A Slow, Steady Trickle

Penryn Emerges

Last year, Intel introduced the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 based on its quad-core Yorkfield configuration. The idea then was to show off Penryn on the desktop in its full glory. The QX9650 runs at 3 GHz and rides on a 1333 MHz front side bus. It’s currently available online, albeit at a price point in excess of $1,000.

The rest of the desktop Penryns were to follow in the first quarter of 2008. As we crest the end of Q1 and carry over into Q2, a quick search online reveals that, indeed, Intel is already selling the dual-core Wolfdales and quad-core Yorkfields, all manufactured at 45nm.

A quad-core Yorkfield actually consists of two Wolfdales on a single package

The dual-core Wolfdale, with 6MB of shared Advanced Smart Cache

Though the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 sits high and mighty on a four-digit price point, Intel’s other 45nm offerings are actually quite affordable. You can find a quad-core Yorkfield, also on a 1333 MHz bus, for less than $300. Dual-core Wolfdales sell as low as $215.

AMD is currently hawking its higher-end Phenom chips at the same prices as Intel’s entry-level models, giving AMD a modest edge in value. However, we haven’t yet explored the performance of Intel’s smaller process technology and tweaked microarchitecture, so there’s no telling how the competing CPUs will size up to each other.

On the Block: Core 2 Duo E8500

Premium Core 2 Duo processors based on the 65nm Conroe core all belonged to the E6300 series. Wofldales are instead identifiable by their E8000 model designators. The current flagship in Intel’s dual-core family is the Core 2 Duo E8500, clocked at 3.166 GHz. An E8400 at 3 GHz and an E8200 at 2.667 GHz are also available.

If you’re searching online and find Wolfdale-based processors with X5000, E5000, or E3000 model numbers, take note that those are Xeons. Intel is using the Wolfdale design to power some of its 1P and 2P server/workstation platforms. Just keep in mind that 3000-series Xeons work in LGA775 motherboards. However, the 5000-series chips are designed for DP operation and drop into the LGA771 interface. They won’t work with your enthusiast P35 or X38 board.

The chip we’re looking at today is the top-end E8500 running at 3.16 GHz on a 1333 MHz front side bus. In moving to 45nm, Intel employs smaller high-K transistors (versus its old polysilicon transistors) and is able to shrink the E8500’s die down to 107 square millimeters, at the same time increasing transistor count to 410 million. Compare the 65nm Conroe with its 143 millimeter die and 291 million transistors.

The changes to Intel’s manufacturing process are enabling smaller transistors, yes. They’re also making it possible for the company to add complexity through a 6MB shared L2 cache and several microarchitecture enhancements.

The new core requires comparable voltage in order to achieve faster clock speeds, thereby boosting performance and minimizing power consumption. Old dual-core Conroe chips employed VID ranges between .962 and 1.350V at the 3 GHz level. The Core 2 Duo E8500 we’re testing today sits between .85V and 1.3625V to hit 3.16 GHz. Even with that fat cache, it still sports a 65W TDP.

Intel lists a bevy of supported features for the E8500 on its processorfinder.intel.com engine. Dual-core, Enhanced Speed Step, EM64T, Virutalization Technology, the Execute Disable Bit, C1E, and the Thermal Monitor 2 are all included. You’ve already seen most of those. Again, Wolfdale isn’t a revolutionary move. Rather, it’s a tick—a showcase of Intel’s 45nm manufacturing. That means we’re expecting some magical things when it comes to overclocking.