Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile Processor

For Mobile Gaming & Multimedia

Extreme Mobile Gaming & Multimedia

Get extreme processing power for mobile gaming and multimedia with the Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor, the world’s highest performing quad-core‡ and dual-core‡ mobile processors.

Learn More About Gaming with Intel® Core™2 Extreme

Get Product Support

Get Technical Documentation

View All Processor Families
Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile Processor

  What the Experts are Saying

"At 2.8GHz with a full 6MB of L2 cache and a TDP of 44 Watts, this chip is currently Intel's fastest notebook CPU for the performance enthusiast, gaming, and multimedia  markets, aka the Desktop Replacement (DTR) crowd."

Read Article

HotHardware.com | June 23, 2008

Shop for Notebooks with this Processor
 
Print Specification Sheet

Key Features

Processor
Quad-core brings desktop performance to your notebook
The world’s highest performing quad-core mobile processor provides the extreme levels of processing power you need to run multiple, highly threaded applications simultaneously.‡
• Compared to its dual-core version, the quad-core delivers up to 50% faster HD video editing‡ and encoding‡.
• Accelerate your multimedia applications and 3D gaming with up to 2.53 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz Front Side Bus, and 12MB shared L2 cache.
Dual-core delivers for gamers
The world’s highest performing dual-core mobile processor delivers revolutionary performance levels for extreme gaming and multimedia.‡
• Experience the most intense 3D on leading multi-threaded games and enjoy up to 3.06 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz Front Side Bus, and 6MB shared L2 cache.
• Get optimum performance while extending your battery life with notebook-friendly 44W TDP and advanced power-management features.
Almost too real
Get accelerated, ultra-realistic game physics and artificial intelligence for a gaming experience that’s second to none. With smoother action and more realism, you’ll be able to get the most out of today’s super-complex games and applications in HD.
Take control
With overspeed protection removed, you can tune your system for maximum performance and go where no gamer has gone before.Δ

Compare Processor Numbers

Is faster always better? Yes, but it's not always what you should buy.

So as you evaluate the performance of the components below, don't analyze them in isolation from each other, but consider them interdependent partners that make up your projected system. And, keep in mind that your future needs—adding software from a growing family or a growing business—might be different later.

Roll over each word below to find a pop-up box: we have provided definitions you need to know so you can better understand how each will work together in your system.

Processor Family
Processor Family
 Processor
Number
Processor Number
What is this? 		Cores
Cores
What is this? 		Clock Speed
Clock Speed
What is this? 		Front Side Bus (MHz)
Front Side Bus
What is this? 		L2 Cache
L2 Cache
What is this? 		Silicon Technology
Silicon Technology
What is this?
QX9300 4 2.53 GHz 1066 MHz 12 MB 45nm
X9100 2 3.06 GHz 1066 MHz 6 MB 45nm
X9000 2 2.80 GHz 800 MHz 6 MB 45nm
X7900 2 2.80 GHz 800 MHz 4 MB 65nm
X7800 2 2.60 GHz 800 MHz 4 MB 65nm
Intel processor numbers are not a measure of performance. Processor numbers differentiate features within each processor family, not across different processor families. See www.intel.com/products/processor_number for details.
 
 

Processor Number

CLOSE

Processor models vary according to cache size, clock speed and RAM speed. If you run compute-intensive programs, the more L2 Cache you have the better. If, however, you use your PC for gaming, streaming video or watching movies, the size of your L2 Cache is not as significant as having a speedy Front Side Bus and some juiced up Clock Speed. That being said, every year, software developers design programs and applications that demand more and more of all three of these elements. So, our advice is to think about tomorrow’s needs as well as today’s. Still don’t know if you should err on the side of caution or throw it to the wind? Choose the best processor you can afford. No matter what, you’re bound to be blown away.

Here is some guidance to consider when looking at our notebook processors:

Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor:
QX9000 series: For the best competitive gaming and/or media performance

Intel® Centrino® processor technology:
T9000/T8000 series: Great for visually intense gaming and/or high definition media
T7000/ T5000 series: Create and store your photos, videos and music

Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor:
T2000 series: Aptly handles a variety of simple computing tasks simultaneously

Intel® Celeron® dual-core processor:
T1000 series: For when you want to run a few basic tasks simultaneously

Intel® Celeron® processor:
500 series: For when you just need the basics

Here is some guidance to consider when looking at our desktop processors:

Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor:
QX9000 series: For the best competitive gaming and/or media performance

Intel® Core™2 Quad processor:
QX9000 series: For the best competitive gaming and/or media performance

Intel® Core™2 Duo processor:
E8000 series: For creating and storing photos, videos and music

Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor:
E2000 series: Good for a variety of simple PC tasks.

