Intel's Pentium 4 600 series processors - tech
(hx) 09:44 AM CET - Feb,20 2005
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The Pentium 4 600 series is a new tier of performance-oriented Pentium 4
processors that will be sold alongside the existing P4 500 series. Based on the
Prescott design, the 600-series core adds key features intended to pep up
Prescott's performance and curb its power consumption. Not only that, but these
are 64-bit CPUs. Based on the same new CPU core as the 600 series, this puppy
runs at 3.73GHz on a 1066MHz front-side bus, and it has 64-bit support, as well.
Can this new variation of the Prescott core help Intel recapture its supremacy
in desktop processor performance? The chaps over at
TechReport have had Intel's new CPUs on the test bench for over a week now,
and they have some answers:
All told, the Pentium 4 600 series represents good progress for Intel. Power consumption is down, performance is up a bit, and some of the new features are important developments, like 64-bit support and SpeedStep. Unfortunately, the jump from 1MB of L2 cache to 2MB doesn't seem to offer big returns in most desktop applications, but it doesn't hurt, either. I haven't yet tested 64-bit performance, so I won't comment on that, although it's nice to know the capability is in the chip.
Having said that, I am a little bit conflicted about what to think. The truth is that all of the new capabilities in this processor—dynamic power management, NX bit protection, 64-bit extensions, and better performance than the Pentium 4 500 series—were available in the first Athlon 64 processors that debuted in September 2003. AMD vaulted so far out ahead of Intel in terms of technology and performance that it's taken quite a while for Intel to catch up.
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Updated:12:47 AM CEST Jun,04
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