 Duo E6850 fills the top of the dual-core lineup. The Core 2 Duo E6850 raises the clock speed another 330 MHz to 3.0 GHz. The increased clock speed comes at an extra $83.

Intel Quad-core
Model	Core Frequency	L2 Cache	FSB	Q3'07 Pricing
QX6850	3.0 GHz	8MB	1333 MHz	$999
Q6700	2.66 GHz	8MB	1066 MHz	$530

Intel’s Core 2 Extreme receives a 1333 MHz front-side bus makeover as well. The new Core 2 Extreme QX6850 is the only quad-core processor to transition to a 1333 MHz front-side bus. Intel clocks the Core 2 Extreme QX6850 at 3 GHz, a slight increase over the QX6800’s 2.93 GHz clock speed. The Core 2 Extreme QX6850 has a $999 price tag.

Also launching today is a new Core 2 Quad processor, albeit with a 1066 MHz front-side bus. The new Core 2 Quad Q6700 clocks in at 2.66 GHz, similar to the previous Core 2 Extreme QX6700. Intel debuts the Core 2 Quad Q6700 at $530.

Intel Quad-core
Model	Core Frequency	L2 Cache	FSB	July 22 Pricing
QX6800	2.93 GHz	8MB	1066 MHz	$999
Q6600	2.40 GHz	8MB	1066 MHz	$266

Despite the new product introductions, there are no price cuts on existing products today. Nevertheless, Intel plans to cut prices on most dual and quad-core products next week. When the new price cuts go into effect, the entry-level Core 2 Quad Q6600 drops down to $266, matching the Core 2 Duo E6850 in price.

Expect the new Core 2 1333 MHz front-side bus processors to pop up in retailers immediately.

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RE: E6850 vs. Q6600 - same price, which performs better?

By MrBungle on 7/16/2007 11:26:34 PM , Rating: 2

That is great to know - thank you for sharing that info!

I do happen to use After Effects quite extensively, so it sounds like the Q6600 is the way to go. When I'm rendering in Premiere, I'm often running something else in the background (e.g. Photoshop), so it sounds like even that would allow me to utilize the extra 2 cores that Premiere isn't typically using.

Thanks again!

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RE: E6850 vs. Q6600 - same price, which performs better?

By Justin Case on 7/17/2007 6:45:23 PM , Rating: 3

Well, it's unlikely that Photoshop will be making much use of your CPUs in the background while Premiere is running (it's rare for a filter to take more than a few seconds to apply); you're more likely to benefit from it the other way around (ex., use PS while Premiere is rendering or encoding a project).

In any case, if you run AFX a lot (and are on a deadline), the extra cores will definitely be worth it, and probably pay for themselves quickly. The same goes for any 3D renderer (typical scaling for 3dsmax is 90% per extra core on long renders, though some single-threaded plug-ins can bring that down in a nasty way).

After Effects is by far Adobe's most civilized package. Although it's usually seen as an "entry level" compositing program, in some areas it does things better than Shake, Fusion or Combustion (the "big guns").

If only Premiere and Photoshop would borrow AFX's code, instead of coming up with half-assed solutions to problems that were solved years ago...

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