Should i wait for Penryn on Santa Rosa or just buy a Merom on Santa Rosa now?

Question

The difference is that Penryn is made on the 45nm process and Merom is made on the 65nm process

Answer 1

It will be slightly faster, and more power efficient. Nehalem willl be on 45nm and not 32nm, just to clear that up. If you don't have to have a computer now you can go ahead and wait if you want, but the difference is not major, but it is something.

Answer 2

it's not worth to wait on the Penryn processor. only minor improvements are to be expect aside the 45nm process.

it would be absolutely more worth to wait on the Nehalem (expected release in 2009). this processor will come with a new architecture and 32nm (according newer infos with 45nm) process, probably called "Core 3".

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ok, i was wrong with the 32nm process for the Nehalem, but initially it was planned to release it already with 32nm. the presumptions about future Intel processors change from time to time.

here the latest infos about scheduled or expected future Intel computer chips.
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The successor to Penryn, based on a new post-Core microarchitecture which features the return of hyperthreading, is Nehalem; it was discussed at the September 2007 IDF meeting, though the release date is not until the end of 2008.

The 32 nm shrink of Nehalem is called Westmere; provided that Intel stays on target with its roadmap, Sandy Bridge will be released at 32 nm with a newer microarchitecture around 2010. In 2011, Intel will launch its first processor based on a 22 nm process. Based on Intel's cycle alternating new architectures and die shrinks every two years, it is currently assumed that this will be a shrink of Sandy Bridge.
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