The benchmark results for the new Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Core 2 Duo E6700 processors are simply astounding, and it's been a long time since we've witnessed such performance dominance in the desktop market. The Core 2 Extreme and Duo processors also handled every benchmark we tossed at them, running media encoding tests with the same ease as pure CPU tests like CINEBENCH 9.5. Overall desktop performance is exceptional, and the new Intel line ranks at the very top of every benchmark ranking, other than memory bandwidth. AMD still holds the edge there, due to their integrated memory controller, and the Core 2's lack of Hyper-Threading to give it a memory boost.
The gaming performance of the Core 2 Extreme and Duo processors is, if you can believe it, even more impressive, and Intel definitely takes the crown in this area. Some of the performance margins were jaw-droppingly large, and the Intel Core 2 Extreme and Duo models were faster than AMD across the board. It didn't matter if we were testing an old school game like Quake 3 or a high-end one like F.E.A.R., the Core 2 Extreme and Duo processors cut through them like a hot knife through butter. This level of flexibility is exceptional for a new processor with a current feature set, and gamers with a library of both old and new games need not worry.
The power consumption of high-end desktops is a definite concern right now, especially for those who build small form factor and low-noise systems, or for buyers wanting to keep energy costs down. We took each of the reference systems, ran these through a Power Analyzer, and then received consumption figures (in Watts) for both Idle and Load scenarios. In order to keep the systems and results consistent, we used the same base configuration for the AMD and Intel processors, along with a consistent selection of peripherals listed on the Test Setup page.
For these tests, the Athlon 64 FX-62 and X2 5000+ use the nForce 590 SLI platform, the Athlon 64 FX-60 and X2 4800+, 4400+, and 3800+ run on the nForce4 Ultra, and the various Core 2, Pentium D and Pentium EE model use the Intel 975X. Also keep in mind these power consumption numbers are for the total system usage, of which the CPU is only one part.
The first power consumption test was performed at idle, after Windows XP had loaded, and all of the various software and hardware components have initialized. The Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Core 2 Duo E6700 certainly did well in the benchmark section, but their power usage figures might even be more impressive. At Idle, the 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 system posts the lowest consumption results, while the 2.93 GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 moves a bit higher on the list, between the Athlon 64 FX-60 and Athlon 64 X2 5000+ platforms. These are both exceptional results for such high performance CPUs, and the difference between the Core 2 and Pentium D architectures is like night and day.
The second test changes the operating conditions from Idle to Load, and the SANDRA 2007 Multimedia CPU benchmark pushes processor usage to 100%, while ensuring that no extraneous hard drive or peripheral activity artificially ramps up the power consumption rates. The results using SANDRA are also incredibly consistent, and the wattage numbers remain very stable through the entire test, with the processors humming along at peak usage.
Now that the processors are being fully utilized, we see the overall number increase correspondingly, but the Core 2 Extreme and Duo results get even better. The Core 2 Duo E6700 system once again posts the lowest power consumption - less than the Athlon 64 X2 3800+, while offering performance exceeding that of an Athlon 64 FX-62. The Core 2 Extreme X6800 actually improves its relative position compared to the Idle results, and moves up two slots to slide between the Athlon 64 X2 4400+ and 4800+. Once again, the Pentium D power consumption is off the scale, and the Core 2 Duo E6700 almost cuts those results in half.
