Extremal CPU from Intel

Evgenie Rudometov

rudometov@rudometov.com

Recently Intel corporation has released high-powered and energoekonomichnye the processors constructed on the basis of new microarchitecture. The set has received the name of Intel Core 2 Duo. The high model is presented now Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800

Processors are one of the major components of computers. Rather long time productivity was increased basically at the expense of increase in internal clock rates. However in connection with growth energopotreblenija and teploobrazovanija, depending on the frequency, the given process was decelerated. Alternative the increase in number of the computing kernels integrated into structure of a uniform chip and working in a parallel way by is. At the first stage of such transition the same microarchitecture, as in case of traditional one-nuclear models used practically. However further break in reaching of new performance levels is possible only by means of new solutions and processing techniques.

Microarchitecture of Intel Core

Experts of Intel have offered the new microarchitecture of processor kernels providing considerable lowering of expenses of energy on performance of instructions. Criterion of efficiency it was offered to use metric Energy per Instruction (the energy spent for performance of one instruction). Advanced design, has received the name of Intel Core Microarchitecture. On its basis two-nuclear processors for the PC (Conroe), servers (Woodcrest) and notebooks (Merom) will be released.

In the products created on the basis of Intel Core Microarchitecture, the incarnation was found by many innovative processing techniques which have provided considerable growth of productivity at low energopotreblenii.

Processing technique of Intel Wide Dynamic Execution

Raises productivity and a processor overall performance, providing performance bolshego numbers of commands for clock tick, improving execution time of programs and raising energosberezhenie. It is reached, in particular, at the expense of implementation in the architecture of additional chains of the decoder and final control devices, and also application effective 14-etapnogo the pipeline with possibility of speculative (look-ahead) and extraordinary fulfilment of commands. In the new architecture each kernel can execute to four instructions for clock tick. For matching processors of the previous generation handled no more than three instructions for clock tick. The executive pipeline had length more than 30 stages that provided possibility of operation on high clock rates, however sharply reduced productivity in need of cleaning of the superlong pipeline with its subsequent occupancy. In the new architecture are used not only the optimised pipeline of smaller length, and also other advanced components of a kernel providing optimisation of speed of fulfilment of commands, but also the improved algorithms of a branch prediction are realised.

Processing technique of Intel Advanced Smart Cache

The common cache memory of the second level uses. As the result, caching of commands and data is carried out more effectively in comparison with an alternative variant with separate cache memories. First of all it is linked to absence of backup of the information. In addition to it the used cache memory is dynamic, that provides access to an active kernel to all information field at idle time of other kernel. All it reduces energopotreblenie, reducing to a minimum "traffic" size in a memory subsystem. Besides, the common cache memory provides rise of productivity of system at the expense of more optimal usage of space of the cache memory and abbreviation of operations of information interchange between the kernels, carried out through the processor bus. Now only Intel corporation offers processors with support of the specified processing technique for all segments of the market.

Processing technique of Intel Smart Memory Access

Raises productivity of system by lowering of delays at memory access and thus optimises usage of accessible capacity. Besides, productivity growth is promoted by usage in the new architecture more perfect in comparison with prior solutions of algorithms of the preselection, supported by appropriate hardware. Thanks to the specified innovations faster information interchange between the processor and a memory subsystem is carried out.

Processing technique of Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost

Doubles speed of performance 128-bit SIMD the instructions often used in multimedia and graphic applications. Accelerates processing of video, speech and maps, conversion of photos, enciphering, and also increases speed of operation of financial, engineering and scientific applications. It is linked by that modern applications widely enough use instruction sets SSE which allow to work from 128 bats as operands of various character. Microarchitecture perfection has led to processing of blocks of fulfilment SIMD of instructions (SSE, SSE2, SSE3), therefore if earlier processing occupied two clock ticks now one clock tick is spent for it only. In addition to speed of operation of blocks of fulfilment SIMD of instructions, implementators of Intel have added a set of instructions SSE3 vosemju with new commands.

Processing technique of Intel 64 Technology

Provides support of 64-bit calculations. Besides, gives to the processor access to bolshemu to a memory size in comparison with a marginal level in 4 Gbytes, provided with the traditional models operating with addresses in 32 bits.

Processing technique of Intel Intelligent Power Capability

Activates separate sites of the chip only as required, that considerably reduces energopotreblenie systems as a whole. In addition to it in the architecture the mechanisms reducing clock rate of operation and a supply voltage of kernels at lowering of computing load are realised. As a whole provides the best metrics energosberezhenija and productivity.

