The overall benchmark results were consistent with our expectations, and it's obvious that higher performance is not the main goal of Intel's latest platforms. Certainly, there is a slight performance advantage to LGA775, DDR2 and the 925X, but it's not in line with previous platform shifts, and doesn't push Intel past the AMD64 crowd. This is a first tentative step towards a totally new platform architecture, and the Socket 775 versions of the Pentium 4 560 and 3.4 GHz EE share the same design and bus speed as their Socket 478 counterparts. As such, slapping on dual-channel DDR2 capable of 8.5 GB/sec. of memory bandwidth, really won't show a noticeable advantage when paired with an 800 MHz processor capable of only 6.4 GB/sec. of processor bandwidth.
The benefits of the new Intel LGA775 platform and processors are geared toward the future, with scalability being the key. Intel could introduce a 1 GHz processor bus, and the current dual-channel DDR2 configuration could equal its bandwidth requirements. The reference DDR2-533 is really only running at 266 MHz, and future revisions of 333 and 400 MHz DDR would offer even higher potential bandwidth. That certainly doesn't help buyers today, but DDR2 will be the memory of choice as the system bus speeds increase, and it becomes impossible to supply the necessary bandwidth using standard DDR.
In terms of retail pricing, the new LGA775 Pentium 4 Prescott models don't look to change that much from current models, as least at the high-end. We can't get an accurate gauge on the street prices right now, but Intel's 1K-unit pricing for the Pentium 4 560 (3.6 GHz) is $637, while the Pentium 4 550 (3.4 GHz) sits at $417. These two are about on par with current Prescott price levels, but as we move down the list, LGA775 processors start getting a bit more expensive, with their 1K-unit prices at 3.2, 3.0 and 2.8 GHz levels outpacing the Socket 478 street prices.
Overall value is also inherent on the platform costs, and DDR2 is significantly more expensive than standard DDR. For example, a 512-MB stick of Crucial DDR2-533 will set you back just under $200 ($180 for DDR2-400), while a similar amount of PC3200 is under $100. Using Crucial as the example, DDR2 more than lives up to its name, and is basically double the price of industry-standard DDR. The key here is market penetration, and as DDR2 is less expensive to produce than DDR of the same speed rating, once production ramps up, this should fall quickly.
* Please note that these prices were taken at the time of review and are not meant to reflect long-term trends.
The new Intel platforms get top marks in some areas, but fall short in others, making it a tough product introduction to rate. The LGA775 CPU package allows enhanced cooling and flexibility, PCI Express is a definite plus, while the jury is still out on DDR2. The key to these features is their nod to the future, and setting up an Intel platform than can not only handle the performance and features requirements of today, but of tomorrow as well. The problem seems to be, that while the platform specifications are impressive, it seems to be more sizzle than steak, and it may be a little while before the pieces are all in place to really make use of these high-end platforms.
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