• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Hardware Secrets

Hardware Secrets

Uncomplicating the complicated

  • Case
  • Cooling
  • Memory
  • Mobile
    • Laptops
    • Smartphones
    • Tablets
  • Motherboard
  • Networking
  • Other
    • Audio
    • Cameras
    • Consumer Electronics
    • Desktops
    • Museum
    • Software
    • Tradeshows & Events
  • Peripherals
    • Headset
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse
    • Printers
  • Power
  • Storage
  • Video

Core 2 Duo E6700 and Core 2 Extreme X6800 Review

Our review of Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66 GHz) and Intel Core Extreme X6800 (2.93 GHz) processors, two samples from the new Intel desktop CPU family based on the new Core microarchitecture.

Home » Core 2 Duo E6700 and Core 2 Extreme X6800 Review

Conclusions

Contents

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Specs
  • 3. CPUs Included In Our Review
  • 4. How We Tested
  • 5. Overall Performance: SYSmark2004
  • 6. Processing Performance: PCMark05 Professional
  • 7. Rendering Performance: Cinebench 9.5
  • 8. 3D Performance: 3DMark06 Professional
  • 9. 3D Performance: Quake 4
  • 10. Memory Bandwidth: Sandra Lite 2007
  • 11. Conclusions

Attention: This review has some innacurate results, please read our most recent review for more accurate results.

According to our tests the answer to the big question, “who was the best dual-core CPU, Intel or AMD?” is “It depends on the kind of application you are running”.

Amazingly enough comparing apples to apples it seems that AMD has better CPUs for multimedia and  3D applications, while the new Core family achieved a better performance in office-style applications and gaming.

We say “amazingly enough” because several years ago, during K6 times, 3D performance was AMD’s Achilles’ Heel, as they didn’t have a good math co-processor (FPU). It is really interesting to see how AMD was able to improve their CPUs, especially if we keep in mind that Intel is the one pushing and leading multimedia-oriented enhancements such as MMX/SSE. It is really funny to see how AMD has beaten Intel on their own technology.

But on other kinds of application, Intel made AMD to eat dust. On office-style applications – programs like WinZip, antivirus, Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat and web browsing – the new Intel CPUs based on the new Core microarchitecture achieved, on average, at least double the performance compared to competing dual-core CPUs from AMD. We could clearly see this on Sysmark 2004, which runs real-world programs. PCMark05, in a lesser scale, confirmed this tendency.

Even though both AMD and Intel CPUs achieved a similar performance on 3DMark06, Core-based CPUs were faster on Quake 4, probably because of the greater amount of L2 memory cache available. We can only confirm if the advantage of Intel Core 2 CPUs on office-style applications and Quake 4 is exclusively due to the higher amount of L2 memory cache or not when Intel releases versions of Core 2 using smaller caches.

As we mentioned earlier, a good feature of Core 2 CPUs is that they keep using socket LGA775, so you won’t need to replace your motherboard if you have a newer motherboard compatible with the external bus – a.k.a. FSB – and voltage of the chosen Core 2 model if you want to upgrade your CPU.

So, which CPU to buy? In our review Core 2 CPUs were faster on office-style applications and gaming, confining AMD to a niche market such as multimedia and 3D rendering. However, this conclusion isn’t final, as the reviewed models had 4 MB L2 memory cache and Intel will launch Core 2 Duo models with 2 MB L2 memory cache. As for the high-end models – i.e., the exact models we reviewed – you can follow this advice and Core 2 is, in fact, the best CPU for the average user. However for entry-level models using less memory cache we still need to review them to see how they look like compared to AMD counterparts.

Attention: This review has some innacurate results, please read our most recent review for more accurate results.

Back to: Introduction

CPU Reviews

Primary Sidebar

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

gigabit ethernet device

The Ultimate 2022 Guide on Gigabit Ethernet

Everything you need to know about Gigabit Ethernet.

spdif connection

What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)

Learn about the digital audio connection called SPDIF and when and how to use it.

Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

The CPU has several power saving modes called C-states. In this tutorial we will explain what these modes are, what they do and the modes supported by each processor.

Understanding RAM Timings

Learn in detail what numbers like 7-7-7-21, 8-8-8-24, or 9-9-9-24 after the memory specification mean.

How to Connect Two PCs Using a USB to USB Cable in 2022

Learn how to connect two PCs using an USB-USB cable to transfer files and share your Internet connection.

Footer

For Performance

  • PCI Express 3.0 vs. 2.0: Is There a Gaming Performance Gain?
  • Does dual-channel memory make difference on integrated video performance?
  • Overclocking Pros and Cons
  • All Core i7 Models
  • Understanding RAM Timings

Everything you need to know

  • Everything You Need to Know About the Dual-, Triple-, and Quad-Channel Memory Architectures
  • What You Should Know About the SPDIF Connection (2022 Guide)
  • Everything You Need to Know About the Intel Virtualization Technology
  • Everything You Need to Know About the CPU Power Management

Follow Us

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · All rights reserved - Hardwaresecrets.com
About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact