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Advanced Digital Media Boost

This will benefit SSE2 instructions by reducing the number of cycles needed to complete a lot of instructions from two clock cycles to one!

This change should significantly speed up applications that make extensive use of SSE instructions - so for example, MPEG2 encoders, rendering software, MP3 encoding, and some game applications should see a significant boost.

As they say, every little bit helps...

Other Features

• Virtualization Technology allows one computer to more efficiently function as multiple “virtual” computers. Virtualization can be used for server consolidation, running legacy operating systems as guest operating systems and partitioning for enhanced security.
• Extended Memory 64 Technology With 64-bit supporting software, computers supporting Intel EM64T can allow the use of extended virtual and physical memory - well beyond the 4GB physical memory limit of 32 bit systems. EMT64 is also fully compatible with AMD's AMD64 instruction set extensions. 
• Execute Disable provides for enhanced virus protection when supported by the operating system by  allowing memory to be marked as executable or non-executable, so the processor can raise an error to the operating system if malicious code attempts to run in non-executable memory - for example, using buffer overflow expoints to infect systems.

Next Generation Intel Platforms

Intel is targeting three market segments with the Core 2 Duo architecture

• Server - dual processor / dual core configurations with 80W TDP per processor with 40W LV parts available for high density applications
• Desktop - 65W TDP dual core single socket systems
• Laptop - "Mobile" TDP - we assume less than 40W - single socket dual core applications

Ok, now that we've given you a brief background on Core 2 Duo, we should say a word about the new 965 chipset Intel released for it...