CPU/Mobo Core 2 Duo Reviews are out !!

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Sticky this please :D

And even though we knew the performance of Conroes for quite some time, this is still amazing.....

Core2Duo manages to blow AMD right out of the water!!

This perhaps sum it up well enough

 
Xbitlabs

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 + ASUS P5W DH Deluxe: Ideal Mainstream Platform?

The long-awaited Intel Conroe processors have finally been announced. We will start our Conroe family performance investigation with the youngest model in the family. This review will reveal the most extensive performance analysis, overclocking experiments and a detailed review of one of the first mainboards supporting the promising newcomer.

First of all I would like to point out that new Intel processors on Core microarchitecture boast very impressive performance. The improvements Intel introduced in them have certainly helped create today’s most efficient x86 processor design. And the results of our Core 2 Duo E6300 tests prove it. Although the newcomer works at lower nominal clock speed than AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, it demonstrates absolute advantage in most applications. Therefore, if AMD doesn’t drop the prices of its dual-core processors even lower (which is unlikely so far), we will have to state that Intel offers a way better price-to-performance ration for the mainstream and high-end segment.

And Overclocking wouldn’t help here. As we have just seen in this article, the youngest Core 2 Duo models boast very good overclocking potential. In fact, it is much better than that of other CPUs from the same price range. During our test session we managed to overclock Intel Core 2 Duo by more than 50% without touching its Vcore and using an air cooler. However, we didn’t even come close to revealing its entire overclocking potential, because of the hardware-related issues of the platform we used.

As we have already said, Core 2 Duo processors have their clock frequency multiplier locked at a relatively low value. As a result, the mainboards used for overclocking experiments like that should allow increasing the FSB frequency quite significantly. Unfortunately, the ASUS P5W DH Deluxe mainboard we used could only support 420MHz FSB frequency. That is why we didn’t manage to get more impressive results. Although, what we achieved was quite remarkable already, I should say.

This way, Core 2 Duo E6300 processor can be regarded as a great choice within its price group. However, when you build a system around it, you should pay special attention to the mainboard you pick, because it will determine your maximum overclocking potential. Therefore, smart mainboard choice is a crucial moment when putting together a system with Intel Core microarchitecture based processor.
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image courtesy xbitlabs.com
 
^^ The Anandtech review makes for an awesome read as always.

C2D looking reeaallyy strong now, hope it stays this way till Q1 2k7 atleast, else early buyers might repent ;)
 
[n00b alert]I was going through one of the blogs (sharikou.blogspot.com, posted here on TE by Darklord IIRC).It made an interesting reading, showing that Anandtech has been inclined towards Intel (Articles sighting Anandtech's test of a Conroe E6700 vs Athlon FX Processor on different machines in which the AMD Machine's BIOS showed "unknown processor" due to outdated BIOS being used by Intel in that machine - LINK

Another of the tests done by Anandtech comparing an Opteron 280 and Woodcrest (whilst running Opteron in a 32 bit/PAE Mode) LINK

So, Anandtech's credibility can be doubted a little IMPO.

Although the blogs credibility cannot be taken for granted either.

[/n00b alert].
 
sharikou blog always has an amd bias, besides those tests are old, the new ones are out and every reviewer has only praises for intel's core2duo.
 
Franky, I didnt find much of a performance difference between an AMD FX processor and a E6700, and the benchmarks seemed pretty even to me (more so , in the gaming benchmarks).

But thats just my opinion (am a n00b :ashamed:), cud anyone show me some benchmarks where there is 20%+ difference between a Conroe and a an FX :).
 
when games running at 80fps an 100 fps u'll barely notice any difference.but yes if its 20 fps an 40 fps u'll notice the diff. ;)
 
Darthcoder said:
Franky, I didnt find much of a performance difference between an AMD FX processor and a E6700, and the benchmarks seemed pretty even to me (more so , in the gaming benchmarks).

