For many performance hounds, the fact that a CPU is the newest, the biggest, and the best (and usually the most expensive) is reason enough to covet it. But if you dig a little deeper, what exactly does that new technology mean? Intel's new processor platform, code-named "Penryn," uses a 45-nanometer (nm) die, instead of the previous standard, a 65nm method. The new CPUs are manufactured using Intel's first completely lead-free process, using hafnium, which reduces current leakage (for reduced power usage) and provides high capacitance (for improved transistor performance-meaning higher clock speeds than before are now well within reach). An added benefit: The processors run cooler than their predecessors, especially the hot runners in the blazing Core 2 Extreme line.
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