Review: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor

Just as with the Core 2 Duo Extreme X6800, the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is an unlocked processor aimed at hardware enthusiasts. The clock multiplier is set to 10 as standard. We managed to up the clock multiplier to 11, which resulted in a speed of 2.93GHz. Adjusting the Front Side Bus (FSB) allowed us to boot the system to over 3GHz without a voltage increase.

A more viable option was to leave the clock multiplier at 10 and increase the FSB. Without a voltage increase, we hit 3.2GHz with no problems and scores were fantastic across the board, but at 3.33GHz the system because unstable, sometimes refusing to boot.

Running at 3.2GHz we set a host of new records in our labs. PCmark05 CPU scored 9,786, Cinebench 2003 notched up 1,730 while 3DMark06 CPU came in at 4,757; roughly a 20 per cent increase on each benchmark compared with stock 2.66GHz speeds.

The CPU core temperature was 60°C at boot up, moving to 70°C under load. When overclocked and under load, the processor touched 74°C. The X6800 is a far cooler processor, usually running around 45°C.

It is important to note that our overclocking experience was severely limited by the motherboard used in testing. We used a retail D975XBX2, (aka Bad Axe 2), to test the QX6700. It is an incremental upgrade to the D975XBX motherboard based on the tried and trusted 975X chipset. We’ll be posting a full review of this motherboard later today.

Before its launch, speculation was rife that Intel would hit 1,333MHz as standard for quad-core processors, however these speeds are not yet reliably achieved. According to Intel, an FSB of 1,333MHz will come next year and will ease some of the bottlenecks currently in a quad-core system.

More affordable quad cores under the label Core 2 Quad will arrive next year. Sources suggest the first in line to arrive will be a 2.4GHz quad-core chip. As well as being cheaper, the processor will only consume 80W.

Looking further into the future, you can expect a continued doubling of cores every year as Intel aims to hit 80 cores in five years time.

There’s no denying this quad-core processor has plenty of potential, but it’s important to understand many applications won’t immediately take advantage of it and a few won’t run at all without a patch.

Gamers should possibly hold back from the QX6700 for now and stay with the X6800, while we’d recommend non-demanding home users stick to the Core 2 Duo E6700, which retails for £370. But if you want to build a truly future-proofed system, this is the CPU for you.

Also consider:
Intel Core 2 Duo/Extreme
Half the cores of the QX6700, but still awesomely fast

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