Conclusion: New Overclocking Potential with the G0-Stepping

With the update (in the form of the G0-stepping) Intel is giving the overclocking community an early Christmas present. While the Core 2 processor was arguably the most popular overclocking processor to date, the new G0-stepping definitely adds even more potential to an already very capable chip.

In the course of our extensive testing, we came to the conclusion that Intel has the option of introducing another, faster Core 2 Quad processor running at 3.33 GHz at any time. There’s even a slight chance that we could see a 3.66 GHz model – the headroom is there.

As far as the increased FSB-speed is concerned, there isn’t much to say. While it yields a measurable performance increase, even that is marginal – and far from noticeable.

However, Intel is using this opportunity to lower the prices of its processors. In an unusual step, it’s not the older CPUs that are getting a price cut, but the newer ones. Thus, a decision in favor of an FSB1333 should not be a difficult one.

Thanks to the optimisations to its 65nm process, Intel now has the option of postponing the introduction of its 45nm Penryn processors until the fourth quarter. Could it be that Intel is waiting to introduce its Penryn processors until AMD launches its Barcelona and Phenom parts?

At any rate, we were surprised in the best possible way. After all, Intel is once again able to give its 65nm Conroe architecture a clearly visible performance boost.