Final thoughts, HEXUS awards, HEXUS where2buy, and HEXUS.right2reply
Intel's transition to quad-core computing on the desktop was achieved by the (relatively) easy method of positioning two dual-core processors on the same die and letting them share a single FSB to the system. The ease of migration, helped by a switch to wholesale 65nm production well before its immediate competitor, has given Intel a significant head start in terms of availability and, ultimately, performance.
The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 makes the previous fastest desktop processor, QX6700, that much faster; it's as simple as that.
Yields are such that a bump in the multiplier, which adds 10 per cent to the quad-core clock, is straightforward. Intel also knows it will only sell a small volume of Core 2 Extreme QX6800s, so the introduction of this model, frankly, serves more as a prestige statement that demonstrates single-socket desktop performance leadership than anything else.
We're left with little doubt that the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is a thoroughly impressive processor, but do you really need one?
The £600+ asking price will give you class-leading performance, sure, but only if you can fully exploit the 4 execution cores by routinely engaging in heavy multitasking. If that sounds like you and you have the requisite money burning a hole in your pocket, there's nothing better right now. For most other users, though, we'd recommend a midrange Intel Core 2 Duo or, for that matter, AMD's X2 6000+, now attractively priced at just £155 for a 3GHz dual-core processor.
Bottom line: the short-term future will bring AMD's native quad-core implementation and Intel's bolstered Core microarchitecture in the form of the Penryn core. Performance for those processors is, obviously, uncertain. What's certain is that the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is the fastest desktop processor around right here, right now.
Editorial awards
The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is awarded the HEXUS Extreme Speed gong for, well, being the fastest desktop CPU around.
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any of Intel's representatives choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.HEXUS related reading
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