Conroe coming...

Asus

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NDA expires on the 14th
Some websites say it's the 13th at 9PM PST for the US.
Anyway, it's tonight.

This was displayed on HardOCP's front page the other day
"Magic 8 Ball sez:
HUGE AMD processor price cuts are coming very soon. An answer to Intel’s soon-to-be released Core 2 processors? You betcha. Real world gameplay analysis of Core 2 vs. Athlon 64 coming very soon. Shows different results than canned benchmarks? You betcha.
Posted by Kyle 6:44 PM (CDT)"

What could this mean?
 
Imagine if after all this hype the thing was a flop. Either way that is certainly an interesting quote.
 
It's a shame I already got my X2 for christmas :( But since I'm saving up for a fairly decent laptop, it will be interesting to see what it does to the price of the existing Core Duo systems.
 
Maybe it's even better than we thought. At least that's what I hope. I am soooo ready to jump on this if it's as good as it's supposed to be. Now they just need to come out with mobos for it that support DDR2 1000 RAM.

HOLY SHIT! A Core 2 Extreme running at 5.2 GHz? Wow.
 
Well, this is interesting. Really interesting.

Show us the benchmarks already!
 
e6400 - $243 AU*
4600+ - $839 AU*
* around that price.


performance wasn't way ahead, but better price/performance looks like a good choice.

anyone have benchmarks with e6300 and amd cpu's around the 3500+ models ?


hopefully all the stores around here will have cpu/motherboard prices up soon, i need a working pc badly. :x


edit: stupid question, would you say "cpu's" or "cpus" ? /hides.
 
Asus said:
Lol they are just testing the speed of the graphics card. "The X6800 is clearly faster with 0.32 fps."


edit: I am most definately getting an E6600 for my new pc. Asus, I don't see why you would still choose for the AMD X2 4600+.
 
destrukt said:
anyone have benchmarks with e6300 and amd cpu's around the 3500+ models ?
Why the 3500+? /scratches head
A E6300 is dual core. It would compare better with the X2 3800+ especially after AMD drops their prices.

I just say CPUs (Central Proccessing Units).

The Brick said:
Lol they are just testing the speed of the graphics card. "The X6800 is clearly faster with 0.32 fps."
Well it isn't a CPU or Graphics test as much as a Gaming Test including the lastest CPU. ;)
It's there just to remind everyone that when using a single graphics card that it might not be worth switching to Core 2 Duo for gaming if you already have a fast AMD CPU. It doesn't take into account Crossfire/SLI or if you are buying a new machine. But it reminds you that Video cards are where the performance is for games. So if you are buying a new system...get a E6300/6400 for cheap and the best video card you can afford. ;)

The Brick said:
I am most definately getting an E6600 for my new pc. Asus, I don't see why you would still choose for the AMD X2 4600+.
I'm tempted and I still have not decided yet. But the thing is I just bought $200 worth of 2GB DDR500 memory and buying memory again for Core 2 Duo ($200) would be another expense when upgrading. It's about money really. So if i go with a X2 4200+ or 4600+, I can put that 200$ saved on buying memory (again) toward upgrading my GFX card and maybe get an X1900XT instead of going Core 2 Duo and getting a 7600gt (example). I still might find a way to squeeze into a Core 2 Duo, we will have to see.
 
Asus said:
Why the 3500+? /scratches head
A E6300 is dual core. It would compare better with the X2 3800+ especially after AMD drops their prices.

I just say CPUs (Central Proccessing Units).
i was only thinking about the 3500+ because that is what i was going to get, so i was wondering on the price/performance difference, but as you pointed out, the 3800+ should have a large drop so hopefully it own't take retailers long to do so.

this is so good.. now i'll be getting a dual cpu and better performance, woot !


silly question; conroe will work fine with any normal ddr2, correct ?
 
destrukt said:
silly question; conroe will work fine with any normal ddr2, correct ?
Yes. Check the motherboard and see what speeds they support. DDR2 800 and maybe DDR2 1000 memory should be supported.

