14 DAY TRIAL // When Intel released the Nehalem-based Lynnfield Core i5 and Core i7 chips for mainstream use, the consumer market could well see that the LGA 775 socket would soon pass on. Still, Intel doesn't seem ready to let its good-old platform rest in peace just yet, planning to release a new processor aimed at replacing the Core 2 Quad Q9400.
The upcoming central processing unit from the Santa Clara-based chip maker is set to be launched next month and will add to the existing Yorkfield line of 45nm-based processors. The chip will run at 2.83 GHz and will have an FSB (Front-side bus) of 1333MHz. Still, the chip definitely won't be the strongest processor of the entire line, with both the Q9550 CPU and the Core 2 Quad Q9505 exceeding it in one or more ways.
Fudzilla describes the Q9500 as a “crippled version of Q9550 CPU.” The article says this because, even though both processors run at the same frequency, more specifically the aforementioned 2.83GHz, the upcoming Q9500 only has 6MB of cache memory, compared with the Q9550 CPU, which has 12MB. In addition, the Q9505 boasts, besides the same specs as the Q9500, support for Intel VT-d and Intel TXT.
Nevertheless, even though it won't exactly be the greatest processor ever released by Intel, the upcoming Core 2 Quad Q9500 may still become a choice among consumers thanks to its $183 price. This price will allow it to replace the aforementioned Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor, which runs at 2.66 GHz. The CPU will have the same design power as the Q9550 and Q9505, namely 95W.
The launch date is currently set for January 17th, although, as we have recently learned, the release date is not set in stone. Those enthusiasts looking for something more recent for use in high-end configurations will be glad to know that Intel will also launch the Core i7 930 chip by the end of February.