Reviewed on December 10, 2007AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD, Intel, quad-core, CPU, PC
Reviewed on February 26, 2008With its second full-fledged gaming PC, Dell shows that it understands the mainstream gaming desktop as well as the high-end. The Dell XPS 630 delivers everything a gamer would want in a sub-$2,000 PC, from its components, to its case, to its powerful software. We've seen no better system in this newly competitive category.TAGS:Velocity Micro, Intel Core 2 Duo, Dell XPS, quad-core, Dell, Gateway Inc., games, CPU, Intel, video card, PC
Reviewed on November 1, 2006If you thought dual cores were over the top, get ready. Intel presents the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, a single CPU with four distinct processing cores. At $999, the first quad-core CPU will remain an enthusiast part for a while, but as a glimpse of the future, it's clear that clock speed is out and core counts are in.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Extreme, multi-core, quad-core, clock speed, digital media, dual-core, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel, CPU, AMD, PC
Reviewed on December 10, 2007AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less-expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD, quad-core, Intel, dual-core, CPU, PC
Reviewed on March 26, 2008AMD's new Phenom X4 9850 is overpriced and outclassed compared with its Intel-based quad-core competition. If PC vendors can use this chip to make cheap systems (as they did with older Phenoms), we might have nicer things to say, but as a DIY part at this price, we can't recommend AMD's latest quad-core CPU.TAGS:HyperTransport, AMD, Intel Core 2 Duo, quad-core, Intel, CPU
Reviewed on October 28, 2007The 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.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Duo, transistor, Intel, quad-core, CPU
Reviewed on May 1, 2008The Velocity Micro Edge E2250 is a very fast midrange PC, and it's one of the best PCs in its class for digital media editors. Gamers will find a strong foundation with some upgrade potential, but they can get better performance for the dollar elsewhere.TAGS:Velocity Micro, quad-core, Dell XPS, Gateway Inc., Intel Core 2 Duo, Dell, multimedia, Intel, games, PC
Reviewed on July 17, 2007The quad-core Core 2 Extreme QX6850 keeps the desktop CPU performance belt tied firmly around Intel's waist at a price that helps offset the lack of sizable performance gains. New products at the end of the year may outclass this new chip when they arrive, but for now, the QX6850 reigns supreme.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Extreme, quad-core, clock speed, Intel, bus, Intel Core 2 Duo, multimedia, motherboard, AMD, CPU, chipset
Reviewed on June 25, 2008The Gateway FX7026 offers a quad-core processor at a modest price tag with specifications that any high-end gamer will be satisfied with. You might want to replace the peripherals and the video card down the road, but this system is an excellent option for a nonconfigurable, off the shelf desktop.TAGS:Maingear, Gateway Inc., quad-core, 64-bit, Nvidia GeForce, Intel Core 2 Duo, NVidia, gamer, games, video card, USB, Intel
Reviewed on February 25, 2008Not every PC has to be a decent gaming box, but regardless, we expect them to be priced appropriately. Velocity Micro's ProMagix E2055 looks great and does well on some tests, but its gaming scores and its overall bang-for-the-buck fall short.TAGS:Velocity Micro, Intel Core 2 Duo, Dell XPS, quad-core, Intel, Dell, Gateway Inc., CPU, games, PC
Reviewed on August 10, 2007AVADirect's newest Core 2 Duo SLI desktop would be a great buy for a gamer looking to dominate on a current-generation title. We wish it had a quad-core chip, and we'd also rather that tweaking this configuration didn't involve choosing from such a vast array of parts. AVADirect seems to build quality PCs, including this one, but you should definitely go to its Web site knowing what you're looking for.TAGS:Velocity Micro, Intel Core 2 Duo, quad-core, clock speed, dual-core, CPU, games, Intel, hard drive, PC
December 11, 2006Server makers requested faster delivery of a 2GHz server processor scheduled for February, and the chipmaker obliged.
Photos: Quad-core Xeon 5335TAGS:quad-core, Intel Xeon, chip company, Intel, dual-core, AMD, OEM, server