Review: Core 2 Duo - Is it Better Than the Athlon 64s?
Posted by Sean Fallon on July 17, 2006
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As many of you know, Intel has lost some ground in the processor market to rival AMD in recent months. However, with the highly anticipated release of the new Core 2 Duo series, hopes are high that Intel can regain the CPU performance throne.
Well, the verdicts are in.
Reviews:
Tom’s Hardware: 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
Bit-Tech: “So then, it turns out that the performance numbers that we ran on the Intel-built Core 2 Duo E6700 system are as good as they looked the first time around. The performance capabilities of Intel’s Core architecture are now clearer than ever. There wasn’t a single test where the Core 2 Extreme X6800 fell behind AMD’s current flagship processor - the Athlon 64 FX-62. Arguably though, the more intriguing processors are the lower-end Core 2 Duos, namely the E6600 and the E6400.”
Trusted Reviews: “As with everything, it’s not just about the technology, it’s the final product. The Athlon 64 architecture might not be as far behind as we thought – clock for clock. However, pushing an Athlon 64 beyond 3GHz is currently a difficult task and even with a future die shrink to 65nm I don’t see it scaling as well as Core 2 Duo. If you take a close look at our benchmark results, you’ll see that the 2.66GHz E6600 is faster than an FX-62 in almost all cases and costs around a third of the price. Things don’t look good for AMD at all if its flagship product can’t stand up to a mid-range part.”
Click here for more reviews.
Product Information:
(Via bit-tech)
Bottom Line: It looks like we have a new champion in the CPU market. If you desire the best in performance, look no further than the Core 2 Duo series.
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[...] Last week Nerd Approved posted a review of the new Core 2 Duo chips from Intel - finding that they are far superior to anything AMD currently offers. [...]