Intel Moves From Dual Core To Double Core

Presler Processor Details

Once again we included some power consumption measurements. While the single core saved as much as 20% under full load, the dual core Presler managed to reduce overall consumption by as much as 18%, cutting maximum system power from 252 to 214 W.

The power savings we were able to achieve with SpeedStep enabled were rather disappointing. However, we should not forget that in the case of the CPU sample we borrowed, the clock speed would only go from 3.0 to 2.8 GHz. On the other hand there is the larger pair of caches that should be taken into account. Although the number of transistors increased by at least a third, the power consumption level still is below Smithfield in most cases. And we expect the final processor version to be somewhat better optimized.

Patrick Schmid
Editor-in-Chief (2005-2006)

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.