Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800

Name: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800 - Page 11
Brand: Intel

by Marco Chiappetta — Sunday, April 08, 2007, 11:00 AM EDT

Performance Summary: Simply put, the new Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is the fastest, most powerful desktop PC processor we have tested to date. Due to its 2.93GHz clock speed, which matches that of the fastest dual-core Core 2 processor, the X6800, the new QX6800 is as fast as the X6800 while running single-threaded applications, as is the case with most game engines and office productivity tools. While running multi-threaded applications that can fully utilize the additional processing resources afforded by the quad-core design of the QX6800 however, the new Core 2 Extreme QX6800 clearly offers more performance than any other desktop PC platform currently available. Performance scaling isn't always 2x that of the dual-core X6800 when running multi-threaded applications, but the quad-core Core 2 Extreme QX6800 does offer significant performance increases in many scenarios. And as more and more multi-threaded applications are released, the advantages of a quad-core processors will pay dividends over time.

While the launch of the Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is technically nothing more than a speed bump of an already established design, it is still significant none-the-less. What Intel has done with the QX6800 is bring their flagship quad-core desktop processor up to the same frequency as their fastest dual-core offering. By doing so, any performance disadvantage the 2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme X6700 had versus the higher clocked 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800, while running single-threaded code, is now absorbed. Conversely, any advantage Intel's quad-core processors had over their dual-core offerings, or AMD's for that matter, is even more amplified. Ultimately, what the new Core 2 Extreme QX6800 represents is the best of both worlds. Aside from its exorbitant $1200 price tag, which is high even for top-of-the-line Extreme Edition processors, the Core 2 Extreme X6800 is a no compromise solution. Its thermal profile and power consumption were in-line and its overall performance was superb. If you're a PC enthusiast looking for nothing less than the highest performing desktop processor, look no further - the Core 2 Extreme QX6800 is it. What more is there to say?


Great Performance Fastest Desktop CPU to Date Manageable Power and Thermal Requirements Overclocking Headroom	Expensive! Shared FSB

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Tags: Intel, Core 2, Core, Xtreme, extreme, x6, XT, 680, eme, QX

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com