Core 2 Duo (Conroe) the new king

[alanschu]

I don't think it was a literal if, as in a question.

 

For example:

 

Say we're playing a game of hockey on a video game console, and I see that you are pressing hard with 4 forecheckers. It would be reasonable for me to respond "Well, if that's the way you're going to play" in recognition of how you are playing. Not a question at all.

[LostStraw]

I wonder how AMD will counter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They're bringing two socket motherboards down to the consumer level and will be cutting prices. www.pcmag.com

 

AMD also plans to push a sort of "performance number" into the market to redefine how consumers should think about power, they said.

 

Sounds like they'll also hop on the cheap marketing tacticts bandwagon. If they haven't already with the "4x4" platform <_<. Shouldn't it be "2x2"?

 

Let the wars of inflatable numbers begin.

[angshuman]

Yeah, first you cram as many cores as you can onto a single chip, then you cram as many chips as you can into a single package, and finally provide multiple sockets on the motherboard. Of course, you have to play around with the pricing in order to make all options attractive. Deja Vu. SLI, Crossfire, 7950 GX2 all over again.

 

The only difference here is that performance actually scales pretty much linearly for GPUs. Not so for CPUs, not by a long shot. Even so, if AMD slashes the FX-62 prices to $600 or so implying that you can get yourself a dual-socket FX-62 solution (for a total of 4 cores) for slightly more than a 2-core X6800, they would have a reasonably compelling offering.

[SamuraiGaijin]

CONROE definitely looks promising ... I'm seriously looking forward to seeing how they affect the market price of other hardware ... I've been keeping a running shopping list for a well-equipped $1500 system.

 

It's currently up to a 975X mobo, PD 930 (3.0G), 2GB 667 MHz DDR2, 2x X1800GTO, water cooling for the CPU and both GPU's, 2x 250GB HDD (WD Caviar RE w/ 16MB cache), and a mid-grade Plextor DVD drive, a Lian Li case and about $100 in various cables, accessories, and consumables.

 

As for overclocking CONROE ... at first glance, it looks like the FSB is locked at 1066MHz, and the multiplier is locked for all CPU's except the $1K Extreme Edition.

[tarna]

I'd do it. I already have the 4800+ and the FX-60 processors. I'd put them on the same motherboard and then build one next to it using the new Intel chip and get a chance to see how they do side by side.

[angshuman]

Youngest Core 2 Duo tested.

[SteveThaiBinh]

This sucks. I mean, I had just talked myself into buying a new computer, and had even scouted a few shops, on the grounds that there's no good or bad time to buy because prices are always fluctuating and there's always new technology coming out, and now there's this. I really ought to wait, but how long will I have to wait? When will these Conroe thingies actually be in the shops in decent numbers?

 

It would be nice to play Oblivion without the ever-moving puddle of grass, and of course there's always NWN2...

[metadigital]

I wonder how AMD will counter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They're bringing two socket motherboards down to the consumer level and will be cutting prices. www.pcmag.com

 

AMD also plans to push a sort of "performance number" into the market to redefine how consumers should think about power, they said.

 

Sounds like they'll also hop on the cheap marketing tacticts bandwagon. If they haven't already with the "4x4" platform <_<. Shouldn't it be "2x2"?

 

Let the wars of inflatable numbers begin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldn't be surprised if AMD drop their prices through the floor, to buy market share.

 

Although there is ONE point in their favour: in the upcoming VIIV vs Live! (yes, they have used puctuation in their proper noun, a sure indication of marketspeak), the Intel Viiv will only work with media files that are compliant and authorised via the extensive DRM; AMD's Live! will allow files of all types to be streamed around the different media appliances, and will be cheaper, too.

 

As with all good marketing fights, there is no "right" choice, only what is best for the job.

 

[metadigital]

This sucks.   I mean, I had just talked myself into buying a new computer, and had even scouted a few shops, on the grounds that there's no good or bad time to buy because prices are always fluctuating and there's always new technology coming out, and now there's this.  I really ought to wait, but how long will I have to wait?  When will these Conroe thingies actually be in the shops in decent numbers?

 

It would be nice to play Oblivion without the ever-moving puddle of grass, and of course there's always NWN2...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Conroe will be everywhere by the end of the year, although Intel's own figures don't predict it outselling their others models until next year.

