Dual-Core Pentium EE 840 Performance Pre-Preview

[jerry]

Introduction

There?s a presentation slide that Intel recently sent us plotting time versus the performance of its processors and what tasks they?ve been designed to address. According to Intel, back in the days of its 486, technology was impacted by Microsoft?s Windows operating system . Then, the Pentium emerged, addressing a push toward multimedia and increased use of the Internet. As computer systems started running a more diverse suite of software applications, multi-tasking came into focus, paving the way for Hyper-Threading technology. Christened with the ability to process multiple threads simultaneously, Intel?s Pentium 4 picked up significant performance in applications properly optimized for the feature. But while Windows XP reports that a Hyper-Threading-enabled chip boasts two logical processors, an appropriately equipped Pentium 4 really only wields one set of execution resources for its computing duties.

Enter dual-core technology. Both Intel and AMD believe that PC usage models are evolving towards more intensive multi-tasking. Multimedia, language processing, streaming content--they?re all applications that will operate at the same time, consuming precious processing resources. Instead of exclusively devoting energy to ramping clock speed, an exercise of finite potential given current manufacturing techniques and power consumption issues, the two competitors decided within short succession that they?d instead broaden their capacity for operating on multiple threads simultaneously.

Of course, both companies already sell intricate multi-processing platforms for the server and workstation markets. However, because they consist of multiple physical processors, expensive motherboards capable of accommodating extra sockets, and premium memory, those generally aren?t viable options in a home or small business. They?d be of no use to the casual gamer, anyway. Existing titles are single-threaded and writing games to multiple threads promises to be a laborious process. That?s why current Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron systems sell to higher-end markets.

The goal with dual-core is two-fold. First, enable the performance of two physical processors on one chip, in an evolution of what Hyper-Threading offered. Second, bring the cost of multi-processing down to a mainstream level--hopefully, equivalent to an existing single-core platform. Intel and AMD are going about their respective dual-core plans in slightly different ways, using divergent architectures and launching to different audiences.

AMD is of the opinion that the server and workstation markets stand to benefit from dual-core technology most immediately and as such are currently working on a dual-core Opteron processor for an early second-quarter launch. Intel, on the other hand, is gunning for the home users first with a dual-core Pentium 4 processor due out in the second quarter as well. Given today?s software landscape, it indeed appears that AMD stands to generate the most excitement with dual-core at the high-end, but that?s not why we?re here today. In a bid to prove its dual-core readiness, Intel recently shipped us its forthcoming Pentium Extreme Edition 840, a 3.2GHz running with an 800MHz FSB and a motherboard centering on its 955X Express chipset for a preview of what?s to come.

Complete Article

[Steven]

Games aren't everything. Dual Core looks good according to those benchmarks. :)

But the upgrades in the ICH7 are pretty cool with the Addition of RAID Levels 5 and 10 and SATA-II Support. :cool:

Edited April 4, 2005 by Steven

[jerry]

Games aren't everything. Dual Core looks good according to those benchmarks. :)

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Similarly, media encoding/decoding benchmarks arent everything. ;) Also the potential of Dual Core is under utilised unless developers start writing apps for it.

But the upgrades in the ICH7 are pretty cool with the Addition of RAID Levels 5 and 10 and SATA-II Support. :cool:

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nForce4 Intel Edition also has the SATA2 and is expected to launch this week.

[etempest]

With dual cores is up there 64bit computing. As soon as the OS utilizes it, you will start to see the performance increases as the system level overall. For games / apps, they have to be designed to support multi-threading process until then they slam only 1 cpu.

The good news is once dual core processors become the normal, you will see newer programs supporting more then one cpu and next gen games are usually the 1st to jump on new technology.

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

will WD make Raptor sata2 ?

yummy

[neufuse Veteran]

dont get your hopes up

for what? games? most games arn't writen to handle multiple threads as it is, so dual core won't do too much for those games... its more for multimedia and other thread intensive applications

[Venturas]

Anandtech has also a preview online: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2388

The results are very impressive when you are doing some serious multi-tasking...

The future is good folks :)

[jerry]

for what? games? most games arn't writen to handle multiple threads as it is, so dual core won't do too much for those games... its more for multimedia and other thread intensive applications

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Did I say games ? No. I said not to get hopes up as a pre-emptive blow to the whiners. :D

Secondly, dual core or for that matter multi-core would indeed be helpful for gaming. That is where the gaming industry is headed to with both Microsoft & Sony launching their next generation of gaming consoles with multi-core processors. The benefits will take their time to appear.

[Cyrilix]

Hmm...the performance is pretty good, but we got to remember here that this is the extreme edition...the head honcho. Taking that into account, I'm not so sure anymore whether to anticipate this release or not.

[Venturas]

Hmm...the performance is pretty good, but we got to remember here that this is the extreme edition...the head honcho. Taking that into account, I'm not so sure anymore whether to anticipate this release or not.

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The Anandtech preview has the EE and the "normal" D one ;)

[at0mican]

Someone PM me when the price of the Dual Core Intel processor is <$400AUD. Otherwise, it's just not in my budget.

[jamend]

This is a pretty neat chip, despite its performance in some areas. For those thinking that applications aren't yet optimized for dual core CPUs yet, most of them already are. There were two reasons for why Intel added Hyper-Threading to the P4: to compensate for the inefficient pipeline and to get developers to make their apps multi-threaded. Anyways, I think the review failed to show off one of the greatest advantages of dual core CPUs; they allow you to run multiple high-demand applications without having them impact on each other. They should have focussed more on this capability by running benchmarks of multiple tests running simultaneously. Also, for those wondering how games will make use of dual cores, they will supposedly split the geometry and physics computation between the two cores. This will allow for smooth and accurate gameplay even at low framerates, and it will allow for more detailed physics. The only things I don't like about this new chip are the heat dissipation, crappy memory interface that it is tied to (even and 667 MHz as the article has shown), and of course the price.