First E6850 Benchmarks With Aggressive Pricing

[ltcommander_data]

http://www.google.ca/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hkepc.com%2Fbbs%2Fhwdb.php%3Ftid%3D753250%26tp%3DIntel-c2d-e6050%26rid%3D753256&langpair=zh%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

Well the first benchmarks of the 3GHz 1333MHz FSB E6850 are out and realistically it's only about 3-5% faster than the X6800 mainly in memory sensitive benchmarks. They also ran a comparison between the 2.66GHz 1067MHz FSB E6700 and a 2.66GHz 1333MHz model and it showed only a 1% differentiation which confirms that Conroe is not FSB bottlenecked. It is nice though that even at 3GHz, the E6850 will maintain a 65W TDP.

So with such small performance improvements what do the E6x50 series bring? What they appear to bring is drastically lower prices. In fact, they are so low I'm left wondering what it'll do to Intel's bottom line. (I hold I'm not channeling Sharikou.) According to the price charts, the E6850, which is faster than the $999 X6800, will only cost $266. The lowest model, the 2.33GHz 1333MHz FSB E6550 is supposed to sell for $163, which is lower than today's E6300. The Q6600 Kentsfield is also supposed to drop to $266. Generally, HKEPC have been fairly reliable in their articles, but I'll have to remain a bit skeptical about this pricing scheme. For one thing this would completely eliminate the the market for the 4MB E6320 and E6420 that have yet to be released.

In any case, Intel seems to have taken AMD's performance claims to heart and have decided that regardless of how fast Barcelona is, they are going to price it out of the market. While this pricing structure won't leave room for huge profits, Intel could probably sustain it given that they would have been selling 65nm processors for more than a year and a half by the time the E6x50 series launches so the process is more than mature. Also, the current 1067MHz Conroes have shown plenty of FSB clock room, so going to a 1333MHz probably has little to no effect on yields so it's a no brainer, especially if Intel already intends to launch 3GHz 1600MHz FSB Xeon Extremes. Despite the aggressive pricing, it would be nice for Intel to announce some 1333MHz FSB Kentsfields too (which the upcoming QX6800 does not appear to be) or move forward with the Penryn family. Anyways, it appears that Intel is going to go to great lengths to ensure it doesn't lose the momentum it's built up since the Merom family launched.

 

[corvetteguy]

Ya... those prices seem wacked but you never know. No one expected conroe prices to be this low, and now look...

 

[xpresso]

thanks for the post/link, this is indeed getting a bit hairy, am I guessing that Penryn ramp/release to market is accelerating and that Inel is trying to price AMD's new offering out such as AMD canot make money on 65 nm?? this price war is going to a new level 8O good for me as I plan on building a new system this summer. Last one was an AMD and this one is a C2D

 

[turpit]

Those prices...wow.......just wow. Unbelievable. I cant help but wonder if Intel hasnt been able to make further cost saving refinements to its 65nm process to afford those prices. If they are accurate, and there hasnt been some denomination conversion snafu, those prices are insane.

 

[SEALBoy]

Whoa. Those prices are seriously... whoa. AMD's current flagship processors will have to drop below $100 to keep the price/performance ratio up. I wonder if AMD will be able to produce Barcelona at low enough cost to compete with Intel's prices.

 

[r0ck]

E6300@1.83@$183
E6750@2.66@$183

45%+ clock and 25%+ FSB at the same price. Woo

 

[turpit]

Whoa. Those prices are seriously... whoa. AMD's current flagship processors will have to drop below $100 to keep the price/performance ratio up. I wonder if AMD will be able to produce Barcelona at low enough cost to compete with Intel's prices.

Ya, if they are for real, thats no longer a little 'bytch' slap, thats a nothing held back kick in the nether region. A bold statement by Intel..."**** off and die AMD"

 

[jonrem]

I can only hope those prices are correct. If they are it looks like Intel is going for the jugular.

 

[Periander]

Wow. Intel is out for blood, no question. I guess quad cores will be hitting the mainstream a lot sooner than I thought.

It's already having an impact on AMD.

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/03/08/8amd.html

 

[ltcommander_data]

Well here's independent confirmation of the price scheme from Hiroshige Goto at PC Watch Impress.

