CPU road map: 2008 and beyond

How we got here:
Where we stand today

Desktop CPU recap

The dual-core PC era began in April 2005 when Intel released the Pentium Extreme Edition 840 processor, a 3.2GHz, 90nm chip. Following this pricey Extreme Edition chip was "dual-core for the mainstream" in the form of the Pentium D 800 series. Intel's second-generation dual-core chips, the Pentium D 900 series, were released in early 2006 and saw the company move to the 65-nanometer process. During this time, AMD was garnering rave reviews with its dual-core, 90nm Athlon 64 X2 line, thanks in large part to its integrated memory controller. While Intel's chips still needed to shuttle data via the slower front-side bus to communicate with system memory, AMD's chips featured a memory controller on the die that operated at the same frequency as the processor itself.

It wasn't until Intel introduced its Core technology in July 2006 that we were able to fully grasp the benefits of dual-core processing. The architecture behind Core 2 Duo chips not only brought about leaps in performance but also improved efficiency. While they didn't introduce an on-die memory controller, the chips did introduce a host of architectural improvements, most significantly was a unified cache structure. Instead of a separate allotment of L2 cache dedicated to each of the two cores as was the case with Intel's previous dual-core chips and AMD's Athlon 64 X2 CPUs, Core 2 Duo chips had one large pool to pull from, which provides greater flexibility in allowing each core to access more cache as needed.

The advantages of multicore processing can be seen when multitasking or running a multithreaded application. While some multithreaded apps such as Photoshop and iTunes are available, there are certainly more programs that will be released in the near future that will be designed to run on multicore processors. Vista was built to run on multicore processors, for example, while XP was primarily a single-threaded operating system.

The way CPUs will continue to advance won't be with increased clockspeed, but with more cores. Intel released a quad-core chip, the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, in November 2006 and then came out with a mainstream equivalent, the Core 2 Quad Q6600, at CES in January 2007. AMD answered with the Quad FX. As we have moved along in the multicore era, AMD and Intel have each introduced new quad-core processors, Intel with its Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad lines and AMD with its Phenom series. As our recent CPU reviews show, Intel still enjoys a considerable performance edge.

Intel and AMD each continue to manufacture single-core processors for budget PCs. You'll still find low-end systems featuring Intel's Pentium 4 and Celeron D chips alongside those featuring AMD's Athlon 64 and Sempron parts.

Laptop CPU recap

Intel's current practice of marketing a whole mobile platform under a single name began in early 2003 with the introduction of Centrino. The platform designated a specific combination of Intel-manufactured processor, wireless card, and integrated graphics that the company claimed was optimized for better performance and battery life. Released to coincide with the Centrino launch, the first Pentium M processor (code-named Banias) signaled Intel's commitment to manufacturing CPUs specifically for use in laptops, with features designed to lower both heat output and power consumption. From its inception and through a refresh in 2005 (Dothan), the Centrino platform incorporated a Pentium M processor, an Intel Mobile Express chipset, and Intel PRO/Wireless Wi-Fi card.

The third generation of Centrino (Yonah) was inaugurated in early 2006 with the release of the first mobile Core processors. As the name implied, Core Duo processors (released in January) provided the first mobile dual-core experience, while the Core Solo (released in April) used the same dual-core die, but with only one active core. The new Centrino platform included a Core processor, Intel Mobile 945 Express chipset, and Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Wi-Fi; the platform name "Centrino Duo" refers to a Centrino system with a Core Duo processor. Late summer 2006 saw the launch of the Core 2 Duo (Merom) processor for the Centrino platform.

The most recent update to the Centrino platform came in May 2007. Intel announced the new Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro mobile platforms, both code-named Santa Rosa. The platforms include the next generation of Core 2 Duo processors and a new chipset, code-named Crestline, that includes an 800MHz frontside bus. (It's worth noting that 800MHz RAM, which would take advantage of the faster FSB, has yet to be widely offered in notebooks.) Other elements of Santa Rosa include the Kedron 802.11n wireless card and--on the Centrino Pro variation--Intel Turbo Memory, which is flash memory on the motherboard that's designed to speed boot and application-launch times. However, our anecdotal tests have yet to reveal any added speed in laptops with the technology.

On the processor side, Intel kept things moving along by releasing the first mobile Core 2 Extreme processors in summer 2007. The gaming-oriented CPUs are notable in that their overspeed protection has been disabled. More recently, we've seen the latest generation of Core 2 Duo processors, code-named Penryn, trickle into notebook lines. Penryn represents the first mobile processor manufactured using Intel's 45nm process; though initial testing hasn't shown any far-reaching performance improvements, Penryn will be a key element of the Centrino 2 platform (code-named Montevina) that's set for release in the second quarter of 2008.

Concurrent to these developments, Intel has maintained the Celeron M line of budget processors. Celerons are built on the same architecture as the current generation of high-end CPUs (for example, Pentium M or Core) but generally feature half the L2 cache and lack some of the newest power and processing management technologies. In addition, Intel developed the Pentium Dual-Core at the request of laptop manufacturers. This budget dual-core processor has a smaller shared L2 cache and fewer power management features than Core 2 Duo. Neither Pentium Dual-Core nor Celeron processors are considered part of the Centrino platform.

A survey of the Intel-based notebook market today would reveal Celeron, Core Solo, Core 2 Solo, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Extreme processors, along with a handful of low-cost Pentium Dual-Core systems.

AMD, meanwhile, started designing processors specifically for the mobile market (and not just adapting desktop processors for laptops) in 2005. March of that year saw the release of Turion 64, which featured support for 64-bit computing and new power management features. The company released its first dual-core mobile processor, the Turion 64 X2, in May 2006. In 2007, the company also released a low-power version of its Athlon 64 X2 desktop processor that can be found in a number of low-cost laptops. AMD has continued to manufacture its Mobile Sempron line for the budget market; unlike its higher-end siblings, Mobile Sempron does not incorporate AMD's HyperTransport technology.

Historically, AMD hasn't manufactured graphics cards or wireless solutions, so the company's mobile platform is based on what its marketing department calls an "open ecosystem." AMD ensures its processors and chipsets work with all the major third-party graphics and wireless solutions so laptop manufacturers can choose each element individually. That pattern is set to change, at least a little, now that AMD has acquired graphics chipmaker ATI; though the company outwardly remains committed to providing an open platform, we expect to see tighter integration between AMD processors and ATI graphics cards in the future.

A survey of the notebook market today would reveal Mobile Sempron, Athlon 64 X2, and Turion 64 X2 systems.