Got $1200 bucks burning a hole in your hardware budget? Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (45nm) is yet another quad-core CPU with the similar working frequency as the recently reviewed Core 2 Extreme QX6850 (Kentsfield) manufactured with the previous-generation 65nm technological process. Its nominal clock frequency is also 3.0GHz, it works with 1333MHz bus and 9x frequency multiplier.However, unlike the predecessor, the new CPU features larger L2 cache with the total size of 12MB. The first review can be found on Bit-Tech, Computer Shopper, Hexus.net, HotHardware, Legit Reviews, LostCircuits, PC Perspective, Techgage, TechReport and X-bit labs.While pricey, they do OC nicely. HardOCP and THG got theirs up to 4.32GHz!

More speed potential is available if you overclock. The QX9650 features an unlocked multiplier, allowing you to change the frequency at which the processor runs without adjusting the motherboard's front-side-bus speed. We were able to reach a stable speed of 3.66GHz with the QX9650. We also ran a number of tests at 4GHz, turning in some very impressive benchmark-test numbers, but the system crashed a few times during testing at that speed. The QX9650 also runs significantly cooler than its predecessor. Where the QX6850 idled at 30 degrees Celsius and heated up to 48 degrees at 100 percent load on our test system, the QX9650 idled at just 25 degrees and reached 32 degrees at 100 percent load on the same system.

The Yorkfield-based Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is a success in every sense of the word. The processor is faster, has new features, uses much less power, is less expensive to produce, and has more overclocking headroom than its predecessor. What more is there to say? Sure, the new features like SSE4 won't be fully exploited until applications are programmed to use them, but that is already happening and we suspect adoption will be relatively quick considering the available performance increases. And the fact that chips built using Intel's 45nm process will be cheaper to produce doesn't just mean more profits for Intel. It means the company can keep the price pressure on AMD while maintaining their bottom line, so expect aggressive pricing with future mainstream and mid-level dual and quad-core 45nm processors.

Intel hasn't disclosed pricing information just yet, but you can bet that the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 will be priced in-line with previous Extreme Edition processors, which is to say this chip is going to be expensive - think in the $1200 range. Intel will be releasing final pricing information in mid-November when the processor ships alongside a few new Xeons. Is that a heck of a lot of money to pay for a desktop processor? Yes, it is. But if money is no object and you want the fastest, most capable desktop processor on the planet currently, the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is it.