This time we'll try our new test procedure in an interesting but "academic" research. This article won't feature many new processors. All the four contenders belong to the Intel Core 2 family, and the main problems addressed in this article have nothing to do with the question which model is the fastest.

It's very interesting to compare quad-core processors with dual-core ones, as the cheapest Intel Core 2 Quad (Q6600) already costs about $200. This price border separates CPUs for well-off users from popular processors on the Russian market. So common users may be tempted to buy a real quad-core processor, even if it does not operate at a high clock rate. We only have to find out whether it's an objectively expedient decision. Of course, a quad-core processor will always be more expensive than a dual-core processor on the same core operating at the same frequency, it will consume more power and get hotter. Besides, a quad-core processor needs a more efficient and thus either a more expensive or noisier cooler, and probably a more powerful power supply unit... So, if the above-mentioned issues are not compensated by a serious advantage in performance, this whole idea will make no sense. That's what we'll find out in this article.

Our contenders include only two relatively new processors - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 on Wolfdale core and Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 on Yorkfield core. If you are interested in details, you can read our article about Core 2 Extreme QX9650, which describes differences between Yorkfield and older quad-core Kentsfield. What concerns differences between Wolfdale and Conroe, they fall within the description in this article for the only exception - they are dual-core processors.

Hardware and Software

Testbed configurations

• Memory: 4 GB (4 x 1 GB modules)
• HDD: Samsung HD401LJ (SATA-2)
• Cooler: Thermaltake TMG i1
• Power supply unit: Cooler Master RS-A00-EMBA

* - in multi-core processors - per single core
** - "X x Y" means "X KB per each of Y cores"
*** In AMD processors this is memory controller bus clock rate;
**** Measured differently for Intel and AMD processors; impossible to compare directly.

Software

* Means that two or more simultaneously active threads are actually present during tests; not just the fact that a process generates several threads.