CNET Editor's rating: 8.3 out of 10
Reviewed by
Rich Brown
Review date: 10/28/07
Release date: 11/12/07
The good: Fastest high-end desktop chip on the market; new specialized instructions should further improve performance with supporting software.
The bad: Expensive; new chips coming out from AMD are an unknown factor; more complete Intel architecture redesign only a year away.
The bottom line: The CPU market is due for a lot of upheaval over the next 12 months, so you might be wise to wait for a clearer picture before plunking down $1,000 or so on Intel's new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad-core desktop processor. But if you want to claim ownership of the fastest multicore CPU around today, look no further.
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