Intel Announces QX6800 Quad-Core Processor

Intel has announced their latest quad-core processor; the Core 2 Extreme QX6800, which they claim is up to 65 percent faster than the older-generation dual-core flagship X6800. The QX6800 is built on the 65 nm manufacturing process, offers 8 MB of L2 cache and sports a FSB of 1066 MHz. These new processors will retail in the market for an expected cost of US$1299 and are targeted at extreme desktop gamers.

The new processor is the 12th model of quad-core processors that Intel has brought to the market since their debut last year. These processors can be found across the spectrum ranging from servers, high-end PCs and mainstream. The company has also announced that two of these chips would be used in embedded devices.

This latest release is only going to compound AMD's problems. While they do have quad-core processors available for purchase, in comparison to Intel's offerings they are far more expensive and consume a lot more power.