MA XIMUMPC MAY 2005
W
ho says it ain’t a race? Intel,
which last September said it
wasn’t rushing to ship the first
dual-core procs, has apparently crossed
the finish line. The company recently
pulled the wraps off a host of new dual-
core processors planned for this year
and next, with products slated for duty
in everything from notebooks to desk-
tops to server applications.
As expected, the first dual-core pro-
cessors for the desktop will be based on
the Prescott core. Unlike the new P
660, which has 2MB of L2 cache, the
new dual-core “Pentium D” will feature
1MB of cache per core and will run on
an 800MHz bus. The dual-core Extreme
Edition 840 is virtually the same as
the Pentium D, but will have Hyper-
Threading enabled in both cores.
The first dual-core CPUs will have two
cores within a single die, meaning two
separate execution cores will share the
same piece of silicon and use the same
front-side bus (see Tom Halfhill’s column
on page 13 for more information on the
difference between dual-core and multi-
core processors). Intel says it had to clockthe CPU cores down from the current
3.8GHz Prescott to 3.2GHz because of
thermal and power restrictions. Intel also
says dual-core chips will use an 800MHz
front-side bus rather than a 1066MHz bus
to compensate for power, frequency, and
other issues.
Both dual-core processors will have 64-
bit support as well as Microsoft’s anti-worm
NX technology. Intel didn’t disclose pricing,
but the processors are expected to ship in
limited quantities by the time you read this.Beyond the Desktop
In an apparent move to show the world
that it’s back in charge, Intel didn’t show
off just its desktop processors, but also
its dual-core server CPUs. And even more
surprisingly, Intel showed off working
samples of its next-generation mobile pro-
cessor, code-named Yonah, and its desk-
top processor, code-named Presler, both of
which use a new 65nm process. (Current
Prescott and dual-core procs are based on
a 90nm process.) By moving to 65nm,
Intel will significantly shrink the size of
its cores and implement a new design
that uses two cores in the same packageinstead of two cores on the same die.
Intel says it has 15 dual-core processors
in the works and expects that by 2006,
70 percent of shipping desktop machines
will be outfitted with dual-core CPUs.
Company execs predict that by the end
of the decade, consumer desktop PCs will
have eight threads available, but did not
disclose whether those threads would be
eight separate cores in a CPU or four cores
with Hyper-Threading.Single-Core Plans
With the release of dual-core procs,
many wondered if Intel would be shelv-
ing the Pentium 4. Intel won’t divulge
any details of the P4’s future, but does
say that single-core computing will con-
tinue beyond at least 2006. Early next
year, Intel will release the successor to
the Prescott, code-named Cedar Mill.
This chip will feature 2MB of L2, Hyper-
Threading, 64-bit support, and will be
built on the new 65nm process.QuickSt art
The beginning of the magazine,
where articles are smallSayonara, Pentium 4?
Intel comes out swinging with a host of hot new dual-core CPUs Notice the missing number
4? Despite architecture
similarities, Intel is chucking
the long-used digit from its
new dual-core Pentiums.INTEL PROCESSOR COMPARISON
NAME Pentium 4 Extreme Edition Pentium 4 560J Pentium 4 660 Pentium 4 Extreme Edition Pentium D (dual-core)Pentium Extreme
Edition 840
(dual-core)
Clock speed 3.46GHz 3.6GHz 3.6GHz 3.73GHz 3.2GHz 3.2GHz
Process 130nm 90nm 90nm 90nm 90nm 90nm
Execution cores 1 1 1 1 2 2
L2 cache 512KB 1MB 2MB 2MB 1MB 1MB
L3 cache 2MB 0 0 0 0 0
Hyper-Threading Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
FSB 1066MHz 800MHz 800MHz 1066MHz 800MHz 800MHz
64-bit support No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Transistors 178 mil 125 mil 169 mil 169 mil 230 mil 230 mil
Die size 237 mm^2 112 mm^2 135 mm^2 135 mm^2 206 mm^2 206 mm^2
NX support? No Yes* Yes Yes Yes Yes
Instructions SSE, SSE2 SSE, SSE2, SSE3 SSE, SSE2, SSE3 SSE, SSE2, SSE3 SSE, SSE2, SSE3 SSE, SSE2, SSE
*J versions only