Intel's PR agency, Burson-Marsteller says that there are some misconceptions in the mainstream media about Intel's new Quad-Core microprocessor. (Intel is a sponsor of SVW).

Samantha Saephan from Burson-Marsteller writes:

Since the launch of the Intel® Quad-Core Xeon® processor and the Intel Core™ 2 Extreme quad-core in November 2006, and the more recent Intel Core 2 Quad processor; research has suggested that there remain some misguided perceptions about performance, price and compatibility. So, in the spirit of the Final Four, and in honor of the 4^th of April, we’re hoping to address what are the four biggest misperceptions about Intel Quad-Core processors.

Misperception #1:

Why pay more for Quad-Core when I don’t yet need that level of performance?

At Intel, you’re getting better performance and better energy efficiency for the same price – Quad-Core offers up to 80%* more performance for the same price as Intel’s dual-core chips. These products deliver immense speed and responsiveness for general purpose servers and workstations and for digital media creation, high-end gaming and other market segments that crave absolute performance. Software developers are also increasingly moving toward per socket licenses which will lower software costs making now the ideal time to skip Dual-Core and upgrade straight to Quad-Core. (* - For detailed system information and performance claim, please visit http://www.intel.com/performance/desktop/extreme/3d_ray_tracing.htm).

Misperception #2:

My systems are already equipped with Dual-Core – now I have to take the time and effort to install Quad-Core?

Advanced technology adoption is not a problem. Quad-Core is easy to install, with drop-in compatibility with Intel’s previous Dual-Core platform. This also makes it easier on data center managers by streamlining the path to server consolidation. In fact, business data centers can achieve significant cost savings/server thanks to the optimal utilization, lower power consumption, and lower software costs of Quad-Core systems.

Misperception #3:

Before using Quad-Core I’d rather wait until software applications can actually take advantage of the performance. Besides, when it comes to some applications, Quad-Core isn’t much better than Dual-Core.

Server software has been threaded for years. But whether it's encoding, rendering, editing, or streaming - or running a variety of applications at once, an innovative Intel processor with four processing cores will deliver more performance and responsiveness. Check out what the press have to say about Quad-Core gaming on Intel processors: Click here http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMwNiwxMCwsaGVudGh1c2lhc3Q=  and here http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2107337,00.asp

Also check out Quad-Core gaming at the 2007 Game Developers Conference and World Series of Video Games:

http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/2505/gaming-with-intel-quad-core-processors

http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1924/intel-gives-gamers-max-power-at-ces

http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1863/ces-2007-intels-world-series-of-gaming

Misperception #4:

Intel’s Quad-Core is ugly, and far from elegant  

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When performance is as great as it is today, customers don’t care about the intricacies of how the cores are connected inside the CPU package. Intel’s solution allowed a much faster time to market and Intel will have shipped more than a million of them before any other x86 competitor has shipped a sizeable volume. Using Intel’s industry-leading 65nm manufacturing technology also allows for smaller die size, better yields and lower cost. This also means better supply. So, it is a careful choice of performance, schedule and cost. Intel is already demonstrating 45nm processors which will further its lead in processor performance, innovation and nanotechnology.

For more information, visit: http://www.intel.com/quad-core/ and http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1139/idf-preview-quad-core-microprocessors.