Intel Begins High-Volume Production Of Next-Gen Processors "Quad Core"

[ghengis]

Let me share this thought before you read the following. As a regular user of a PC dual core and wuad core doesnt really make a difference to us. Its just a state of mind for the user and a selling point for intell. We were going over in our class about the design method of intell's microprecessor vs amd's microprocessor. All i can say intell so far have the fastest MP and they will have it against amd. Its was also funny that even AMD had this Quad Core design process first for the lack of business decision Amd was (one of my professors is an exec member for amd's mp design group and ther other one for TI/freelance consultant) 8 months late and as a result intell got the new QUAD CORE mp market. Have fun reading it.

Intell has started high-volume production of its next-generation quad-core microprocessors, which the company plans to start selling next month.
Production of the 45-nanometer chips started at the company's Chandler, Ariz., manufacturing plant, called Fab 32, on Thursday. The microprocessors are built to pack more transistors than ever before on a single chip, which means more processing power at the same level of power consumption as older chips.

Intel's $3 billion Fab 32 is the first factory to start volume production of the new chips. The processors will eventually replace older models throughout Intel's product line for PCs, laptops, and servers, as well as ultra-low power chips for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices.
Intel's first 45-NM chip, codenamed Penryn, will be a quad-core desktop processor in the form of Core 2 Extreme QX9650. The chip ships Nov. 12 at a clock speed of 3.0 GHz, making the new product Intel's fastest quad-core processor. Pricing hasn't been released, but media reports have pegged it at $999 to computer makers.