Intel® Celeron® processor:
400 series: For when you just need the basics

Multi-core processors are single chips that contain two or more distinct processors or execution cores in the same integrated circuit. While independent, each core can work separately or together on one large task.

Software developers chop up their code (known as threading) and run each piece concurrently through whatever processor core happens to be most available. And, increasingly, software developers rely on Intel® quad-core and dual-core technology so their multi-threaded program can do more things simultaneously producing faster, more efficient results for you.

Tip! For exceptional multitasking, look for Intel® dual-core processors. If you’re a mega-multitasker, gaming elitist, or media maven, look for Intel quad-core processors.

The simplest way to understand clock speed is to imagine a stopwatch measuring laps. Question is, where is the stopwatch: an Olympic pool, a racetrack or a track meet?

Just like a stopwatch, a clock speed measures how fast a processor performs an activity. But which activity?

That’s up to you; how will you use your computer? Will you make a video of your child with your new HD camera? Then find a benchmark test that tells the clock speed of the processor running a media-intensive program. Do you love re-touching photos? Then look up how a processor was benchmarked running the photo software you like to use.

Tip! Yes, you will find numbers. You will see rates in gigahertz (GHz) which means a billion cycles per second.

But numbers don’t tell the story. How you use your processor is what you want to find out. After all, you wouldn’t compare a lap time from a swim meet with an Indy car, would you?

Imagine the RAM of your computer as one city, and the CPU as another. Between them is a freeway: the Front Side Bus. When you’re making calculations, developing graphics—anything you and your software demands—the Front Side Bus transfers data quickly to meet that demand.


Tip! Whatever system you choose, make sure the components work together. For example, if you’re building a media computer, having a 1333 MHz front side bus that can handle HD video is wonderful—but make sure the CPU is adequate for the challenge.

Imagine arriving at the grocery store and having all your favorite food fly off the shelves and fill the cart in minutes.

That’s L2 cache. It remembers the information accessed most frequently in your computer so you can easily get to it without those annoying lags. (Just don’t expect it to remember documents you didn’t save. It’s just a computer, not your mother.)

Tip! More L2 cache reduces bottlenecks and helps speed memory performance.

45nm – A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Transistors on our latest processors are just 45-billionths of a meter wide. To get an idea of the size of the technology: you could lay over 2000 of our transistor gates side-by-side and almost equal the diameter of a strand of human hair. The new Hafnium-infused Intel 45nm process allows transistors to be packed more densely than the 65nm process. With the use of hafnium oxide replacing silicon dioxide (in use since the 1960s) the new transistors leak less energy, produce less heat and switch faster.

Nearly doubling the density of our processors means leaps in performance, an up-to-50-percent larger L2 cache, and new levels of breakthrough energy-efficiency. Cool—in more ways than one.

Performance Benchmarks

World’s Highest Performing Quad-Core Mobile Processor‡4

The benchmark results shown represent processor performance of the new Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor QX9300 compared with Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processor X9100.


Leading Throughput Performance

SPEC* CPU2006 is used by the industry to provide a comparative measure of compute-intensive performance across the widest practical range of hardware.


Extreme multitasking with Intel® DHCAT

The Intel® Digital Home Assessment Capabilities Tool is used to assess home PC performance. Now you can edit photos, compress Hi-Def videos to free up hard drive space, and encode videos to share with your friends from YouTube* all at the same time. When you want to multitask with multimedia, you want the new Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor. It is your ultimate choice.






Create cool videos for 3G phones

Convert video from your HD-camcorder to 3GP format for viewing on iPhone*. Create your 3GP videos fast with the new Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor.

Create a spectacular slide show

Share memories with friends and family on DVD, PC, and the web. Create visually compelling slide shows quickly with the new Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processor.

Games for today and tomorrow

Computer games have come a long way. Particles, textures, physics and artificial Intelligence have created an immersive and realistic experience that puts you inside the game. With quad-core’s ability to process all of these characteristics simultaneously, your gaming experience is taken to a whole new level! Intel® Core™2 Extreme dual-core mobile processors are a good choice for today’s games but Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core mobile processors will empower you for the immersive games of the future.

Click here for detailed notebook configuration. ‡8, ‡9

Click here for detailed performance information. ‡8, ‡9

Reviews

CNET

CNET.com | October 23, 2007

"Like its predecessors, the XPS M1730 offers the highest-end components available—in the case of our review unit, a top-of-the-line Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, Nvidia SLI graphics, the first mobile PhysX processor, and two massive 7,200rpm hard drives."
Read Article

+  Product and Performance Data

‡1 For more information on why Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor QX9300 is the world’s highest performing quad-core mobile processor, see www.intel.com/performance/mobile/extreme/ for important additional information.