IntelCore 2 Duo set

On the basis of Intel Core Microarchitecture for the market of desktop computers the corporation has released recently a number of models of the two-nuclear processors which have received name IntelCore 2 Duo and known earlier as Conroe.

The main components of kernels and the main innovative processing techniques which have found incarnation in IntelCore 2 Duo, are presented in a Fig. 1. The main parametres of processors for the PC are presented in Table 1.

Fig. 1. Basic elements and processing techniques IntelCore Microarchitecture

Table 2. Processors of Intel Core Microarchitecture for desktop PCs

New models possess low levels energopotreblenija and teploobrazovanija. Here it is necessary to remind, that teploobrazovanie it is defined by metric TDP  — Thermal Design Power. The given metrics for the set in Intel Core  2 Duo in comparison with models of Intel and AMD are resulted in Table 2.

Table 2. TDP of some popular models for desktop PCs

As follows from the resulted data, the high model of the set of Intel Core 2 Duo — Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 has smaller value teploobrazovanija on matching not only with upper model AMD Athlon 64 FX-62, but also with low two-nuclear model of one of the previous developments.

Testing of high model

As the testing object the model of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, providing the highest performance level among processors of Intels released now for sector of desktop computers has been used. Appearance of the engineering sample of the two-nuclear processor of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 is resulted in a Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. The engineering sample of the processor of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800

In a role of the measurement standard for the researched processor the model of Intel of Pentium D 820 used  .

Pattern of the system applied in testing:

·         the Motherboard of Intel D975XBX (chip set I975X),

·        the Processor of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (Conroe, Dual Core, 65 nanometers, 2,93 GHz, the bus — 1066 MHz, L2 — 4 Mb),

·        the Processor of Pentium of Intel of Pentium D 820 (SmithField, 90 nanometers, 2,8 GHz, the bus — 800 MHz, L2 — 2х1 Mb),

·        Video subsystem ATI X600,

·         the Disk drive on hard disks Seagate ST3400832AS,

·         Dynamic storage Apacer 2x1 a Gbyte, DDR2-677,

·         the Operating system of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP1.

During testing the model of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 was identified as the two-nuclear processor (a Fig. 3). Its key parametres defined by program CPU-Z, are presented in a Fig. 4.

Fig. 3. Windows of program Computer Management

Fig. 4. Key parametres of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, defined by program CPU-Z

Results of performance of tests PCMark05 characterising performance levels of the main subsystems of the computer, are presented in Table 3 and in a Fig. 5.

Table 3. Results of tests PCMark05

Fig. 5. Results of tests PCMark05

Results of performance of the test 3dmark 03 (CPU Score) are presented in Table 4 and in a Fig. 6.

Table 4. Results of tests 3dmark 03 (CPU Score)

Fig. 6. Results of tests 3dmark 03 (CPU Score)

The resulted results of testing illustrate considerable advantage of Intel Core Microarchitecture over prior NetBurst architecture.

So, for example, for Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 internal frequency of operation of kernels most of all on 4,6 % in comparison with Intel of Pentium D 820. However in tests PCMark05 the new processor shows essentially big productivity. In the processor test excess has made 62 %, for the integrated metric — 44 %. Results in 3dmark 03 (CPU Score) are not less interesting. Here excess makes 112 %. Taking into account Energy per Instruction advantage of new microarchitecture becomes even more considerable.

As to matching with existing topovymi models of the competitor of Intel they not only considerably concede in metrics energosberezhenija, but also in productivity. Especially it concerns tasks of processing of the multimedia information where excess is calculated in tens percent. And on metric Energy per Instruction advantage still above, that does the new processor from Intel especially attractive to designers of desktop computers with extremal high efficiency and an acoustic noise low level.

In summary it is necessary to mark, that the presented copy of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 is not bad dispersed: more than 20 % without rise of a supply voltage of a kernel. The given circumstance testifies to a considerable technological store that allows to calculate for appearance of more high-speed representatives, even in comparison with existing high model. It is necessary to remind, that in tests the engineering sample of model of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 and as shows experience used, in process of perfection of processing technique and the internal architecture parametres of processors essentially improve.

The processor of Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 and the motherboard of Intel D975XBX have been given by the Moscow office of corporation of Intel