Is Intel "Core 2 Duo" ALWAYS 64Bit ? Is the E4300 with 65 Watt the lowest power consumption version

[Peter Smirnov]

First question:
Are ALL versions of the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 64 Bit or are there 32 bit versions as well ?

What is CURRENTLY the Intel Core 2 Duo version with the lowest power consumption?
From what I have heard it is the E4300 with 65Watt. Is this correct?

Furthermore I have heard of versions beginning with a label starting with E20xx which will have
only 20-25 Watt. There are scheduled to release 3rd quarter 2007. Is this correct ?

Peter

 

[LVTravel]

The best place for this information would be Intel's web site.

www.intel.com

 

[Guest]

Core 2 is 64 or 32 capable.Also,core 2 is past E7000,who knows where intel
or amd is headed down the road...

 

[Paul]

First question:
Are ALL versions of the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 64 Bit or are there 32 bit versions as well ?

What is CURRENTLY the Intel Core 2 Duo version with the lowest power consumption?
From what I have heard it is the E4300 with 65Watt. Is this correct?

Furthermore I have heard of versions beginning with a label starting with E20xx which will have
only 20-25 Watt. There are scheduled to release 3rd quarter 2007. Is this correct ?

Peter

You can find specs here:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx?ProcFam=2558

sSpec# CPU Speed Processor PCG Bus Speed Tech Stepping Cache Package Type
SL9ZF 2.66 GHz E6700 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 4 MB LGA 775
SL9S7 2.66 GHz E6700 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 4 MB LGA 775
SL9S8 2.40 GHz E6600 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 4 MB LGA 775
SL9ZL 2.40 GHz E6600 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 4 MB LGA 775
SL9S9 2.13 GHz E6400 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 2 MB LGA 775
SL9T9 2.13 GHz E6400 06 1066 MHz 65nm L2 2 MB LGA 775
SL9TA 1.86 GHz E6300 06 1066 MHz 65nm L2 2 MB LGA 775
SL9SA 1.86 GHz E6300 06 1066 MHz 65nm B2 2 MB LGA 775
SL9TB 1.80 GHz E4300 06 800 MHz 65nm L2 2 MB LGA 775

Even the E4300 includes the EM64T feature. That means the E4300 supports
64 bit instructions. And it also supports 32 bit instructions. The
Core 2 Duo family is most efficient when using 32 bit instructions,
and a bit less efficient with 64 bit instructions.

http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SL9TB

Notice that a number of the processors are rated at 65W power dissipation.

This is a description of a technique that Intel has documented:

"A useful technique for reducing the impact of static process
variation at the circuit level is substrate or body biasing
- applying a nonzero voltage between a transistor's body and
source. Depending on the voltage applied, Vth either increases
(reducing leakage) or decreases (increasing the processor's
shipping frequency Fmax). The adaptive body bias (ABB) technique
compensates for the effects of process variations on a part-by-part
basis after fabrication."

So that technique can account for a tighter clustering of power
dissipation values, than you would normally expect.

And a power level of 20-25W is a significant change. That sounds
like a Mobile part of some sort.

Paul

 

[Tony Hill]

First question:
Are ALL versions of the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 64 Bit or are there 32 bit versions as well ?

All Core 2 Duo chips are 64-bit capable. Of course, if your running a
32-bit OS then it'll be no different then a 32-bit chip, but if you
put a 64-bit OS on your system, all the Core 2 Duo chips will handle
it properly.

What is CURRENTLY the Intel Core 2 Duo version with the lowest power consumption?
From what I have heard it is the E4300 with 65Watt. Is this correct?

All the desktop Core 2 Duo processors are rated for 65W Thermal Design
Power. There are Core 2 Duo Mobile chips that consume less power, but
they won't fit in a standard desktop board.

Furthermore I have heard of versions beginning with a label starting with E20xx which will have
only 20-25 Watt. There are scheduled to release 3rd quarter 2007. Is this correct ?

It's possible, but unlikely, at least for Desktop chips. The lowest
powered Core 2 Duo out there is the Mobile Low Voltage L7200, and it
consumes only 17W, so power consumption of 20-25W is definitely
possible with the architecture. However it only runs at 1.5GHz and
costs a lot of money. There just isn't as much market for that kind
of chip on the Desktop side of things.

It's probably more likely that Intel will have a "low powered" desktop
chip that will consume about 35W (same as their standard mobile
processors). I don't know what it will be called or when it will be
released, or really any other details, but it'll probably be available
sometime.

For now though, if you really want a low powered Core 2 Duo, you need
to splurge for one of the laptop models and a "laptop" motherboard to
go along with it. Asus made a Micro-ATX board that could handle the
mobile Core Duo chips, though I don't know if it'll support the mobile
Core 2 Duo chips. There may be others as well.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

First question:
Are ALL versions of the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 64 Bit or are there 32 bit versions as well ?

Yes, all Core 2's have 64-bit support. Some versions may or may not have
support for Virtualization though.

What is CURRENTLY the Intel Core 2 Duo version with the lowest power consumption?
From what I have heard it is the E4300 with 65Watt. Is this correct?

Remember Core 2 also refers to laptop processors, not just desktop
heaters. A 65W laptop processor has very little marketing value. Laptop
processors are usually 35W or less.

Furthermore I have heard of versions beginning with a label starting with E20xx which will have
only 20-25 Watt. There are scheduled to release 3rd quarter 2007. Is this correct ?

These are likely the low-power versions meant for ultralight laptops.

Yousuf Khan