‡2 Performance estimated for the Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile processor X9100 on SPECint*_rate_base2006. Actual performance on final product may vary. See www.intel.com/performance/ for more information. SPEC, SPECint, SPECrate, are trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. See: www.spec.org for more information on the benchmarks.

‡3 Performance measured based on Adobe Premiere Pro* CS3 comparing notebooks with quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9300 with notebooks based on dual-core Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor X9100. Actual performance may vary. See www.intel.com/performance/mobile/extreme/ for important additional information.

‡4 Performance measured based on TMPGEncoder* Xpress* 4.4 comparing notebooks with quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX9300 with notebooks based on dual-core Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor X9100. Actual performance may vary. See www.intel.com/performance/mobile/extreme/ for important additional information.

Δ WARNING: Altering clock frequency and/or voltage may: (i) reduce system stability and useful life of the system and processor; (ii) cause the processor and other system components to fail; (iii) cause reductions in system performance; (iv) cause additional heat or other damage; and (v) affect system data integrity. Intel has not tested, and does not warranty, the operation of the processor beyond its specifications. Intel assumes no responsibility that the processor, including if used with altered clock frequencies and/or voltages, will be fit for any particular purpose.

‡5 Performance estimated for the Intel® Core™2 Extreme Mobile processor QX9300 and X9100 on SPECint*_rate_base2006 and SPECfp*_rate_base2006. Actual performance on final product may vary. See www.intel.com/performance for more information. SPEC, SPECint, SPECrate, are trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. See: http://www.spec.org for more information on the benchmarks.

SPECint*_rate_base2006 and SPECfp*_rate_base2006 are capacity-based metrics used to measure throughput of a computer that is performing a number of tasks. This is achieved by running multiple copies of each benchmark simultaneously with the number of copies set to set to the number of logical hardware cores seen by the operating system. SPEC* CPU2006 provides a comparative measure of compute intensive performance across the widest practical range of hardware. The product consists of source code benchmarks that are developed from real user applications. These benchmarks depend on the processor, memory and compiler on the tested system.

SPEC, SPECint, SPECfp, SPECrate are trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. For more information go to: www.spec.org/spec/trademarks.html.

Σ1 The Intel® Digital Home Capabilities Assessment Tool (Intel® DHCAT) is an extensible and experiential framework to assess user-centric digital home platform capabilities, reflecting many current and emerging usages. DivX* Pro Version 6.6 was used to convert Hi-Def video to DivX* format for Hi-Def video archival (1 hour). On2 VP7 was used to convert standard-Def video into flash format for viewing on YouTube* (1 hour). Photo processing application based on Dcraw Library Rev. 1.332 was used to convert raw pictures to JPEG format for photo compression (15 minutes).

‡6 Adobe Premiere Elements* 4.0 is used to edit video. The input file is a ~1 minute, 59 second, ~370MB 1440x1080 HD video imported from an HD camcorder. The output is a ~7MB 352x288 video in 3GP format for mobile phones.

Σ2 Photodex ProShow Gold* 3.2 allows the user to combine photos, videos and music to create spectacular slide shows. The workload takes 29 high resolution jpeg photos and converts them to an mpeg2 DVD quality slideshow video file. The photos are in 3872x2592 resolution and total about 170MB. The output slideshow file is about 3 minutes and 9 seconds long.

‡7 3DMark* Vantage is a 3D graphics benchmark, designed for Microsoft Windows Vista* and DirectX*10. It includes two graphics tests, two CPU tests, and several feature tests. The CPU tests measures the contribution of the processor on 3D graphical performance while the graphics test measures game simulation performance.

Σ3 Lost Planet* is a third-person shooter video game, created by Capcom that takes place in the past and future of the planet E. D. N. III. For more information visit www.lostplanet-thegame.com.

‡8 Performance tests and ratings are measured using specific computer systems and/or components and reflect the approximate performance of Intel® products as measured by those tests. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration may affect actual performance. Buyers should consult other sources of information to evaluate the performance of systems or components they are considering purchasing. For more information on performance tests and on the performance of Intel products, visit Intel Performance Benchmark Limitations.

‡9 Relative performance for each benchmark is calculated by taking the actual benchmark result for the first platform tested and assigning it a value of 1.0 as a baseline. Relative performance for the remaining platforms tested was calculated by dividing the actual benchmark result for the baseline platform into each of the specific benchmark results of each of the other platforms and assigning them a relative performance number that correlates with the performance improvements reported.