Intel is commemorating Labor Day this year with a trio of new processors aimed at different market segments. In the mainstream quad-core market, we have the new 45nm Core 2 Quad 8200, at 2.33GHz, 4MB L2 cache, and a 1333MHz FSB. Intel lists the chip at $224 in 1K quantities; Newegg has it up for sale for $229.99.
The new chip's lower price tag, however, comes at the cost of several features that are otherwise standard on Core 2 Quad processors. Older Kentsfield (65nm) and most Yorkfield (45nm) processors support Intel's Virtualization Technology, but the new Q8200 does not. Just for the record, the chip is still capable of running virtualization programs, but it lacks the hardware support for that capability that Intel has baked into its processors. According to Tech Report, LaGrande support, also known as Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TET), is also missing.
The new chip also packs a relatively anemic 4MB of L2 cache. That's just half the L2 that Kentsfield processors offer, and 2MB less than the 6MB aboard the Yorkfield Q9300 (which also offers hardware virtualization support). The Q8200's $229 price tag puts it smack between the 2.4GHz Q6600 (now just $189.99), and the 2.5GHz Yorkdale ($259.99). Typically, a bridge product between Q6600 and Q9300 would make a great deal of sense, but in this case, I'm not sure the Q8200 is a great choice over either of the other two parts.
If you want quad-core on a budget, the Q6600 is $40 (18 percent) cheaper, packs twice the L2, consumes a relatively modest amount of power, and offers hardware virtualization support. Intel's Yorkfield is faster than Kentsfield clock-per-clock, but these advantages (and the $40 price difference) should definitely soften the blow, if not negate it. If, on the other hand, you want Intel's 45nm technology, the Q9300 is just $30 more. Q9300 uses the same 1333MHz bus as the Q8200, bumps the clockspeed up by 7 percent, offers 50 percent more L2 cache, and supports both hardware virtualization and TET.
Here's how AMD's offerings compare, for those of you who might be curious. The AMD Phenom 9950 Black Edition (2.6GHz, 512K L2, 2MB L3) is just $179.99, and competes well against the Q6600 at $189.99. The 9950 should also compete well against the Q8200, particularly if you bump the chip's speed to 2.8GHz via multiplier adjustment (all three processors can be overclocked, but only the BE Phenom supports doing so via multiplier). The only thing that stops AMD's 9950 from being a very capable competitor in this segment is heat. The Phenom 9950 carries a TDP of 140W, and while AMD's listed TDPs have historically been much higher than actual power consumption, the high-end Phenoms are a bit of an exception to that rule.
Core 2 Duo, Celeron
Intel's new dual-core is the E5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB L2, 800MHz FSB) at $84, while the new single-core Celeron 450 is a 65nm, 2.2GHz chip, with 512K of L2 cache and an 800MHz FSB. Price on this chip is $53. The new E5200 slides in well below the next-cheapest Core 2 Duo (Allendale 2.4GHz, 2MB L2, 800MHz FSB), and is a no-brainer replacement for that chip, provided you want to stay Intel. The Celly 450 is what it is—a single-core chip for $53.
Here's how the two break down compared to what's on the market from AMD. The Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition is a 2.8GHz 65nm chip with an unlocked multiplier at $77 and a 65W TDP, while a 3GHz (90nm) Athlon 64 X2 is available for $92.99. We've seen evidence of a 3GHz Athlon 64 X2 on 65nm technology, but it's currently not up at NewEgg. If you intend to build on integrated, AMD is definitely your best choice, since the company's 780G outperforms anything available on the Intel side, but the E5200 is probably the faster of the two processors at stock speeds.
As for the Celeron 450, it's generally competitive with the retail Sempron's AMD currently has positioned around the $50 mark. If you're willing to buy an OEM processor, both the BE-2400 (2.3GHz, 45W TDP, 65nm) and the 4400+ (2.3GHz, 65W, 65nm) are available for $49.99, and would definitely be preferable to any single-core Celeron. AMD's cheapest dual-core is the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ for $66, but that's still a significant step upwards if you're on a $49 CPU sort-of budget.
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