Intel admits integrated memory controller would improve performance

Very soon we'll see the launch of Intel's Conroe. The Merom and Woodcrest will follow a couple of weeks later and the company is already working hard on the quad-core Kentsfield desktop CPU and the Clovertown for servers.

These processors will both arrive in Q1 2007. According to Intel's Enterprise Architecture Director Dileep Bhandarkar the Clovertown will be two dual-core processors built into a single package vs AMD's single package of four cores.

Bhandarkar also conceded that the lack of an integrated memory controller, like those on the AMD64 platform, does hurt performance. EWEEK reports:

Bhandarkar admitted that integrating the memory controller—which handles the flow of data to and from system memory—directly into the chip rather than housing it on a chip set would improve performance with some workloads. However, he said, Intel officials felt it was more important to bring a quad-core processor to the market before AMD does. The company expects to precede its rival by a quarter or two.

However, Bhandarkar believes the new server lineup features enough performance advantage. An integrated memory controller wasn't needed to end up faster than AMD's processors. Read on at DailyTech.