Our sources have confirmed that Nehalem will end up faster than the K10.5, but at the same time its die will be significantly larger.

Intel probably needs much more space to accommodate the core logic for eight thread CPU capability, but this might make Intel’s chip between 20 to 30 percent bigger.

Bigger chips are traditionally hotter and tougher to produce, and this might be the same situation that we’ve already seen with the G92 graphics chip versus AMD's RV670. Nvidia’s G92 is faster, but at the same time much bigger than the RV670.

Both K10.5 and Nehalem are expected later this year and Intel already implied that Nehalem should launch in Q4, while AMD still plays it safe and predicts a second half of 2008 timeframe.