Early launch for Intel's next quad core

The battle between Intel and AMD to dominate the processor market is tightening up, as Intel prepares to launch the second generation of its QX series quad-core processors.

Although Intel has made no official statement, there is wide speculation that the new version of the Core 2 Quad processor will launch at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on 8 January.

This would be just two months after the launch of Intel's first quad-core chips, the Xeon 5300 and Core 2 Extreme QX6700, which appeared in November. Their launch had originally been scheduled for 2007, but was brought forward by Intel. Shipping the Core 2 Quad so soon afterwards might help Intel maintain its current advantage over AMD, which stole a lead over Intel in dual-core processors but has yet to launch a quad core.

The QX6700 may make an impression in the market for servers and high-end workstation/enthusiast PCs. But conducting the launch at CES would suggest Intel is taking the consumer market seriously as well.

Most major systems manufacturers plan to use Intel's chips in their latest products. Dell jumped the gun in November with the early announcement of new quad-core systems, including new servers and workstations. Word broke of IBM's proposed quad-core offerings in November as well.

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