Asus said:
I'm tempted and I still have not decided yet. But the thing is I just bought $200 worth of 2GB DDR500 memory...
I made that sound confusing...
If I buy an intel system
Intel E6400 $224
Board $150
GFX $300
Memory $200
Total $874

Now if I buy an AMD upgrade I don't need to buy memory so I can put that money into other things.
AMD X2 4600+ $300
Board $150
GFX $400
Total $850

Oh and Anandtech's review is now up.
 
After years of wandering in the wilderness, Intel has recaptured the desktop CPU performance title in dramatic fashion. Both the Core 2 Extreme X6800 and the Core 2 Duo E6700 easily outperform the Athlon 64 FX-62 across a range of applications—and the E6600 is right in the hunt, as well. Not only that, but the Core 2 processors showed no real weaknesses in our performance tests. (I would say that Core looks like a more balanced architecture than Netburst, but at this stage of the game, Netburst just seems slow almost across the board.) No matter what you're hoping to do with your PC, a Core 2 processor should be a very solid choice.

The PC industry can also breathe a collective sigh of relief about power and thermal issues now that Core 2 has arrived. Intel finally has a firm handle on those problems. These processors consume less power—and thus produce less heat—than desktop Pentiums have for quite a while. The E6700 system's total power draw when fully loaded was 156 W, only 14W more than the Pentium Extreme Edition system drew while sitting idle. What's more, even the high-end Core 2 processors' power use was in line with that of the Energy Efficient versions of the Athlon 64 X2. That leaves room for many good things to happen, from less expensive cooling systems to quieter, smaller enclosures and even some righteous overclocking. Combine the low power draw with the performance we've seen, and the Core 2 is clearly the most energy-efficient desktop processor around.

As much as I appreciate the performance and efficiency of these new CPUs, though, I can't endorse forking out a cool grand (minus one) for a Core 2 Extreme X6800. These top-end CPUs are always iffy values, even if they're insane performers. Meanwhile, the prices on the first two Core 2 Duos are very reasonable for what you get. At $316, the Core 2 Duo E6600 looks like a tremendous deal, provided you can get your hands on one. The E6700 is pricier at $530, but it'll beat the much more expensive FX-62 at almost every turn.

In fact, after seeing the Core 2 in action, many folks may be wondering how AMD is going to keep up. The Athlon 64 X2 4200+ currently lists for more than the Core 2 Duo E6600, and that's just not gonna cut it. Fortunately, AMD has confirmed to us that a major price move is coming in July. We don't have the specifics just yet, but they say they intend to maintain a competitive price-performance ratio. That may mean we'll see the dramatic price cuts rumored to be coming, which would be a good start.

For its next trick, AMD needs to get its 65nm fab process going ASAP. I've heard prognostications that AMD won't be able compete against Core 2 chips with its current AMD64 microarchitecture. That may be the case, but I'm not entirely convinced. The contest we've seen in the preceding pages pitted CPUs manufactured on AMD's 90nm process against CPUs made on Intel's 65nm process. The Netburst fiasco at 90nm has made us forgetful about the benefits of process shrinks, but they can be substantial. AMD could be in a much stronger position if it gets to 65nm quickly.

Regardless of what happens with its competition, though, the big story here is that Intel has replaced its troubled Netburst microarchitecture with a world-beater. The Core microarchitecture and the chips based on it are a huge improvement, and a fitting end to the era of the Pentium

Sums everything up nicely.
 
So basically if I buy an E6700 i'm getting better performance than an FX-62 for half the price? FRICKIN' SWEET!

ARGH! Still doesn't look like there's any Conroe mobos that have DDR2 1000 support!
 
Yes and with an E6600 (best choice IMO) you get a wee bit better performance than an fx-62 for a third of the price.
 
Space Farm said:
Yes, but don't forget AMD are doing massive price cuts soon.
I doubt the FX-62 is gonna get cut to a price below the E6600, or even the E6700
 
The prices will be applied officially on july 23rd. So for now they can sell them for way higher. I hope I'm correct.
 
The Brick said:
Lol? It's not there anymore. Sold out? :p
haha, that's funny.
Although I don't think newegg removes links when they are sold out. They could have removed it because it was too early.

