Not quite as groundbreaking as Wang Computers’ word processor, XtremeNotebooks is offering the first Quad-Core Intel processors in laptops at a price of over $10,000 per unit fully stocked. The XTreme 917 has a Core 2 Quad Q6000 processor with dual NVidia processors and almost 1TB of hard drive space, which means that unless this has a car battery inside, you’ll be looking at some dismal on-the-go use life. [XtremeNotebooks via PRNewswire via Wired]
According to motherboard manufacturers, Intel will debut their first 45nm processors at $999 in Q4 of this year. Initial stats will include 3.33GHz, a 1333MHz front side bus and a 12MB L2 Cache (up from previous reports of an 8MB cache). Sources also claimed that two higher performance quad cores with the new architecture would be released in Q1 of 2008.
While the intel on the Intel is technically unconfirmed, nothing here sounds all the shocking. [digitimes via tgdaily]
We just got the chance to play around with AMD’s newest quad core system, the Phenom RD790 and a pair of ATI HD2900XT graphics processors. There’s a whole lot of cooling going on, thanks to John Woo’s new game Stranglehold. The system managed the Havoc physics engine with ease, jumping into sepia-toned “tequila” time and into a zoom mode that gave a bullet’s eye view of the action. The experience was mesmerizing, right up to the point where one of the bad guys in the game took a bullet in the nuts, and I actually felt his pain. Wanna see?
In addition to their mobile Extreme CPU, Intel has also announced its 3.0GHz Core 2 Extreme processor, the 65-nm QX6850 with four cores and dual 4MB Level 2 cache. The QX6850, touted as the fastest consumer processor now available, is the flagship of their new 1,333MHz Front Side Bus CPU family, which includes the Core 2 Duo E6850, E6750 and E6550, all of them with cheaper prices than the previous generation.
See those shots right there. The guys at Techwarelabs claim they’re “spy shots” of Intel’s first quad-core notebook. They’re not the most flattering shots around, but if the pics don’t do it for you, maybe the specs will.
galleryPost('IntelQuadCoreLappie', 4, 'IntelQuadCoreLappie');
Now it’s official, AMD has bumped its Athlon processors off the high horse and replaced them with Phenom X2 (dual core) and Phenom X4 (quad core) processors, and the company says these new chips will be part of its enthusiast platform it calls FASN8. The company’s saying that when you lash these chips together with its DirectX 10 ATI Radion HD 2000 series graphics cards shipped today, you’ll get, well, some serious graphics performance. We’ll believe it when we see it, but the ability to have two of these quad-core processors on one motherboard will surely make for some serious eight-way action.
AMD added lots of bluster along with the announcement, too:
With this announcement, AMD also unleashes some world-class marketing guff, calling these Phenom X4 chips the first “true quad core” processors, accusing “other products” of “packaging two dual core chips to form their quad core processors.” Accusations such as this volley directed at Intel signal a hot chip war on the way.
It’s going to take a lot for AMD to catch up to Intel, though, but the enhanced performance per watt of these chips, along with their Dual Socket Direct Connect architecture, 128-bit FPUs and shared L3 cache might just put a bit of heat on Intel for a while. We can’t wait to see the benchmarks on these chips, because until we see the performance numbers, this just sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo. – Charlie White
Press Release [AMD]
Perhaps it’s a mild case of jealousy, but the folks at AMD are trying to win back the spotlight from Intel by revealing their long-awaited Barcelona CPU.
They demoed a dual processor setup alongside a quad-processor rig for ultimate 4×4 power. The folks at [H] Enthusiast claim the octo-core set up was able to encode 1080p video to H.264 very close to real time. They also said the CPUs are good at keeping their cool (though they did have fans on each CPU). Now all we need is for AMD to hurry and get them out. – Louis Ramirez
AMD Barcelona in Action [HEnthusiast via Gadget Lab]
AMD has been pretty quiet, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been thinking of ways to put an end to Intel’s desktop dominance. Details have been leaked on the company’s first four-core CPU, dubbed the Phenom X4.
The CPU will come in at speeds ranging from 2.2GHz to 2.6GHz, with HyperTransport speeds of 3.2GHz and 3.6GHz. For power users, AMD has the Phenom FX chips, which you’ll be able to pair in twos for 8-core performance. The high-end FX and X4 chips are expected to ship this summer followed by mid-level X4s later in the year. Hopefully this marks the start of the Intel versus AMD war again. – Louis Ramirez
Final AMD “Stars” Models Unveiled [DailyTech via Electronista]
2008 is gonna be an interesting year if Intel keeps its promises. You see, on their 2008 roadmap sits a quad-core Penryn mobile processor designed for intense gaming and hardcore power users. Quad-core to go? You better believe it.
Intel’s not saying how they plan on achieving this or what kinda battery life these lappies will have, but as long as they don’t fry my kneecaps or burst into flames, this will definitely be worth waiting for, even if only for bragging rights. – Louis Ramirez
Intel to Offer Quad Core Mobile CPUs in 2008? [LaptopLogic]
