Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor

The Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor is the world's first quad-core desktop processor, delivering the latest in cutting-edge processor technology and unprecedented performance across a wide range of applications and benchmarks. The new Intel Core 2 Extreme processors QX9000 series are based on the industry-leading 45nm manufacturing technology, providing another giant leap forward on the road to multi-core and parallel computing.

This processor is designed for PC enthusiasts and gamers. Today's multimedia applications, such as 3D modeling, video/ audio editing and rendering, as well as the latest in realistic and immersive games, focus on threaded computing for performance and demonstrate amazing scalability with quad-core processors.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor

For the added technical flexibility experienced enthusiasts want, the processor bus ratio locks (overspeed protection) have been removed in the Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core processor. This delivers the ability to tune the system, taking it beyond the specification limits.¹

Multitasking monster

The Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core processor is a multitasking monster, so users can do more in less time. Significant improvements in system responsiveness are possible because certain tasks can be off-loaded to specific cores. Users can now take on several tasks at once, such as rendering a video, playing a game, or working on basic productivity software, because additional processor resources are free to handle other tasks.

Intel® Express Chipset based platforms support the Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core processor. This combination of processor and chipset offers an array of exciting capabilities including dual graphics, and delivers an impressive level of performance for demanding users.

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Processor Number²	Cache	Clock Speed	Front Side Bus	Process	Intel® Express Chipset Support
QX9770	12 MB L2	3.2 GHz	1600 MHz	45 nm	X48
QX9650	12 MB L2	3.0 GHz	1333 MHz	45 nm	X48, X38, P35
QX6850	8 MB L2³	3 GHz	1333 MHz	65 nm	P35
QX6800	8 MB L2³	2.93 GHz	1066 MHz	65 nm	975X/P965/P35
QX6700	8 MB L2³	2.66 GHz	1066 MHz	65 nm	975X/P965/P35

Features and Benefits of the Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core Processor
Features	Benefits
Quad-core processing	Provides four independent execution cores in a single processor package. Four dedicated processing threads help operating systems and applications deliver additional performance, so end users can experience better multitasking and multi-threaded performance across many types of applications and workloads.
Chipset support³	Intel® Express Chipsets offer an array of exciting capabilities including dual graphics and deliver an impressive level of performance for demanding users. Other third-party chipsets may support Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processors; contact your board manufacturer for compatibility
Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution	Improves execution speed and efficiency, delivering more instructions per clock cycle. Each core 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 prediction mechanism reduces the time in-flight instructions have to wait for data. 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 Cache⁴	Dynamically allocates the shared L2 cache to each processor core based on workload. This efficient, dual-core-optimized implementation increases the probability that each core 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 multimedia and compute intensive 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)⁵	Allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. Intel VT improves manageability, limits downtime, and maintains worker productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions
Intel® 64 architecture⁶	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 Bit⁷	Provides enhanced virus protection when deployed with a supported operating system and prevents the code from infecting the 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.

¹ 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 damage; and (v) affect system data integrity. Intel has not tested, and does not warrant, the operation of the processor beyond its specifications.

² 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.

³ The Intel® 975X Express Chipset only supports QX6000 series with a 1066 MHz Front Side Bus.

⁴ For the Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core processor, shared L2 cache refers to either 6 MB or 4 MB of L2 cache per core pair resulting in a total L2 cache size of 12 MB or 8 MB. The 45nm version has 12 MB of cache.

⁵ Intel® Virtualization Technology requires a computer system with an enabled Intel® processor, BIOS, virtual machine monitor (VMM) and, for some uses, certain platform software enabled for it. Functionality, performance, or other benefits will vary depending on hardware and software configurations and may require a BIOS update. Software applications may not be compatible with all operating systems. Please check with your application vendor.

⁶ 64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel® 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel® 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software configurations. Contact your system vendor for more information.

⁷ Enabling Execute Disable Bit functionality requires a PC with a processor with Execute Disable Bit capability and a supporting operating system. Check with your PC manufacturer on whether your system delivers Execute Disable Bit functionality.