TechReport says "Intel says complete PC systems based on the Core 2 Extreme X6800 and individually boxed products will both begin selling on July 27th, while Core 2 Duo processors with 4MB of L2 cache should show up on August 7th." with no mention of release date for Core 2 Duo with 2MB of L2 cache.
Anandtech said that the prices listed are effective July 23rd.

*kicks self that he bought DDR memory
:|
 
Anyone know a good mobo to go along with a new shiny E6600? I'm about to order one but I'm not to sure on the mobo front. I've been into AMD for too long :)
 
Majestic XII said:
Anyone know a good mobo to go along with a new shiny E6600? I'm about to order one but I'm not to sure on the mobo front. I've been into AMD for too long :)
For the best stability always go with Intel chipsets for intel platforms. That's sort of been the golden rule. Can't remember the names but there are 2 intel chipsets that support Core 2 Duo.
Edit: 965 is one of the chipsets.

Nvidia has not yet released their chipset that supports Core 2 Duo.
 
Asus said:
Anandtech said that the prices listed are effective July 23rd.
Ehh yeah I tried to type that, but my fingers somehow missed the word 'prices'. Fixed now.

I hope the motherboards won't be too expensive. And I too have been into AMD for too long. I never really payed attention to Intel. But now I've been looking into the DDR2 ram. I'm looking at 2gb DDR2 800 pc6400 for €216, but clock 5? I'm used to clock 2/3 on DDR memory. Is that bad? Is the product I linked good for some overclocking?
 
Theoretically DDR2 800 4-4-4 is the same as DDR400 2-2-2 (except DDR2 800 has more bandwidth). Can't remember where I read some reviews on that.
I wouldn't worry too much about it anyway.
 
Alright it looks like I will get that or something similar. But my other question still stands. Is Corsair good for overclocking? I can imagine that I will ultimately overclock my E6600 to like 3.8Ghz or even 4ghz. Will the ram be able to keep up?
 
Alright, I didn't really read the review carefully (I'm not expertised enough on Ram to fully understand it, I think), but I think I might get these. Would those overclock to stable up to 4ghz (445mhz ram)?
 
Well, taking a look at HardOCP's Core 2 extreme and duo benchmarks, it seems they got a very different result than every other benchmark out there. In almost all of their benchmarks, the FX-62 and X6800 are pretty much even. After reading some of the replies on thier forums though, the whole site seems to be full of AMD fanboys. Some people need to learn to value performance : price rather than brand. :/ I wish they had at least gone for an SLI setup, as to not bottleneck the cpus and show the core 2 duo's real power. But I guess with the single gpu setup, it shows a more realistic result for those of us with a similar system.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
 
Sedako said:
Well, taking a look at HardOCP's Core 2 extreme and duo benchmarks, it seems they got a very different result than every other benchmark out there. In almost all of their benchmarks, the FX-62 and X6800 are pretty much even. After reading some of the replies on thier forums though, the whole site seems to be full of AMD fanboys. Some people need to learn to value performance : price rather than brand. :/ I wish they had at least gone for an SLI setup, as to not bottleneck the cpus and show the core 2 duo's real power.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0
The article does a nice job of reminding everyone that practical use in games will result in a Graphic card bottleneck between highend CPUs. They didn't want to run low resolution benchmarks with 1 CPU showing extra high FPS over another CPU and people get false expectations thinking it would kick their already-fast CPU's ass running at 1600x1200 4xAA/16AF (example). I wouldn't dis HardOCP's review but just know what it's purpose is. Conroe does win across the board over Athlon 64 on performance and price.

Seems a lot of the people in the Hard forums miss understood what that review showed.
Intel fanboy - OMG Running benchmarks with Video card bottlenecks is not fair!
AMD fanboy - hah, Intel isn't faster than AMD!
Both are wrong. ;) Both high and low resolution benchmarking can be informantive. But they did miss one important thing, E6300, E6400 and E6600 numbers. lol Though Intel didn't send 'em those chips yet, I'll give em that.

FiringSquad or Anandtech are better reviews for the game benchmarks since they run at both low and high res (but not with AA/AF). Although I still like Tech Report's.
 
Well, whatever turns up, I currently have my heart set on getting an E6600. Anything else seems like a waste after looking at the OC benchmarks.
 
I have been preparing for this day.

*raises fist in triumph*
 
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