New Intel Core 2 Duo Processors

• New 800MHz front side bus
  - 20% faster bus speed
• Dynamic front side bus frequency switching
  - allows for lower power consumption by dynamically controlling the bus clock frequency and core voltage according to usage
• Improved Intel Enhanced Deeper Sleep
  - reduces power consumption during idle cycles, by keeping the CPU in deep C4 sleep state longer
• Intel Dynamic Acceleration
  - improves performance for single-threaded applications

Of these new features, probably the coolest feature is the new Dynamic Acceleration feature. It's well-known that single-threaded applications do not directly benefit from multi-core processors like the Intel Core 2 Duo. They will merely run on one core, leaving the second core (or other cores) idling away.

To "correct" this deficiency, Intel came up with a rather elegant solution. When processing single-threaded applications, the second core will be throttled down into a deep sleep state, which uses very little power. The first core will then be overclocked to increase its performance. This allows the Core 2 Duo processor to improve its single-threaded performance without increasing the amount of power consumed (and heat generated). Now, isn't that cool?

Core 2 Duo Models

The Santa Rosa platforms will be paired with a new series of Core 2 Duo processors that support the 800MHz front side bus. These processors will be available in two different voltage segments - standard mobile Core 2 Duo processors and low-voltage / ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo processors. Here is a list of the new Core 2 Duo processors :

For those who are looking for ultra-long battery life and thinner form-factors, Intel offers LV (low-voltage) and ULV (ultra-low voltage) version of the Core 2 Duo processor. These two processors are currently available for the Santa Rosa platform :