But thats just my opinion :ashamed; (am a n00b :ashamed:), cud anyone show me some benchmarks where there is 20%+ difference between a Conroe and a an FX :).
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...except the FX costs 2x the price of an E6700 and still can't beat it :D

And AT is definitely not pro-anyone :) I've read a ton of articles and reviews there and not once did they come across as supporting any one player, be it Intel, AMD, nVidia or ATi ;)

Did you guys read this in the AT review? :O
To provide some idea of overclocking abilities with other Core 2 Duo processors, we ran quick tests with E6700 (2.67GHz), and E6600 (2.4GHz). The test E6700 reached a stable 3.4GHz at default voltage and topped out at 3.9GHz with the Tuniq Cooler. The 2.4GHz E6600 turned out to be quite an overclocker in our tests. Even though it was hard-locked at a 9 multiplier it reached an amazing 4GHz in the overclocking tests. That represents a 67% overclock.
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Darthcoder said:
Franky, I didnt find much of a performance difference between an AMD FX processor and a E6700, and the benchmarks seemed pretty even to me (more so , in the gaming benchmarks).

But thats just my opinion (am a n00b :ashamed:), cud anyone show me some benchmarks where there is 20%+ difference between a Conroe and a an FX :).
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One point is that the Core 2 Duos all cost significantly less than the FX does currently. At least the $500 E6700 really beats a $1000+ FX in almost every benchmark.

The Core 2 Extreme, of course, costs a lot more, and does not seem to justify its price at stock frequency. But the Extreme is an enthusiast part, and the point with the X6800 is, as always is with enthusiast products, its extreme overclockability. They have unlocked multipliers, and mainly consist of the top bins. Core 2 Extremes can easily reach upwards of 3.5GHz on air, and at those speeds, they will be unbeatable. How many FXs can reach 3.5GHz on LN2? Core 2 Extremes have even reached more than 4GHz on air, and even higher clocks are possible with better cooling.

Whatever way you see it, every single Core 2 processor outperforms the Athlon 64 X2s priced comparatively.

And, Core 2s can work very well with even cheap memory, ordinary memory, while in the case of the X2s, for them to come even close to Core's performance, they need expensive, top class memory.

Also, Core 2s consume significantly less power.

Core 2s offer superior performance-price, performance-per-watt, period.

AMD is set to announce huge price cuts shortly, and it remains to be seen whether such moves will make their products competitive with Core 2 products on a performance-price ratio. But if that is to be achieved, the FX has to priced at around $300, and I don't see that happening.
 
For the Dells of the world, Conroe availability shouldn't be too much of an issue because companies like Dell get first dibs. For years of not going with AMD, all while demanding something more competitive from Intel, you better believe that Dell is going to soak up every last Conroe that it can.

The problem then becomes what happens after Dell and HP have eaten their lunch; unfortunately the concern is that aggressive pricing won't be enough to reduce retail demand for Conroe. What we're worried about happening is a very small supply of Conroes on the retail market in late Q3/early Q4, resulting in much higher street prices than what you see on page 2. In the worst case scenario for Intel, Conroe's limited retail availability could result in a price to performance ratio equal to or worse than AMD's Athlon 64 X2.
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From AT Only
 
[H]ard|OCP seems to have very conservative reviews on the Core products.

Intel Core 2 Gaming Performance

Overall Performance Summary

It is very interesting that in all of our testing, both “what is playable” testing and “apples-to-apples” testing, the Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 are very close in performance. In fact, in some games they are dead even. The price difference between the two is very extreme with the Core 2 Extreme X6800 costing $999 and the Core 2 Duo E6700 at $530. Does it look like the price is justified between the two for gaming? We can safely say “no” as far as gaming goes with this gameplay testing we have performed.

As for the AMD Athlon 64 FX-62, all of our testing shows that it does trail the two new Intel CPUs in gameplay performance. So, if you wanted to point one out as being a “winner” then for sure it is the new Intel Core 2 X6800 and E6700. But, if you look at the amount of difference between the AMD and Intel CPUs, you will see that it isn’t enough to amount to anything. The only game that we saw any real-world difference in was Oblivion, and even that was tiny. A little overclocking would clear that difference up. Overall, the performance difference isn’t enough to amount to any gameplay experience differences in these games. One thing is certain: these are very fast platforms and they all provided a very enjoyable high-end gaming experience in every game.
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Intel Core 2 Music, Images, & Movie Performance

Conclusions

These results we have seen here are in great contrast to the real-world results we have seen today in our Intel Core 2 Gaming Performance article.

It is sure though that the weeks we have spent with Intel’s Core 2 Duo and Extreme have taught us that Intel is back in the ring and a certain contender when it comes to high-powered desktop computing. I have not found any negative aspects to Core 2 at all. If you are buying a new computer system or doing a major upgrade, Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme should be at the top of your list.

