KENTSFIELD CORE 2 EXTREME QX6700 AND CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 REVIEW BENCHMARK AND OVERCLOCK

KENTSFIELD CORE 2 EXTREME QX6700 AND CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 REVIEW BENCHMARK AND OVERCLOCK
Posted:2006-11-02 By cpu review Number of View:97509
KENTSFIELD CORE 2 EXTREME QX6700 AND CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 REVIEW BENCHMARK AND OVERCLOCK By :cpu review Posted:2006-11-02 xtreview is your : Video card - cpu - memory - Hard drive - power supply unit source On month ago on IDF we already obtained the first practical experience of contact with the new four core processor intel, known under the code name kentsfield. However, such experience can be hardly considered as valuable. It passed according to the intel company representatives , who strongly limited us in the experiments. Fortunately, now  processors  kentsfield reached finally our laboratory and this time we already can share with you with present comprehensive testing. Naturally, this review has appeared because  that  the four processors from intel has reached the official announcement stage . Accordingly, soon, you will be able to get Kentsfield for  your system and in those proposed by  partners Of intel. Thus, it is possible to speak, that today we become the new expansion of  processors, which have more than two computational core, for the market of desktop systems. In this case in order to complete such step from dual core to the four core processor ,Intel programist required only one-and-a-half . However, we note that the increase in the number of processor core in new CPU do not mean increase in performance because this will require a contemporary programs. Although the portion of software, capable to work with four cpu simultaneously is completely limited, these applications are from the same type and practically they are all intended either for multimedia or for 3d rendering. Therefore the basic initiators of the increase in the number of core inside the processors were encountered with the impossibility of further increase in the clock speed or the growth of clock frequency, for example because of the high energy consumption which are due to the highly clocked cpu. In other words, releaseing processors with four core, again becomes in the advance  of progress and only time will  show how software developers will benifit from new  algorithms and giving  them parallelism Thus far kentsfield processors are positioned by Intel as the solutions for the high end price segment.  At the same time at the given moment to us it is known that not 3d games is capable to operate with all four processor core. Fortunately, this situation will have to change in the following year, when leave at least five games with the valuable support Of kentsfield: THQ  supreme  commander, Remedy alan Of wake, Valve half-Life 2: Episode 2, Epic  unreal  engine 3 and  ubisoft  splinter  cell: Double  agent. Thus, it is possible to speak, that even developers of traditional single applications begin to think about the adaptation of their programs . It is necessary to say that with the announcement of the four core processors  intel  possible to substantially outdistance AMD, which plans to release analogous CPU structure in the middle of following year. AMD  assembled the so-called platform 4x4, which makes  possible to combine in one system two dual core processors. Processors kentsfield: Core  2 Extreme QX6700 and Core 2 Quad q6600 The first dual core processors with the micro-architecture Of core were represented by Intel in the middle of summer. But Intel is already ready to the following step - to the release of processors with the four core processor design, based on the same micro-architecture core! To attain a rapid introduction Of cpu with the four core intel succeeded by a completely simple method, which was being exploited  in the times of  processors  presler. The fact is that Kentsfield is actually the association of two crystals conroe (Core  2 Duo), made in the united processor packing (accurately also as Presler it was done of two crystals  cedar mill). In other words, the new four core processor intel can be described as system of two dual core processors with the micro-architecture core. It is necessary to note that this approach from intel has a mass of it is plus. For example, it makes possible to reach essential savings on the work of engineers and technologists, which took the shape in the final analysis and the early appearance of four core processor architecture on the market. Furthermore, Intel solved the possible production problems, which accompany the beginning of release of new semiconductor core. It is obvious that with the production of two semiconductor crystals  conroe the release of suitable products will be in any case higher than if Intel began to release crystals with the approximately doubly larger area and transistors number. First, the use of two core instead of one makes  possible to obtain approximately 12- percent gain in the summary area of core.But, in the second place, Intel obtained enormous space for the selection of the most suitable crystals for their application in the basis of four core