Intel will introduce its brand new Core 2 Duo line of dual-core, 64-bit processor chips Thursday. The first of these next-generation processors to hit the marketplace has been code-named "Conroe."
The Conroe family of chips is made up of five slightly different desktop processors. Intel's laptop-specific Merom processors, the first 64-bit mobile processors from the company, will follow a few weeks later. The Merom processors will replace Intel's current Core Duo mobile processors.
Intel's move toward dual-core chip architecture and the subsequent retirement of the Pentium brand signals the next great leap in the evolution of the personal computer. But how does this development affect you, the user? Should you upgrade? How fast will dual-core processors be? Will you be able to use the "so real you'll be scraping intestines off the wall for weeks" option on Quake 4 now? We'll cut through these questions (and more) like a plasma rifle round through 64-bit butter.
The Conroe family of chips is made up of five slightly different desktop processors. Intel's laptop-specific Merom processors, the first 64-bit mobile processors from the company, will follow a few weeks later. The Merom processors will replace Intel's current Core Duo mobile processors.
Intel's move toward dual-core chip architecture and the subsequent retirement of the Pentium brand signals the next great leap in the evolution of the personal computer. But how does this development affect you, the user? Should you upgrade? How fast will dual-core processors be? Will you be able to use the "so real you'll be scraping intestines off the wall for weeks" option on Quake 4 now? We'll cut through these questions (and more) like a plasma rifle round through 64-bit butter.
