Intel QX6700 Extreme Quad Core CPU Review :: Conclusion

After a few weeks of testing and retesting I can say that the QX6700 not only runs a bit cooler than its previous siblings and that it was entirely stable. We never even shut the thing down other than to reinstall Windows for the entire two weeks we tested it, and we never had any issues period. The new QX6700 seems to be solid as a rock. Intel has once again altered the design of their LGA775 heatsink, not by much, but enough to notice as it has a much smaller height than the last one we received with the X6800 kit.

Okay, Intel has done it; they have beat out the competition this round and are the first in the world to bring Quad-Core technology to the table. What does that really mean to the consumer? That is what we take a look at here, and why you would or might need it. Many of the applications and software available right now do not yet have support that recognizes the four cores properly and this means that you will not be getting the full benefits of the CPUs abilities till later down the line.

The benefit of using multi-core CPUs is their ability to handle multithreaded applications better than single-core CPUs. Given that scenario you have to take a look at what programs really utilize the CPUs true potential and if you personally even use them. Unless you just want the best to keep up with the PC joneses and say you have a grand slamming CPU, you should take a serious look at what you do, and do not, use your computer for. If all you do is check email, or work in Office applications and perhaps listen to a little music, the X6700 Extreme is overkill. Gamers will want this CPU, but not until the middle of next year when game developers catch up with Intel and the games take advantage of the CPUs Quad-Cores.

Anyone who runs applications like Photoshop for Photo editing or Maya 3D and CAD for modeling will see huge benefits from the QX6700 Extreme as its multithreading abilities will be taken advantage of. In another instance if you are running or planning on running a rendering house or building a rendering machine the new Quad-Core CPUs have the capability of seriously cutting back on rendering times. We do not usually test systems with many of these high-end 3D programs as the mainstream user does not usually run Maya or a rendering machine, but I did however experiment with both Maya and Photo Elements and also rendering images in SoftImage and 3D Studio Max. We will be implementing actual test scenarios using these programs by years end to gain a more solid way of reporting the results.

This is the area and environment I feel these CPUs will now take the desktop PC to the Workstation level PC, and without the high cost of a Rainbow or other professional systems that sell in the $10.000 range. The new QX6700 Extreme excels in programs that allow and support multithreading and in these programs you can see the differences in performance between single and multi-core CPUs. In programs that don't take advantage of multithreading and multi-core CPUs, there is no real benefit to the user from the QX6700 to their 3.8GHz Conroe. Overall I personally consider the QX6700 Extreme a CPU worthy of attention; it's just not entirely ready for prime time as the rest of the software industry needs to play catch-up before all the grass is green in the playing field. Good Job though Intel, you are now almost totally forgiven for that nasty RAMBUS era:. Thanks for your support Intel; we appreciate your confidence in us. That's all Folks, hope this little ditty helped.