Intel's Core Duo meets the desktop

Xvid Encoding:

AutoGK 2.20; 15 minutes of Dr Who, convert to 175MB MPEG, 2 passes, 720x416;

Despite the 233MHz clock speed deficit, Intel's Core Duo T2600 was only nine seconds slower than AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4800+. Probably the most impressive thing is that the T2600 out-guns Intel's flagship Pentium Extreme Edition 965 processor, even with the massive clock speed deficit. After effortlessly overclocking our Core Duo to 2.6GHz, it beats AMD's flagship Athlon 64 FX-60 into a pulp.

DVD Ripping:

DVD Shrink 3.2; default settings; auto shrink (59.2%) of the [i]Rush Hour DVD;[/i]

It is clear that the DVD drive is a limitation in this test, but its not often that you rip a DVD direct from your hard drive. The Core Duo T2600 completed the test in the same time as the Athlon 64 FX-60, and was six seconds faster than the Athlon 64 X2 4800+. At 2.6GHz, the Core Duo T2600 was the second fastest chip in the test, only second to the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 by a whisker.