Test System & Configuration

As we took a good look as this very impressive first qual core processor from Intel, we feel that the time is right to check out the performance of this Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor. We will actually be using somehow two systems, and this to compare our results a bit with a dual core CPU as well from Intel. So we are using our new and high performing system based around the Intel 975X Express chipset powering are two mainboards. The second mainboard has been provided by Intel along with the QX6700 qual core processor. But let's go through the specifications first...

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (Conroe) 1.86GHz Dual Core Processor
• Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz Quad Core Processor
• ASUS P5W Digital Home Deluxe (i975X) Mainboard
• Intel D975XBX2 Bad Axe Desktop (i975X) Mainboard
• Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC2-8000 Dual Channel Memory
• Gainward BLISS 8800 GTS 640MB Graphics Card
• Western Digital 320GB Caviar SE 8MB Cache (7.200rpm) Hard Disk
• Speeze RockeTeer 600W (SLI Ready) Power Supply
• Spire Pininfarina SP-ATX-PALU Silver Tower Case
• Dell UltraSharp 30" 3007WFP (Black) LCD Flat Display
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional incl. SP2 Edition

As you can see we have used the same components for bought system, and we would like to thank Crucial and Gainward for their generosity on supplying us with some excellent hardware to go along with the qual core from Intel. Don't make a mistake, both our mainboards are featuring the same Intel 975X Express chipset, but the Intel BX2 Bad Axe actually features not two but three PCI Express interfaces. We need to point out that Intel really made our lives a bit easier by supplying their mainboard with this Core 2 Extreme QX6700 sample, as that way we could save quite some time in rebuilding our test systems.

So, what does it look like such a quad core firmly seated on the Intel BX2 Bad Axe mainboard? Well, it does look good. But what did you expect? If you would quickly look at it you wouldn't even notice if it is a quad core or not. It is just a matter of picking up the CPU, aligning it with the LGA775 socket and closing the holding cover and the handle to lock it down. Once that is done, it is time to apply some thermal paste on the cover of the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor. Just enough, meaning not a too tick layer but just like to cover the full plate with a thin layer. Once that is done you can take out the CPU cooler and apply on top of the CPU and fasten it to the mainboard.

All okay, and ready to power our system. Now it is just a matter of installing the mainboard in our computer case and inserting the other components, like DDR2 memory, graphics card, hard disks, etc. Once that is all done you are ready to roll. The Intel Core 2 Extreme quad core processor utilizes the Intel 975X Express chipset based platform supporting dual graphics. This combination of processor and chipset offers an array of exciting capabilities and delivers an impressive level of performance for demanding users. With the Intel 975X BX2 Bad Axe board, supporting the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, your desktop PC will become the ultimate weapon. You will scream through the latest games, level after level.

CPU-Z 1.38 Information

Well, the first thing we are going to do is to check the actual Core 2 Extreme QX6700 by using CPU-Z and see what it reports. Just recently a new version was released, so we just used that version to show our findings. First off this is how we configured the system. We started out with a completely default system running at a FSB of 266MHz, which resulted in 1066MHz bus speed for the Intel Core 2 Extreme, which is at that point clocked at 2.66GHz. Totally default voltage, with memory timings set to automatic in the system BIOS. Let's pull some stats and see what we got...

As you can see CPU-Z show that our central processing unit is an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Socket 775 which is running at 2.66GHz featuring twice 4096KB cache. As you can spot we can't select between processors, but in fact we clearly see that there are four cores. Yes as the name Core 2 Extreme already indicates itself this is Intel's newest quad core processor, combined out of two dual core processors. Also important, we are playing with a sample provided by Intel, which means all those are branded with the "ES" suffix, so an Engineering Sample. The actual retail Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor will come without this suffix but will also feature the unlocked multiplier, which is an extra advantage of the Intel Extreme series.