Core 2 Duo preliminary benchmarks

Preliminary benchmark results for the Core 2 Duo, the next interation of the CPUs found the first-generation Intel-based Macs, show significant performance improvements over an over-clocked AMD FX-60 and will be bring better power efficiency, according to ExtremeTech: "The Core microarchitecture has us excited. Those performance numbers look extremely promising. Remember, the AMD-based system we tested against was roughly the same performance as the FX-62, but the Core 2 Duo was not the highest-end Extreme SKU. Rather, it was the CPU one step down. And it still put a serious hurt on the AMD system. It's worth noting that the Intel systems we tested on were noticeably quieter than the overclocked FX-60s. We weren't in an environment where we could make any real noise measurements, but it was a salient reminder that the Intel chips have a maximum thermal rating of 65W, while the AMD chips are rated at 110W. It looks from these early tests as if Intel's boasts of dramatically better performance with dramatically less power utilization are going to come true." Apple may use the new Core 2 Duo chips for future versions of its MacBook, MacBook Pro, Intel iMac, and Mac mini.

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