Core 2 Duo is here

Intel, under increasing pressure form AMD, have released new Core 2 Duo CPUs. They say they are the most significant thing since the launch of the Pentium 4.

They are based on their microarchitechture which replaces NetBurst (used in P4) which is already available in Woodcrest (used in newer Xeons).

The processors don't run as fast as existing P4s which means they run cooler, but they run more instructions per cycle.

The Core 2 Due also comes in an Extreme edition designed with gamers and creatives in mind.