Modern Processors

 Desktop processors  Notebook processors  Server and workstation processors  Embedded and communications processors  Internet device processors

 65nm logic technology * Second generation strained silicon with percent improved drive current (over the 90nm process) for improved performance * 1.2nm gate oxide and 35nm gates for improved performance * NiSi for low resistance cap on gates and source-drains * Lower interconnect capacitance through low-k carbon doped oxide dielectric and 0.7x line length scaling, providing increased performance and lower power I.Silicon processer

 45nm logic technology Intel engineers discovered that introducing hafnium into silicon chips helps reduce electrical leakage enabling smaller, more energy-efficient and performance-packed processors. circuitry, new Intel® 45nm high-k metal gate silicon technology helps to dramatically increases processor energy efficiency and equating to more powerful computing experiences and greater flexibility of design.

II.Micro Architecture  Nehalem: Intel® microarchitecture  Intel® QuickPath Technology  32nm logic technology Intel has demonstrated the world's first 32nm logic process with functional SRAM, packing more than 1.9 billion second generation high-k metal gate transistors It's a monumental step towards delivering 32nm microprocessors in 2009 and a great leap towards developing significant density, performance, and power improvements beyond today's 45nm technology.

 FSB  Cache memory  Core speed  Core Micro-architecture  No. of cores  Over clocking  Socket

FSB means Front Side Bus It is measured in MHz (Mega hertz) It’s the data transfer bus that carries information from the processor to the other components via the north bridge of the motherboard The more the FSB speed your processor has, the faster your processor can interactwith the other components As for example the modern processors have 800,1066,1333 MHz of FSB And the upcoming processors are going to have 1600 MHz of FSB You must have a compatible motherboard that supports the FSB your processor has

Cache memory plays an important role in the performance of the processor. The cache is a smaller, faster memory which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations. The price of a processor will increase with the increase of the cache memory In present processors with 2,4,6,8 MB cache memory are widely available in the market.

Processors have different core speeds They are measured in Ghz (Giga hertz) for all the modern processors Intel processors are available from 1.6 Ghz to 3.5 Ghz Now if the processor is a dual core and if you know that the core speed of the processor is 2.33 Ghz, then it means that that 2.33 Ghz speed is per core, so what you are getting is 2.33*2 Ghz Same way it is applicable for all the multi core processors.

Its usually practiced by personal computer enthusiasts in order to increase the performance of their computers. Some of them purchase low-end computer components which they then overclock to higher clocks It is done through manipulating the CPU multiplier and the motherboard's front side bus (FSB) speed until a maximum stable operating frequency is reached. CPU multipliers, bus dividers, voltages, thermal loads, cooling techniques and several other factors can affect it. The one who overclocks his processor,must be aware of voltage Handling otherwise he may have the risk of damaging the component that he is oc’ing. Intel core2duo and core2quad has enough head room for the overclocking For example I have overclocked my Intel core2duo E6550 which has a factory shipped clock 2.33 GHz to 2.8 GHz to increase the over all performance of my personal computer. Enthusiastic over clockers overclock their processors to their limits to get the top notch speed and performance Cooling is a very necessary thing in overclocking as the processor would heat up because of the higher core clock.

Socket 8 - Intel Pentium Pro Slot 1 - Intel Celeron, Pentium II, Pentium III Socket Intel Pentium III, Celeron; Cyrix III; VIA C3 Socket Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors (Willamette core) Socket Intel Pentium 4, Celeron, Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, Pentium M Socket N (Northwood, Prescott, and Willamette cores) Socket B (LGA 1366 ) - a new socket for future Intel CPUs incorporating the integrated memory controller and Intel QuickPath Interconnect. Socket T (also known as Socket 775 or LGA 775) - Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron D, Pentium Extreme Edition, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Celeron, Xeon 3000 series, Core 2 Quad (Northwood, Prescott, Conroe, Kentsfield, and Cedar Mill cores)

Intel® multi-core technology provides new levels of energy- efficient performance, advanced parallel processing and next- generation hafnium-based 45nm technology. Incorporating multiple processor execution cores in a single package delivering full parallel execution of multiple software threads, Intel multi-core technology enables each core to run at a lower frequency, dividing the power normally given to a single core. This provides a breakthrough experience in notebook and desktop PCs, workstations, and servers.

Dual core processors are meant to perform multiple tasks or applications If we want to run more than one application flawlessly, we need a dual core processor For example, for a graphics based application, we can utilize these two cores for rendering, processing, sound, graphics and more. Better Performance (more than x2 performance when compared to single core P-IV) Power Saver (Especially Intel Core series) Multi task solution We can run multithreaded application smoothly

Key Features Energy-efficient performance Mega multitasking Protect yourself Rich video quality Intel core2duo Current gen processors, codename “CONROE” are based on 65nm micro architecture and the next gen processors, codename “WOLFDALE” are based on 45nm micro architecture. Based on revolutionary Intel® Core™ micro-architecture, the breakthrough Intel® Core™2 Duo processor family is designed to provide powerful energy- efficient performance so you can do more at once without slowing down

We can figure out from its name that it has 4 cores Quad core processing technology was being used in the servers before it came to home desktop users. Now, dual core range is widely available in the market, so is it really needed to go for a quad core instead ? The answer is yes if you want to be future proof. Quad core is the future. These processors can run 4 different threads simultaneously. They are not only for running multiple application but they are also for multi threaded application which are truly optimized for quad core processors, which utilizes all four cores of it At this time, there is hardly a few applications optimized for quad core, most of the applications are optimized for dual core processing solution.

Core2Extreme comes both in dual core as well as quad core Core2Extreme processor is mainly for enthusiastic users who wants to overclock their processor to its limits The main difference between a simple core2duo or core2quad and core2extreme is 1) Core clock Speed 2) Unlocked no. of multipliers Unlocked multiplier always helps in overclocking more and more Intel core2duo E6550 has 7x multiplier to multiply FSB, Core speed but Intel core2extreme QX9650 has 14x multiplier so that you can easily overclock the extreme edition processor to 4GHz or even more than that. This is the limit of core2duo and core2quad processors

Nehalem is Intel's upcoming core microarchitecture Also known as “intel core i7 processer. It is going to be shipped with 8 physical cores It will contain more amount of FSB as well as the cache memory As we can see in the screenshot that all the 8 cores are running at 3.2 GHz!!! It have also be three-level cache hierarchy This core chip will be manufactured using the 45nm process, sporting 731 million transistors