Coming: Quad-Core CPUs

AMD and Intel once traded blows by pushing processor speeds higher, but heat issues brought the megahertz war to an end. Today's arms race is about introducing more processor cores. AMD fired the latest shot, announcing in November 2005 that it plans to produce a four-core chip by 2007. Intel has four-core CPU plans, too: The company plans to roll out its first multicore processor, code-named Tigerton, that same year.

Does this news mean your new dual-core desktop is already old news? Not really. The first quad-core chips will target servers; so far, neither AMD nor Intel has announced plans for a quad-core desktop chip. "Quad core won't make a lot of sense on the desktop for a while," comments AMD's Damon Muzny.

Tom Mainelli