Chip, 4 cores and 45 nanômetros

In tests, the Penryn shows modest improvements with respect to the predecessors.

There is a new four processor cores for desktops top line on the market. Denominado Penryn, it is the first of the Intel chip to be manufactured with technology from 45 nanômetros (nm).

Our first test with the WorldBench 6, conducted by PC WORLD in the United States, running a system with a chip QX9650 Core 2 Extreme, 3 GHz, shows only a small gain in performance, as compared to QX6850 Core 2 Extreme, also of 3 GHz , but of 65 nm.

One caveat: none of the applications simulated in the test already use the new instructions SSE4 (Single Instruction, Multiple Data Extensions 4), which should speed up implementation of key tasks, such as codec for video in multimedia applications, as demonstrated by Intel recently.

Hourly, what is expected is that the process of manufacturing of 45 nm adopted by Intel in Penryn allow the emergence of a new family of processors for computers, fast table.

Penryn The family of processors is produced using a process that 'shrinks' the characteristics of the chip to only 45 nm, or about 1/18.000 thickness of a human hair.

That is, well below the technology used in the current Core line (65 nm) and even lower than some processors Pentium 4 (90 nm). Intel has already demonstrated some advances in the technology of 32 nm to be used on processors in two years.

By reducing the size of transistors, Intel can produce more CPUs from the same amount of silicon, or build more complex processors in the same space.

The Celeron 300, produced in 1995 using a process of 250 nm, 131 mm square and media had 7.5 million transistors, the current Core 2 Duo of 65 nm occupies an area slightly larger, but contains 291 million transistors.