[Rhombus]

I wouldn't be surprised if AMD drop their prices through the floor, to buy market share.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Athlon 64 X2 5000+, from: $649, to (end of July): $282

Athlon 64 X2 4600+, from: $522, to (end of July): $224

Athlon 64 X2 4200+, from: $339, to (end of July): $175

 

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3361

 

Through the floor... yeah. I guess.. hehe

[alanschu]

Yay competition!

[angshuman]

(w00t) Haha! Those are INSANE price drops! The FX-62 hasn't fallen much, but then nobody buys those anyway.

 

So, should I invest in a $224 4600+, or wait and save up for DX10 GPUs to arrive and sell off my AMD machine and build a brand-spanking new Conroe-based monster? Decisions, decisions...

[metadigital]

So, should I invest in a $224 4600+, or wait and save up for DX10 GPUs to arrive and sell off my AMD machine and build a brand-spanking new Conroe-based monster? Decisions, decisions...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, if you wanted to take an extreme calculation you could inculde the cost of electricity, which will depend on the processor and GPU(s) used, and the amount of gaming done. :D

[mkreku]

Athlon 64 X2 5000+, from: $649, to (end of July): $282

That's actually not too shabby.. hmm..

 

The AM2 socket is supposedly going to be compatible with the AM3 socket that AMD will use for their K8 design in.. oh.. 2007-2008? If you have faith in AMD coming back with a bang with K8, then the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ might not be such a bad choice.

[Moose]

Processor                      Price

Core 2 Extreme X6800  $999

Core 2 Duo E6700          $530

Core 2 Duo E6600          $316

Core 2 Duo E6400          $224

Core 2 Duo E6300        $183

Pentium D 960              $316

Pentium D 950              $224

Pentium D 945              $163

Pentium D 915              $133

Pentium D 820              $113

Pentium D 805              $93

 

Intel's prices are very reasonable given they have no competition.

 

It's a great year for PC users. :cool:

[Rhombus]

Yeah, and AMD's new prices are rather reasonable aswell.. with their monster 5000+ landing just below Intels mid segment E6600, which it does fall behind in most tests..

 

I'm probably gonna try to get a Conroe system this fall.. been sticking with AMD since my first own home-built PC.. *sniff*

[alanschu]

Processor                      Price

Core 2 Extreme X6800  $999

Core 2 Duo E6700          $530

Core 2 Duo E6600          $316

Core 2 Duo E6400          $224

Core 2 Duo E6300        $183

Pentium D 960              $316

Pentium D 950              $224

Pentium D 945              $163

Pentium D 915              $133

Pentium D 820              $113

Pentium D 805              $93

 

Intel's prices are very reasonable given they have no competition.

 

It's a great year for PC users. :cool:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

"No competition?"

 

I guess you weren't buying computers in 1999.

[Moose]

Never has an AMD in my life... I knew Intel would get its rightful crown back

[alanschu]

Like I said, yay competition. Regardless of which camp you're in, you're getting processors for cheaper than you would otherwise.

[angshuman]

Like I said, yay competition.  Regardless of which camp you're in, you're getting processors for cheaper than you would otherwise.

[Bokishi]

I want this processor.

[STDSkillz]

The Conroe's make the Pentium D's look like a huge pile of electronic crap.

[mkreku]

The Conroe's make the Pentium D's look like a huge pile of electronic crap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A dog poo makes Pentium D (Netburst architecture) look like a huge pile of electronic crap.

[angshuman]

To be fair to Intel's engineers, the Netburst uarch was a pretty interesting concept to begin with but ended up being a huge mess.

 

The idea was to have an insanely fast execution core that is clocked at twice the speed of the already ridiculously clocked front end. A 3.8GHz Penium4's ALUs actually ran at 7.6GHz. The instruction scheduling logic was another insane piece of work. It all just crashed heavily when clocks reached close to 4 GHz and power consumption shot up though the roof.

 

I have never hesitated to ridicule Netburst in the past, but in truth the Hammer, Conroe etc. are fairly traditional uarchs: evolutionary derivatives of the P6 (Pentium II). Netburst dared to be different, but it just didn't work. Intel should have killed it off 2 years earlier; it would have died a much more honorable death back then.

[STDSkillz]

It's too bad Intel waited for a long time on the Conroe. They've had it developed for a really long time now, but they wanted their NetBurst technology to get some money back. What a waste.