Intel Turbo Boost Performance Advantage Revealed Rev. 2.0

Unlike the Core 2 processors, the new Core i7 and Core i5 processors have a monolithic design. That means the entire quad-core processor is fabricated on a single die. The quad-core version of the Core 2 processor, on the other hand, combines two dual-core dies in a multi-chip package (MCP). The newer Clarksdale core (powering some Core i5 processors) also uses the latest 32 nm process technology. Finally, the Core i7 and Core i5 processors feature a slew of new technologies :

- an integrated DDR3 memory controller
- a three-tier cache design
- QuickPath Interconnect (or Direct Media Interface for some Core i5 processors)
- Intel Turbo Mode technology (now renamed Intel Turbo Boost)

This article will focus on the mysterious Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It has been bandied about by Intel as a nifty way to improve the Core i7's performance with older applications that cannot fully utilize its four processing cores, but what exactly is it?

In this revision, we updated the entire article, expanded the list of Turbo Boost speed limits, added new x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 results and corrected mistakes in the other results. Read more at TechARP.