Yorkfield Processors to Start Selling Next Week.

[sbrehm72255]

Seems that Intel is going to start shipping the Quads next week if this story holds true.

As you know, the shipments of 45nm quad-core Core 2 Quad processors were delayed due to issues with processor system bus discovered in them. These Yorkfield processors on the new C1 stepping that would be free from this problem were expected to arrive in early March. According to sources, the new processor went into mass production exactly as planned and next week we should see 45nm Core 2 Quad Q9300, Q9450 and Q9550 in retail stores already. The mass production processors will be based solely on C1 stepping, which doesn’t have any changes to its thermal, electrical or mechanical specifications compared with the previous C0 processor stepping that is used widely in dual-core Wolfdale processors these days.

Quad-core Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Core 2 Quad Q9450 processors will be designed to work at 2.83GHz and 2.66GHz respectively. For the first time for Core 2 Quad family they will work with 1333MHz bus and thanks to 45nm process they will feature total 12MB of L2 cache memory. Core 2 Quad Q9300 works at 2.5GHz frequency and also supports 1333MHz bus, however its L2 cache is only 6MB big. All new quad-core processors feature 95W TDP. The official prices of Q9550, Q9450 and Q9300 models are set at $530, $316 and $266 respectively. Nevertheless, they will be priced a bit higher in stores, because of high customer demand, which Intel cannot satisfy so far.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20080307105007_Yorkfield_Processors_to_Start_Selling_Next_Week.html

 

[Merlin]

The L2 cache is what I look at, the Wolfdale has 6mb cache and I see the new Core 2 Quad have 12mb.
Also with hard drives, I look at the cache and speed.
And the Q9550 at or around 500.00 is a lot better price than the big brother Quads.

Merlin

 

[b1lk1]

I gave up waiting and I bought a OEM QX9650 for $800. The rumors around overclocking problems with the midrange models scared me, and these prices listed here are definitely lower than what the retail sellers will mark them up to upon release.

PS: Yes I know I am an idiot for buying the QX, but stupid is as stupid does............

 

[sbrehm72255]

If I had the cash on hand I'd get a QX as well, but that's just not the case, so I'll have to wait for the standard retail units to show up and the prices to settle down a bit as well.

 

[Rob Williams]

Where did you find a QX9650 for $800? I am going to assume it was used, since I can't find that price anywhere else. Good buy though... at that price it costs only a smidgen more than a Q9550.

Thanks for this news sbrehm, I'll include a mention in tomorrows news.

 

[sbrehm72255]

NP, I would have PM you the link if I thought/knew that you didn't have it yet. But I'll try and post stuff/news here on the forums as I find it if I don't see it on the front page.......

 

[Rob Williams]

I don't read news or the forums throughout the weekend, usually, so if something exciting happens, I'm usually slow to notice it. I also don't post news on the weekend... it's a chore enough during the week ;-)

 

[b1lk1]

I got an OEM on Ebay. There are 2 Canadian sellers with the proper feedback for this kind of purchase. Total price was actually $850 with full insurance and shipping.

I was not happy doing it, but I wanted to buy something that would not be outdone in the next year. For me, Nehalem is going to be so far out of the question, and from the rumors floating around, overclocking might not be so supported in the next few releases.

 

[Merlin]

Q9450 still on back order.
I hate the wait and the $$ is tied up.
But maybe it gives me a chance to add other things to this build. It was just a motherboard and CPU change...now it's turning into a full fledged build...lol

 

[sbrehm72255]

If you hold out just a bit longer, you might beable to get your hands on a 9800GTX for the sweet rig.............

 

[Kougar]

Overclocking not supported on Nehalem? Fat chance of that, just going to see a veritable avalanche of user posts across every forum known to mankind asking how to overclock the QPI link probably. Not to mention QX chips will still have an unlocked multiplier...

 

[b1lk1]

I said in the next few releases. So far it is rumor and speculation, but it is definitely going around that they are going to start making it more difficult to overclock in the future. Overclocking is helping things sell now, but it is still cutting into the bottom line since noone wants to buy the QX series since they can get most of the performance out of the cheaper series. It's a matter of time if you ask me.

 

[werty316]

No overclocking on the Nehalem?!?!? say it ain't so.

 

[sbrehm72255]

There will always be a way to OC a rig................

AMD tried to stop OC'ing when they started locking their multis dowm on the XP. And back then everyone was screaming that it was the end of the world.
Then Nvidia came out with their locked PCI/AGP buses and then FSB OC'ing became the way of the world.

Where theres a will, theres a way................

 

[Merlin]

I said in the next few releases. So far it is rumor and speculation, but it is definitely going around that they are going to start making it more difficult to overclock in the future. Overclocking is helping things sell now, but it is still cutting into the bottom line since noone wants to buy the QX series since they can get most of the performance out of the cheaper series. It's a matter of time if you ask me.

That's probably true.....
But the whole business has grown to this point because of the enthusists that are only buying these products now, because they can overclock.
I guess we'll see

:techgage::techgage: Merlin :techgage::techgage:

 

[b1lk1]

LOL!!! No no no no no, not Nehalem. I am talking a few series after that. I wish like hell I could find the article I read. Basically they are talking about locking the FSB and multi's since they CPU's are going to be so powerful at their rated speeds then overclocking would be deemed unprofitable. I am not saying that I am 100% correct and that it is going to happen, but if you think Intel and AMD actually like the fact that we overclock Q6600's to the same speeds as QX6850/QX9650's for 1/4 the money you are just kidding yourself. The enthusiast market is small, but right now it is the best possible free advertising too. I do believe the day will come when they finally lock us out of the bios completely. It really wouldn't be hard and it would be just as easy to prevent software overclocking.

 

[Rob Williams]

I don't think Intel will take out the ability to overclock... the potential to reach insane frequencies is one of the main reasons Intel's Core 2 Duo and family took off like they did. If the ability to push performance further was removed, it would only make AMD look a little bit better. After all, a $250 2.6GHz AMD would look more attractive than a $300 2.6GHz Intel.

As it stands, most people who purchase the QX6850/QX9650 select them because they are elite and fit within their budget. Most people who pick up those products don't plan to overclock and don't care to even attempt it. Just because Intel removes overclocking ability doesn't mean more people will pick up an Extreme part. It just means that more people would be using lower-clocked options.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty confident that most people purchase the Q6600 because of the value, even without overclocking being taken into consideration. They buy it because it doesn't cost $1,000.

I just can't see Intel doing much to thwart overclockers when they are an incredibly small part of the market. I have little doubt that one of the reasons Intel skyrocketed with the C2D was because of the overclockers and enthusiasts who ranted and raved about the new product for months on end... the rest of the industry noticed and it quickly became -the- product to look for. And who knows, that could have been one of the reasons why AMD scrambled about and made some poor choices

 

[sbrehm72255]

All the OC'ers out there are also a great free test bed for Intel/AMD, you know that their people monitor what their CPU's are doing on the different OC'ing/tech forums.