The overall theme of 45nm is efficiency. Thanks to the smaller process, benefits should include better thermal properties, better power efficiency, faster performance at equal frequencies and for the enthusiasts, potentially better overclocking. Add to the fact that 45nm has gone lead-free, the new transistors seem like a win / win.
But just how small is 45nm? Go grab a metre stick and divide it into one billion equal sections. One of those pieces is a nanometre. If that feels like too much work, just consider the fact that you could fit 2,000 45nm transistors across the span of a single human hair. Or for an even more mind-boggling comparison... 30 million on the head of a pin. Dual-Core Penryn chips will include 410 million of these transistors, while Yorkfield will be double this number.
There's more to these transistors than just being small though. Intel has been talking about High-k Metal Gate transistors all year, and according to co-founder Gordon Moore, this new implementation "marks the biggest change in transistor technology since the introduction of poly-silicon gate MOS transistors in the late 1960s.
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