OK, the headline is misleading, on two levels. Firstly, Intel actually weasel-worded it, saying that Penryn would "push desktop PCs to run 40 percent faster for gaming." (emphasis all mine) Secondly, and consequently, the fact is that most modern games rely more on video cards and system RAM than fundamental brain-grunt anyway.
However, 40 percent is the kind of performance increase we like to see every six months or so. A minor bound in the history of Moore's Law it may be, but it's hardly a kick in the teeth, and if it makes Oblivion's AI all the more radiant, that's just great.
The improvements will apply across the board, to anything "bandwidth-intensive," which I guess is equivalent to "makes servers hot," and "makes your computer slow down." A move from a 60nm fabrication process to 45nm makes it all possible, and the new chips will be available in the fall.
Pictured is the high street of Penryn, England.
News Story [PC World]
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