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2007/0202/kaigai333_02l.gif

Usually this type of early pricing information is either from leaked documents or from mobo manufacturers based on what Intel tells them they are planning on pushing the market. Admittedly neither are firm, but while the exact prices are unclear, they will be noticably lower than current levels, if for no other reason other than to make more room at the top for more quad core models.

 

[Mandrake_]

Those prices are utterly insane! $266 for a 3Ghz Core 2 Duo? I'm sold! Awesome upgrade from my E6300 for sure. Have to wonder what this will do to Intel's bottom line, and how AMD can possibly match these prices.

 

[djgandy]

This doesn't surprise me at all. We already know how good Intel's chips are. They have no problem "overclocking", which just means Intel are waiting on AMD's move.

They've been selling off netburst chips for the low end. Once they're all gone, they'll just shift low end C2D into place.

As i've always said, the thing with C2D has been the fact that if a E6300 was multiplier unlocked, it would essentially be a X6800. It could perform those speeds at stock. You'd struggle to find out it wasn't though overclocking, unless you have a really good cooling solution.

 

[WR]

With this Intel is saying that any dual core will soon go into the budget segment while quad-cores will be the only products in the mainstream to extreme range. From a wafer real estate perspective, this is completely reasonable. It costs them twice as much fab capacity to make a QX6700 as it does to make an E6700. I also have no doubt they have sufficient capacity at these price points, as the observation that 95%+ of E6300's o/c past 3.2GHz should tell us their yields are very high.

But my question is whether Intel will be able to sell so many quad-core parts to keep its ASPs and margins decent. So many people simply don't need four cores and the associated heat output. Is this something their marketing machine can handle?

 

[gr8mikey]

Geez Louise! Even my poor butt will be able to afford a high end conroe when this kicks in. Simply insane. I honestly cannot see AMD competing with this if Barcelona isn't gonna be in volume on the desktop until Q1 '08

I guess this is intel's way of saying "thanks for sueing us"

 

[turpit]

I guess this is intel's way of saying "thanks for sueing us"

Well, Spud hasnt been around, so I'll say it on his behalf...

Word

 

[turpit]

On another note, AND I AM NOT TRYING TO INCITE A FLAME FEST, but I am curious to hear Barons perspective on this, assuming its for real AND assuming he can present it without being insulting.

 

[gr8mikey]

AMD wanted a competitive environment, I guess they got it.

Now they seem screaming it's not fair.

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

 

[turpit]

Verb.

AMD wanted a competitive environment, I guess they got it.

Now they seem screaming it's not fair.

That deserves a

'Word'

as well.

In all fairness though, those prices arent fair. They are for lack of a better phrase, a whole bunch of nails in the coffin.

I dont see anyway AMD can compete with those.

 

[dragonsprayer]

Intel is trying to put the hurt on amd but they are not that stupid to sell a q6600 for under $300 - that is bs!

what is that sound? omg amd...... :twisted: ... just died!

 

[ltcommander_data]

But my question is whether Intel will be able to sell so many quad-core parts to keep its ASPs and margins decent. So many people simply don't need four cores and the associated heat output. Is this something their marketing machine can handle?

The funny thing is, even Intel doesn't expect quad-cores to account for more than 10% of total processor sales even in Q4 2007. That then leaves the question as to what they are up to?

From my perspective, the major part of their strategy revolves around one word. Vista. With the release of a new OS, especially after 6 years, this is the perfect time for the average person to replace their computer. What's more, the added hardware requirements for Vista are just icing on the cake since it discourages upgrading in favour of a simpler for the average user, built of Vista solution, and it encourages people to spend a little bit more on their new system. This is exactly where Intel's strategy is moving. They are pushing high-performance dual cores into the under-$300 mainstream segment which is where they majority of sales is. Granted Barcelona may ultimately be the fastest processor solution this year, but it doesn't matter if Intel can give better price/performance in the lower price segments that count. In theory, the larger volume of Vista related sales will make up for the lower margins. That said Vista doesn't appear to be selling quite as well as hoped and even Microsoft cautioned investors not to get ahead of themselves, but if mainstream and low-end DX10 GPUs ever get released, I think the momentum will really build starting Q2 and especially leading into this years back-to-school season.

