INTEL Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor Review

Dual core processing, we hardly knew ye, and despite the advent of four cores, we'd still like to get acquainted. Sure, we'd have no qualms about accepting a Core 2 Quadro rig outfitted with four gluttonous 8800GTX videocards to satiate our quad-SLI craving, but the problem is we don't know anyone giving away such a feast of PC debauchery. And call us penny pinching misers all you want, we're just not taking out a second mortgage in order to fund a faster Super Pi time that won't help us shoot straighter in Counter Strike or increase our productivity with negligibly quicker load times for Word or Excel. And thanks to Intel's Core 2 Duo lineup, we need not feel bad about picking up a more budget friendly solution because when it comes to real world performance, there's not a whole lot that separates a sub $200 processor from a $1K chip. Today we look at Intel's budget minded Core 2 Duo E6300 processor. Clocked at 1.86GHz coupled with 2MB L2 cache and an economical price tag, the E6300 looks to be the ideal jumping off point for that upgrade to a Microsoft Vista capable system.

Intel's Core 2 Duo line shares the same IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) as the Pentium D lineup, which was Intel's first attempt at offering a dual core processor. Also familiar to Intel aficionados is the MALAY marking, denoting this chip was packaged (not manufactured) in Malaysia. The 8 digit FPO/Batch number also appears on the IHS, and they refer to the following (in order):

x = Test Site
x = Year of Manufacture
xx = Week of Manufacture
xxxx = Lot Code Identifier (includes Stepping)

Socket changes are a way of life for enthusiasts, but in this round for Intel, they've stuck to the LGA775 pin package that was first introduced with the Prescott Pentium 4. Longtime AMD patrons finally relenting to the Intel camp will notice a change to what they expected to see on a processor's underbelly. LGA775's defining characteristic is the absence of pins underneath, which have been moved off the CPU and integrated into the motherboard's socket instead. When installing a processor using this pin package, extra care should be taken when lowering the chip, as these pins are easily bent.

When AMD took the computing world by storm with their X2 lineup of dual core processors, they pulled another Ace out of their sleeve with a redesigned heatsink/fan. Following the footsteps of third party cooling manufacturers, AMD followed suit with a heatpipe solution of their own, and these coolers were surprisingly effective. And just when we hoped that stock cooling would jump into the enthusiast limelight, Intel had to rain on our parade with a return to a bland combination of metal and fan for a new generation of CPUs. No heatpipes, blooming fins, or other edgy characteristics are to be found. Because our Core 2 Duo has a low TDP of only 65W, Intel can get away with a vanilla cooling solution and thermals will never be a concern (assuming adequate case airflow), but we can't help but be disappointed with coupling an ordinary heatsink on an extraordinary processor lineup.

Flipping our drab cooler over reveals a slightly more stylish copper baseplate with a thermal pad separated into three columns. Again, this combination will work fine for a standard cooling solution, but if you have some Arctic Silver 5 on hand, we'd recommend removing the stock goop. Be sure to have some isopropyl rubbing alcohol on hand, preferably greater than a 90% concentration for quicker evaporation, and a healthy supply of Q-tips.