Intel may be taking it on the chin in the desktop CPU contest, but its Centrino brand rules the laptop category, where AMD is well behind in both market share and brand awareness. This has been true since the early days of the Pentium M versus Turion 64, but now Intel has raised the stakes with a dual-core platform: The aptly named Core Duo processor was introduced early this year, but the actual mass-market release has taken place more recently. Today the Core Duo product lines are more fleshed out; all of the major notebook vendors are on board; and the Core Duo is taking the mobile market by storm.
Intels timing couldnt be better. Dual-core desktop sales are booming, with virtually all new mainstream and performance PCs packing dual-core power from either Intel or AMD. That level of exposure has resulted in high demand for a similar mobile platform, as its very difficult to use a Pentium D or Athlon 64 X2 desktop and then move to a single-core Pentium M or Turion 64. Speaking from experience, you feel as if youve traveled back in time, to a place before dual-core existed ... and its not a very nice place.
Intels New Ace
The Core Duo is a 65-nanometer-process part that essentially combines two Pentium M cores on a single processor die, along with a shared 2MB of Level 2 cache (which Intel calls Smart Cache). It follows the basic recipe of the Pentium D 900 series and Athlon 64 X2 desktop CPUs, and provides excellent multithreading and multitasking for its class. Two different models are available, with the Core Duo T series offering standard power management and clock speeds from 1.66GHz to 2.16GHz, while the low-voltage L series is offered at 1.50 and 1.66GHz clock speeds.
The Pentium M is still clocked slightly higher, with the 2.26GHz Pentium M 780 holding an edge over the 2.16GHz Core Duo T2600. Clock speed, however, is obviously not a fair comparison when it comes to single- versus dual-core processors, with multithreaded applications receiving a significant performance boost and -- since Windows XP supports the technology -- desktop multitasking is unrivaled.
In fact, dual-core processing may actually have a greater impact on mobile than desktop platforms, as notebooks are used mostly for business productivity or multimedia entertainment. These are optimum areas for the dual-core advantage. Not only are many of these applications already multithreaded (and the list is growing), but the last bastion of single-core dominance, enthusiast-level 3D gaming, is not a priority for even the most hardcore laptop owners.
There are other improvements over the Pentium M, such as a faster front-side bus -- the Core Duo steps up to a 667MHz bus, while the fastest Pentium M parts utilize a 533MHz bus and the Celeron M is mired at 400MHz. The faster bus offers some performance advantages right off the bat, in the forms of greater system bandwidth. Although dual-channel DDR-2 is already standard on current Pentium M portables, the extra 25 percent of theoretical memory bandwidth is like a free upgrade without increasing CPU or memory clock speeds.
There are some cracks in the Core Duos armor: The processor does not support Intels EM64T 64-bit technology, has no on-die memory controller, and carries some negatives from the aging Pentium III architecture. But these are effectively countered by the enhanced cache performance and marvelous multitasking.
Price Penalty: Zero
There are two exceptionally impressive features of the Core Duo CPU, and both relate to Intels ability to offer the second core essentially for free. The primary factor is price -- the current retail price of a Centrino Duo notebook is virtually equivalent to what a comparable Pentium M model cost last year. Certainly, the price of Pentium M notebooks has dropped in response, but the Core Duo has not had a significant overall effect on laptop prices. Dell has a line of low-cost Inspiron Core Duo models, and vendors like Acer, Toshiba, Gateway, and Lenovo offer Core Duo laptops for under $1,000.
Heat and power requirements are also remarkable, almost as if the second core isnt there: The standard Core Duos rated power consumption is only 31 watts, with a measly 15 watts for the low-power version, compared to approximately 27 and 10 watts for the standard and low-voltage Pentium M chips respectively. This is an incredible accomplishment, as opting for a low-power Core Duo actually buys you a dual-core processor with lower power and heat specifications than a standard Pentium M.
Intel is able to do this through a number of ways, the most prominent being 65-nanometer technology -- which provides a smaller core and L2 cache and a higher clock-speed ceiling with less power consumption. Features like dual-core on demand and dynamic cache sizing really make the most of the design, with innovative methods of lowering power consumption based on system demands. Intels Enhanced SpeedStep also makes an appearance, letting the Core Duo dynamically switch voltages and core speeds based on application demand.
AMD Turion Over in Its Grave
The Intel Core Duo has burst onto the market with incredible speed, and user acceptance levels are extremely high. This spells bad news for AMD, which not long ago was riding a wave of expectations for its Turion 64. In fact, its kind of sad that AMD finally releases a mobile processor capable of competing and even surpassing the Pentium M, only to find itself up against the powerful Core Duo. We checked a few major online dealers, and even this shortly after introduction, the number of Core Duo notebooks for sale easily outnumbered the Turion 64 choices. AMD is slated to release a dual-core Turion 64 soon, but until then, every day loses the company more of the notebook market. Hey, this must be what Intel feels like on the desktop side.
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