Intel Technologies

Leaders of the pack seeking monster performance, look no further. With four execution cores, the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor blows through processor-intensive tasks in demanding multi-tasking environments and makes the most of highly threaded applications. Whether you're creating multimedia, annihilating your gaming enemies, or running computer-intensive applications at one time, new quad-core processing will change the way you do everything. Pioneer the new world of quad-core and unleash the power of multi-threading.


Features

* Quad-Core Processor
Provides four complete execution cores in a single processor with up to 12 MB of L2 cache and up to a 1333 MHz Front Side Bus. Four dedicated, physical threads help operating systems and applications deliver additional performance, so end users can experience better multi-tasking and multi-threaded performance across many types of applications and work loads.
* Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution
Improves execution speed and efficiency, delivering more instructions per clock cycle. Each of the four cores can complete up to four full instructions simultaneously.
* Intel® Smart Memory Access
Optimizes the use of the data bandwidth from the memory subsystem to accelerate out-of-order execution. A newly designed prediction mechanism reduces the time in-flight instructions have to wait for data. New pre-fetch algorithms move data from system memory into fast L2 cache in advance of execution. These functions keep the pipeline full, improving instruction throughput and performance. 45nm versions further improve this feature, with more efficient methods of loading and storing data in main memory.
* Intel® Advanced Smart Cache
Provides shared level 2 cache across each pair of cores that can be dynamically allocated to each processor core, within the pair, based on workload. This efficient implementation increases the probability that each core within the pair can access data from fast L2 cache, significantly reducing latency to frequently used data and improving performance.
* Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost
Accelerates the execution of Streaming SIMD Extension (SSE) instructions to significantly improve the performance on a broad range of applications, including video, audio, and image processing, and multimedia, encryption, financial, engineering, and scientific applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are now issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle effectively doubling their speed of execution on a per clock basis over previous generation processors. 45nm versions include a new Super Shuffle Engine, which improves existing SSE instructions while enabling significant gains on the latest SSE4 instruction set. SSE4-optimized applications, such as video editing and encoding in high-definition resolution, will see additional performance improvements.
* Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT)
Allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. Intel® VT improves manageability, limiting downtime and maintaining worker productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.
* Intel® 64 Architecture
Allows the processor to access larger amounts of memory. With appropriate 64-bit hardware and software, platforms based on an Intel processor supporting Intel® 64 architecture can allow the use of extended virtual and physical memory.
* Execute Disable Bit
Provides extended virus defense when deployed with a supported operating system. Memory can be marked as executable or non-executable, allowing the processor to raise an error to the operating system if malicious code attempts to run in non-executable memory. This can prevent the code from infecting the system.
* Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS)
Provides for more efficient processor and platform thermal control improving system acoustics. The DTS continuously measures the temperature at each processing core. The ability to continuously measure and detect variations in processor temperature enables system fans to spin only as fast as needed to cool the system. The combination of these technologies can result in significantly lower noise emissions from the PC.
* Intel Designed Thermal Solution for Boxed Processors
Includes a 4-pin connector for fan speed control to help minimize the acoustic noise levels generated from running the fan at higher speeds for thermal performance6. Fan speed control technology is based on actual CPU temperature and power usage.