Speaking of DX10 solutions, this is the 2nd area that Intel is moving. As is well known, they are not just focusing on processors anymore, but platforms.

http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/03/08/gdc2007_intel_g965_integratedgraphics/

Specifically, Intel seems to finally have gotten their act together and drivers unlocking the GMA X3000s hardware features are nearing completion. The early beta drivers with hardware VS and T&L (the current drivers only support hardware PS like the GMA 950) show decent performance in Call of Duty 2 and the Source engine. If Intel's GMA X3000 is able to match the performance of low-end GPUs like the X1300 and if it is DX10 enabled and can match a X2300, then Intel will be able to push a strong platform integrating a great price/performance CPU with finally a decent performing IGP.

On the side, Apple is also getting ready to release their new Leopard OS, so mac users will want to be transitioning too. So with both Mac and PC platforms in motion, Intel is trying to position themselves to capture as much of that market as possible.

 

[turpit]

But my question is whether Intel will be able to sell so many quad-core parts to keep its ASPs and margins decent. So many people simply don't need four cores and the associated heat output. Is this something their marketing machine can handle?

The funny thing is, even Intel doesn't expect quad-cores to account for more than 10% of total processor sales even in Q4 2007. That then leaves the question as to what they are up to?

From my perspective, the major part of their strategy revolves around one word. Vista. With the release of a new OS, especially after 6 years, this is the perfect time for the average person to replace their computer. What's more, the added hardware requirements for Vista are just icing on the cake since it discourages upgrading in favour of a simpler for the average user, built of Vista solution, and it encourages people to spend a little bit more on their new system. This is exactly where Intel's strategy is moving. They are pushing high-performance dual cores into the under-$300 mainstream segment which is where they majority of sales is. Granted Barcelona may ultimately be the fastest processor solution this year, but it doesn't matter if Intel can give better price/performance in the lower price segments that count. In theory, the larger volume of Vista related sales will make up for the lower margins. That said Vista doesn't appear to be selling quite as well as hoped and even Microsoft cautioned investors not to get ahead of themselves, but if mainstream and low-end DX10 GPUs ever get released, I think the momentum will really build starting Q2 and especially leading into this years back-to-school season.

Speaking of DX10 solutions, this is the 2nd area that Intel is moving. As is well known, they are not just focusing on processors anymore, but platforms.

http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/03/08/gdc2007_intel_g965_integratedgraphics/

Specifically, Intel seems to finally have gotten their act together and drivers unlocking the GMA X3000s hardware features are nearing completion. The early beta drivers with hardware VS and T&L (the current drivers only support hardware PS like the GMA 950) show decent performance in Call of Duty 2 and the Source engine. If Intel's GMA X3000 is able to match the performance of low-end GPUs like the X1300 and if it is DX10 enabled and can match a X2300, then Intel will be able to push a strong platform integrating a great price/performance CPU with finally a decent performing IGP.

On the side, Apple is also getting ready to release their new Leopard OS, so make users will want to be transitioning too. So with both Mac and PC platforms in motion, Intel is trying to position themselves to capture as much of that market as possible.

The Vista/mainstream duul cores relation is a brilliant deduction

 

[wickedmonster]

I think if the E6850 is this cheap, then I'm sure Intel is going to do a major speed bump for the Core 2 Duo. After all, Core 2 Duo is long over due for one. Maybe, Intel is going to release 3.6Ghz-4 Ghz.

 

[turpit]

8O 8O 8O

Holy flip flops batman :!:

8O 8O 8O

AMD better get crackin 8O

I think this may crack them

 

[Mandrake_]

We had better hope it doesnt; Seriously is that what any of us wants? wouldnt it be better to promote boycotting intel than to see AMD buried for good?

Seriously What intel is doing is bad for everyone.

None of us wants AMD dead. I think only Intel wants that.

But how can one refuse the price/performance perspective of a 3Ghz, cool running (65W), awesome overclocking Core 2 E6850 for just over $260? Or for some people, a Quad Core Q6600 at the same price point might be a better choice. These prices are simply insane.

 

[pausert20]

Vern, it has not happened yet. This might not come to pass. The last I had heard before this was that when the price cuts do come the Q6600 comes down to $530 and not below $300. The question is Intel going to release a Q6400 at the same time and introduce it below $400

Until I see something from Intel I'm not going to hold much hope to see Conroe's and Kentsfield's at such low prices.