That said, the performance benefits were minimal in the Photoshop and iTunes testing we looked at. Unless you are doing a huge amount of work with these applications, it is not likely that you would ever see a difference between the systems unless you had your stopwatch out.

When it comes to encoding video, and many of you are now doing this at home, the high-end Core 2 Duo and Extreme simply blew away the AMD FX-62. There is no doubt that if you are an amateur or home professional video editor, the Intel Core 2 can show you some advantages over your current system.

Dual Core Importance

For all of you video editors out there, whether you decide you want an Intel processor or AMD processor, you need to make sure that you take advantage of the dual core processors now. In programs such as Windows Movie Maker and Adobe Premiere, you will see encoding times fall tremendously with dual core processors. Video editing applications are part of the few applications that really take advantage of dual core processing.

The Bottom Line

There is no doubt that when it comes to editing video, manipulating images, or encoding music, the Intel Core 2 Duo and Extreme processors at 2.66GHz and above currently enjoy a healthy performance advantage over AMD’s Athlon FX and Athlon 64 line of processors. Moreover, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Core 2 Duo and Extreme also do a great job of making the Pentium 4 look like a dinosaur.
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Intel Core 2 Duo & Extreme Power Consumption

Conclusions

There is no doubt that Intel deserves huge kudos as they have brought the power consumption of their flagship processors well under AMD's as we saw in our 50% and 100% load tests. Not only will this bode well for those of you contemplating the possible need for a new PSU with your next upgrade, but you will not see the terrible heat concerns associated with the last generation of Pentium 4's either. In fact as would be suggested by the wattage consumption graphs previous, we saw very cool CPU temperatures being read by our systems.
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I have a feeling that these are the worst reviews around for the Core 2. And even they recognize the brilliance of the Core 2 products.
 
Game Over? Core 2 Duo Knocks Out Athlon 64 - Tom's Hardware

Conclusion

First of all let me sort the facts: As soon as Core 2 Duo hits the market, it will...
* be the fastest x86 processor (both single and dual core models)
* make the Pentium D and all predecessors look like antiques
* be the clear choice for performance users despite its rather expensive price
* outperform the complete Athlon 64 family (X2 and FX) in all areas, including gaming, where AMD has traditionally been very strong
* consume less energy than other standard desktop processors
* transform the whole Intel platform from an energy-hungry beast to a reasonable solution that is competitive in terms of performance per Watt

We expect Core 2 Duo to roll out slower than Intel proclaims, so don't expect to get every model in every shop right from the start. All eyes are staring at Intel, especially after it announced decreasing revenues and layoffs. For these reasons we believe that it will do everything that is necessary to ensure a stable processor supply.
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Tom's Hardware: Core 2 Duo smokes AMD's Athlon 64 X2

Just about two weeks ahead of the official launch, Core 2 Duo's true performance capability comes to light. In tests conducted by Tom's Hardware Guide, Intel's new processor delivered stunning results, outpacing its AMD rival in almost every discipline. For the first time in about two years, Intel is offering a superior desktop processor that may cause more than just a headache for AMD.
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Core 2 Duo will be Intel's second processor based on the firm's new Core micro architecture. Following the Xeon 5100, formerly code-named "Woodcrest", Intel will unleash the desktop version of Core: The Core 2 Duo E6000 series ("Conroe") will officially debut on 27 July and if we believe some industry sources, Intel may be even announcing the mobile variant - and foundation for all three processors - Core 2 Duo T7000 ("Merom") on that day as well.
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Extensive benchmark testing by Tom's Hardware's engineers leaves no doubt that this answer has to be answered with a clear yes. Core 2 Duo does not only bring a substantial jump in performance, it also manages to surpass its AMD rival: The Intel chip dominates most benchmark disciplines and came out on top in 35 out of 37 tests. AMD's fastest processor still holds the crown in synthetic benchmarks.
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Especially interesting is the way how Intel achieves this new level of processor performance. Tom's Hardware found that its Conroe system consumed less power than a comparable AMD system and up to 30% less power than a Pentium EE 965-based computer. The 18% clockspeed increase of the overclocked version resulted in a relatively modest 7% increase in overall system power consumption.
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