In addition to their more modest appetites for power, the Manchester X2s offer another, somewhat related benefit: a smaller total transistor count. At 157 million versus 233 million transistors, the Manchester models offer greater overclocking potential than do their more populated Toledo peers.
Their maximum power consumption of 89 watts also enables the use of cheaper or quieter CPU coolers. Those who don't want to spend the $70 - $90 that top cooler models can cost should weigh this consideration very carefully.
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Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.