processors. So, in the composition Of kentsfield, as it is expected,  will be used crystals with the lower heat emission, which will make possible to enter the thermal and electrical characteristics of this new cpu in sufficiently attractive range. Thus, Kentsfield can be considered as sequential processor with the micro-architecture core, already well known to us on processors core 2 Duo. It has all the same advantages as processors with the code name conroe, perhaps only with only exception. The cache in the second level for four core processor,  two physical semiconductor crystals, consists in two 4-megabyte parts, which is divided between cpu (because of intel technology  advanced  smart  cache) . First, before the end of the year, Intel will supply  only modification Of kentsfield, which bears the name Of core 2 Extreme QX6700. The cost of this processor will be $999, i.e., it will be the four core competitor of the dual core processor core 2 Extreme x6800. As a whole, specification of this new cpu is the following:   Intel core 2 Extreme QX6700 Cpu Frequency 2666 mhz Number of core 4 Cpu Socket LGA 775 Cpu Default vcore 1.35V Cpu system bus 1066 MHZ Cpu power requirement 130 watt L2 Cache 2x4 MB Technical process 65Nm Support Hyper threading No support Intel virtualization Technology Support Em64T(Enhanced Memory 64 Technology) Support EIST(Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) Support In comparison with the elder processor dual core processors with the micro-architecture  core, Quad Core  2 Extreme QX6700 has  266 MHz lower frequency and to 75% higher heat emission. In this case both processors are completely equal, giving end users the difficult selection between two completely different proposals. Diagnostic utility CPU- Z of show about Core 2 Extreme QX6700 the following information. As u see, in the composition of  intel cpu with four core processors was released new revision of core B3: the last revision Of core  2 Duo  at the given moment is b2. Together with the four core processor core 2 Extreme QX6700 in our laboratory arrived and less high-speed cpu, model  kentsfield, Core  2 Quad  q6600. This processor is not announced, its release is expected at the  beginning of next year. Differences In core 2 Quad q6600 from Core 2 Extreme QX6700 consist in the lower clock frequency and the smaller cost, which, according to the preliminary data, will be in the order of $850. The general characteristics Of core  2 Quad q6600 are presented in the fellowing table:   Intel core 2 Extreme QX6700 Cpu Frequency 2400 mhz Number of core 4 Cpu Socket LGA 775 Cpu Default vcore 1.35V Cpu system bus 1066 MHZ Cpu power requirement 105 watt L2 Cache 2x4 MB Technical process 65Nm Support Hyper threading No support Intel virtualization Technology Support Em64T(Enhanced Memory 64 Technology) Support EIST(Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) Support Here is the report of utility CPU- Z: For those which preffer cheaper cpu in addition on lower heat and power requirement the Core  2 Quad  q6600 can be more attractive model. how we tested To continue story about the properties of new processors from the theoretical positions there is no much sense. The properties of micro-architecture  core were repeatedly  examined earlier by us. With the tests of four core processors core 2 Extreme QX6700 and Core 2 Quad q6600 we decided not only to investigate the speed of these CPU in  applications, which support multicore. Since the dual core processors make possible to effectively do several  applications simultaneously, we decided to give tests precisely in this situation. But about everything in the order. For the beginning, let us introduce the equipment which was used in our test systems: Processors: AMD  athlon 64 FX-62 (Socket AM2, 2.8GHz, 2x1024KB L2); Intel  core  2 Extreme  x6800 (LGA775, 2.93GHz, 1067MHz FSB, 4MB L2); Intel  core  2 Extreme QX6700 (LGA775, 2.66GHz, 1067MHz FSB, 2x4MB L2); Intel  core  2 Duo  e6700 (LGA775, 2.66GHz, 1067MHz FSB, 4MB L2); Intel  core  2 Quad  q6600 (LGA775, 2.4GHz, 1067MHz FSB, 2x4MB L2). Motherboard: ASUS P5B  deluxe (LGA775, Intel  p965 Of express); ASUS M2N32-SLI  deluxe (Socket AM2, NVIDIA  nForce 590 SLI). Memory: 2048MB DDR2-800 SDRAM (Mushkin XP2-6400PRO, 2 x 1024 MB, DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12). Graphic card: PowerColor  x1900 XTX  512MB; Hard sidk drive: Western igital WD1500AHFD. Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 from DirectX 9.0c. Performance SYSMark 2004 SE: the general quad core performance   However,from first test, we got the possibility to make the completely single-valued conclusion about four core processors. The application OF CPU with this quantity of core actually makes possible to obtain gain in the performance in comparison with the speed of contemporary dual core processors. Moreover, this gain finds manifestation in the tasks of working and creating digital contenant. This is not surprising. The majority of  applications from this type is optimized for multi cpu, that give  into 8- percent superiority Of core  2 Extreme QX6700 over Core  2 Extreme  x6800 even with clock frequency of dual core CPU higher 10% . However, as far as the performance