Gulftown 32nm six-core is only an "Extreme Edition"

[Ci7]

Q2 2010 launch for a next generation CPU sounds like at least two quarters delay in Intel's usual refresh cycle. New CPUs traditionally replace their predecessors in Q4 while volume production usually starts in Q1 of the next year.

With a 32nm high-end model, Intel is at least one quarter delayed because in Q1 2010 the Clarkdale 32nm dual-core models can already be expected. As for the real high-end CPUs, we are talking about at least a two quarter delay, and the new Gulftown six-core CPU will only come as a pricey "Extreme Edition" model.

Nehalem-based 45nm Core i7 quad-cores will keep the rest of the high-end / performance market for Intel but we are pretty sure that Intel should introduce some 32nm quad core CPUs after Q2 2010 to replace the soon-to-launch Lynnfield-based 45nm quad core CPUs.

We doubt that six-core and twelve threads will make a big performance impact on the majority of applications in second half of 2010 and this is Intel?s biggest problem. Applications are still not really multi-threaded and even if they are, many don't work as well as people would like them to.

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