Intel and AMD quads go head-to-head

Benchmarking is a common ritual in CPU geek circles, but it's not that often that you see two brand-spanking-new slabs of silicon put to the test, side-by-side, in a battle royale of processing. However, that's exactly what ExtremeTech has done, testing the AMD Phenom X4 9850 and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 simultaneously, and comparing the results. On the surface, the two chips have a lot in common: both sport four processor cores, clock in at 2.5Ghz and are aimed at the high-end workstation and x86 server markets. Intel's offering, however, is manufactured using a 45nm process, while AMD's uses the older 65nm process. Overall, it looks like the Phenom X4 has the edge in price and heat production, while the Core 2 Quad takes the cake in terms of performance. "We're looking forward to the day [AMD] can start shipping CPUs built on 45nm," ExtremeTech writes. "For now, however, Intel continues to dominate in CPU performance in both high end and mainstream CPUs."

For more on the CPU showdown:
- see this ExtremeTech article