in the typical office applications is concerned, here for Kentsfield there is nothings good as in the previous test. Type of load with the office work rarely require multicore nature, correspondingly an increase in the number of core cannot be considered in this case as the good method to growth in application speed. In this case it is desirable to recall that the office performance in SYSMark 2004 SE is not increased with the transfer from the dual core processors to the quad one. Quad core Synthetic tests: PCMark05, 3Dmark06 Support to the popular benchmark PCMark05 for multicore consists not only in the the  two computational processes runing simultaneously. In this benchmark there is a test  with  four processes created simultaneously. Therefore the performance of Kentsfield in this benchmark are higher than the results of all dual core CPU. The gain of the four core procesor in 3DMark06 is explained by the results of the processor test, which has an effect on the summary result. However, processor benchmark results are given on the second graph, uses multi core architecture to calculate physics and AI for large number of objects, which interact between them and with each other simultaneously. It is clear that a task from  this type can be wonderfully executed in parallel and this was expressed by the result obtained in the test. Quad core 3d games Relatively old games, such as Far cry and  half life 2,  do not have support to quad or even dual core cpu ,So naturally with the presence of four core processor there is no improvment . Quake4, as is known,supports dual core processors ; however, its performance in the systems using Kentsfield does not impress. It is obvious that the widely proclaimed support to muticore into Quake4 is oriented exclusively to the dual core processors, this game operates only with two cpu int two thread. Then in F.E.A.R., where the support to multicore  is also realized, Core 2 Extreme QX6700 slightly win over the Core  2 Extreme  x6800. However, the results obtained in F.E.A.R. can be hardly named as sucess. As it is expected, the valuable use of four core processors possibilities in games to calculate physics and artificial intellect will be realized only in the next generation engine , the first games on base of which will begin to appear at the market during the following year. Four coreCoding audio and video Support to multicore in audio and video codecs has been appeared already long time ago . However, as is evident according to the results below not all codecs are capable to use four processor core. Many of them create only two thread and the advantage kentsfield over the dual core is then null. there is some examples. Some codecs will wonderfully recognize the presence in system of four processor core and will demonstrate excellent performance in the platforms, equipped Kentsfield. The value of relative superiority Of core 2 Extreme QX6700 over Core  2 Extreme  x6800 composes into Xvid and TMPCEnc 20-35%. But, as it occurs, not  all codecs are capable to effectively operate with four processor core simultaneously. Many of them are capable to obtain increase in the performance exclusively upon transfer to the dual core processors; In other words even those applications, which we have used for the demonstration of the dual core architectures advantage , can not always be used for the same purposes with four core processors. Intel Quad core Editing images and video As it was already said above the basic tasks which win from the installation of processors similar to Kentsfield appear tasks for creation and editing of digital data. For example, in Adobe photoshop CS2 core  2 Extreme QX6700 is faster than the dual core 2 Extreme x6800 which have higher frequency by 266 MHz  of approximately 18%. Applications for nonlinear video editing demonstrate a huge of gain for four core processors. Its value (in comparison with Conroe) reaches more than 60%. Intel kentsfield 3d rendering and professional OpenGL To test the performance in professional applications we used the newest version  3ds max 9. Performance with final rendering is scaled depending on the number of processor core . Systems on the base Of kentsfield can become outstanding selection for 3d designers. The speed of rendering after transfer from Core  2 Extreme  x6800 to Core  2 Extreme QX6700 grows by more than 30%. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same words about the performance with projection, where the quantity of processor core do not influence the speed of rendering, but by the basic factor, which influences the performance as the clock frequency remain. Larger effectiveness Of kentsfield can be observed into Cinebench. Here superiority in the speed Of core  2 Extreme QX6700 over Core  2 Extreme  x6800 is more than 50%. Other applications The last versions of popular archiver winRAR support multicore. Kentsfield in this case get the performance boost, the use of its four core makes  possible to obtain very good gain in the performance. Mathematical MATLAB from the presence of four processor core does not show any improvment, here the best results show processors with core conroe. Here is a tasks which  not use a parallel data processing, the