Product Listing

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - Quad Core goes 'Mainstream'

By Vijay Anand - 1 Feb 2007

Concluding Comments

One more Quad for the Blue, None for the Green

January has come to an end for 2007 and with the incoming of Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor to propagate the quad-core computing platform to a bigger group of enthusiasts, we think they Intel is heading the right direction to get consumers educated slowly and steadily. After all, with games like the infamous Alan Wake in the pipeline, Windows Vista's arrival to better support multi-core processors and the possibility of newer software development tools to progress next generation applications and games, multi-core processors will eventually make a marked improvement similar to how dual-core processors are to uni-core processors today. If you're searching hard for reasons to invest at the moment however, quad-core processors benchmarked on existing software may not be too appealing other than those dabbling in multimedia development, scientific/engineering programs and work scopes heavily relying on graphics/rendering applications.

The Core 2 Quad Q6600 does a fine job, but to truly shine, the software industry needs to catch up with the amazing hardware these days.

AMD unfortunately still hasn't any noteworthy solution to counter Intel's headway in the enthusiast quad-core community, but their calling is currently scheduled half a year away. It's a big time gap considering Intel already made their first offering late last year, but we believe Intel's foray should help general consumers be more aware of such quad-core systems and consequently, making it easier for AMD to approach the market with their offerings in due time. Meanwhile, AMD has been continuously preaching the 'advantages' of their yet-to-arrive truly native quad-core solution using a single die.

At the moment, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor is available at just over US$850. Still pricey, but for high-end enthusiasts looking to future-proof their system with a quad-core processor at a slightly lower entry point, and perhaps overclock them, the Core 2 Quad Q6600 is just the ticket they've been waiting for. The Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and the X6800 both still remain at US$999 as a point of comparison. If the current roadmap forecasts still hold true, expect to see an even lower clocked version of the quad-core processor later this year. It's all speculation now, but given the accuracy of past leaks, some might find it worthwhile to adopt a wait-and-see approach. Besides more quad-core processors, Intel is also expected to release a variety of other Core 2 variants throughout their entire CPU lineup in due time and that should really provoke buyer's interests all over again (and probably even Microsoft Vista to go along with the new system). Whatever the near future holds, one thing for sure is that Intel will continue to pressure AMD for all the ground they had lost previously and AMD likewise will strive hard to deliver the promises they've made to all its supporters.

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