kentsfield processors lag behind Conroe x6800. This can be explained by the difference in frequencies between dual and four core CPU from Intel: The E6700 Kentsfield is inferior in frequency to the sinior conroe x6800 by 266 MHz. Also, we decided to include in the number of tests the chess benchmark. The analysis of chess position proved to be wonderfully executable-in-parallel process, capable to demonstrate advantages of four core processors in the best way. Actually, with the identical clock frequency superiority Of kentsfield over Conroe composes 94%, which is close to the theoretical maximum. Four core cpu Multitask tests For this division we used several tests, directed to the measurement performance for systems in those situations, when several applications are executed simultaneously. we simultaneously started several tasks in different applications and was measured the time necessary for systems to complete the entire work. In this test in parallel was excuted the image processing in Adobe photoshop  simultaneously with winRAR . Four core processors manage the multitask load without any  problems, Beeing faster than the dual core conroe by more than 30%. Here simultaneously was excuted work with video in Adobe premiere pro simultaneously was encoded mp3 file using Apple  iTunes. load on the four core system  in this case was somewhat stronger than in the previous test. At least, the advantage Of kentsfield over Conroe (with the identical clock frequency) in this case reaches an impressing 93%. In the third, hardest test we loaded platforms with simultaneous application : by image processing in Adobe  photoshop,  final rendering in 3ds max and by coding video in MPEG4 format. And in this test processors with four core again showed the advantageous side, beeing considerably outdistanced the old dual core conroe. Thus, it is possible to speak, that  multi processors give the possibility to considerably increase the performrnce of  systems which excute several tasks simultaneously. To test the speed of  platforms with dual and quad core processors, which excute several parallel tasks, we would explain the nfluence rate of the application ressource, which works “in the foreground”, background processes. For this we measured the number of fps in the popular game  quake 4, starting in the background several copies of  winRAR. The first part of results is discouraging. Actually, it seem that processor with the large number of core must ensure higher perofmrnace independently from the number of applications, which work in the background regime. But in practice this do not completely occurs. If with the small number of background processes system with Kentsfield shows higher results, then an increase in their number this tendency does not develop. With six or higher number of applications, which work in the background, the speed of  game, excuted on “the foreground” of operating system falls more rapidly precisely in the system with four core processor. In order to studie the reasons for this strange effect first of all necessary to understand that reduction in the game speed is due to the working in  background process proceeds first . The manager of Windows  operating system  tasks distributes very well processes, and all background thread leave for the core free from the basic work. However,  the resources  OF background tasks require access also to other subsystems of platform, for example to the system bus and memory. Specifically, this ruins the speed Of kentsfield. Since this processor consists of two different semiconductor crystals, the sending of data between them is done  through the frontal system bus and memory system . But WinRAR - is exactly  the mulitask application, which will begin to operate several core simultaneously. As a result, the start of this utility in the background leads to the fact that some part of the memory and system bus start the realization of data exchange between the threads of one program copy . Therefore,  the performance of Kentsfield using several copies of this program start to overload  the bus capacity and it became full tir earlier than with Conroe Quad core Testing the energy consumption The micro-architecture core already had time to demonstrate their efficiency from the relationship performance per watt. processors  conroe, which was tested earlier by us proved to be not only the most rapid CPU for today desktop computers but also showed record with low energy consumption. For example,  the typical heat emission of the dual core   2 Extreme  x6800 is 75 W, and heat emission of core  2 Duo  e6700 - is only 65 W. In the new four core processors are used two core conroe, respectively their typical heat emission grew two. Thus, quad Core 2 Extreme QX6700, which frequency is equivalent to the clock frequency Of core  2 Duo  e6700, has teh power requirement of 130 W. The power of this processor (from the theoretical positions) reached the power requirement of elder processors pentium D, based on core presler. This is - sufficiently alarming symptom for our readers, who with the horror recalls about the cooling systems necessary to raise for the heat removal from  processors with the micro-architecture netBurst. However, give let us look in practice . As always in our tests, we load the processors with the maximum level to test the energy consumption .in this case we use the specialized utility S&M. First of all we measured the energy consumption of processors in the state rest. The technologies of  energy-economy  cool'n'Quiet, Intel enhanced  speedStep and Enhanced  halt  state in this test were enabled. In the state rest (idle) . Core  2 Quad x6600 consumes practically as much as  dual Core  2 Extreme  x6800, based on the conroe core. However, the energy consumption of the four core  2 Extreme QX6700 is on 8 W  higher, in any case this last  is inferior to the energy consumption of the dual core processor  athlon 64 FX-62, measured under  analogous conditions. Here is now results that are observed with the 100-percent load of processor . As u can see, in practice the energy consumption Of kentsfield exceeds the energy Of conroe, that works at the same clock frequency, on 75% that is not far from the theoretical values. However, in spite of this, the new four core processors from intel prove to be more economical than dual core Athlon 64 FX-62 and than  elder dual core processors of  family  presler in the last revisions. In other words, fear from the high heat emission of  processors kentsfield should not be. the heat emission Of core  2 Extreme QX6700 can be compared with the heat emission Of athlon 64 X2 5000+, but the heat emission Of core  2 Quad  q6600 with the heat emission  athlon 64 X2 4200+ ( not -Energy Efficient of version). Quad core Overclocking In conclusion  let us look to the frequency potential  Of kentsfield processors . The overclocking of these processors is done without any special features. All is absolutely analogous with conroe overclocking. Core  2 Extreme QX6700 as the processor, oriented to the user- enthusiasts, has the free coefficient. . Accordingly, to overclock this four core product u will have get a motherboard  capable to preserve stability with a notable increase in the frequency FSB .(remenber that the default multiplier for Q6600 is only 9x) During the overclocking test we did not use any special cooling methods . All experiments were done with the popular air cooling cooler from zalman CNPS9500 LED. As the platform for overlocking was used the well recommended motherboard ASUS P5B  deluxe, based on intel  p965 . The voltage of processors with overclocking was set to 1.5 v for both processors. Let us recall that the default vcore of our copy  core  2 Extreme QX6700 was equal to 1.3 v and for Core  2 Quad  q6600 - 1.2 v. The result obtained proved that The maximum frequency, with which preserved the capability for stable functioning for core  2 Extreme QX6700, was 3.5 GHz. Thus, elder  Kentsfield demonstrated a completely impressive frequency potential, which exceeds 30% the regular frequency. As far as second CPU test  Core  2 Quad q6600 is concerned, this processor was overclocked to only  3.42 GHz. The values in this overclcoking looks also well, since clock frequency of CPU grew by 43% . the kentsfield processors  can become completely attractive  for overclocker. Certainly, CPU of  family conroe can be overclocked slighly higher . Conclusions Here we come to the conclusion from our today review we will describe the obtained results briefly . the kentsfield processors is somewhat outdistanced by applications, capable to effectively  operate their possibilities to 100%, using all core, and as u know at the given moment there is not many. Actually, these are only program  for 3d rendering, workings of video and some codecs. Specifically, in these applications the multicore architecture of new CPU can give effect, adequate to its theoretical potential. Absence at the given moment of a large quantity of optimized programs leads to the fact that the processors kentsfield thus far cannot pretend to the role of leaders from the side of performance per watt . From this dual core CPU from family conroe continue to remain leaders. Furthermore, competent price policy makes Core  2 Extreme QX6700 attractive proposal already today. Its clock frequency is 10% only  inferior to the frequency of the elder dual core processor  conroe, Core  2 Extreme  x6800. I.e., in those applications, which do not have a optimization under muticore, Core  2 Extreme QX6700 will lose over Core  2 Extreme  x6800 but by a little. In this case their cost is equivalent, which allows users, who select CPU from the position of the relationship speed / price, to consider Kentsfield as completely acceptable version. Especially as even with the condition of application with the unoptimized programs, it can give influential gain with the work with several tasks simultaneously. In the optimized applications  core  2 Extreme QX6700 demonstrates unattainable speed. xtreview is your : Video card - cpu - memory - Hard drive - power supply unit source we would be happy to answer for your question . if you have suggestion or comment regarding this review our support would be glad to help just join our forum and ask u will get the best answer to discuss check our forum section :-) RATE THIS REVIEW 1 2 3 4 5    / 5   View Stat

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