Intel prepping for launch of Core i7
By Andrew Lyle, 09 November 2008 - 19:11 27 comments
Codenamed 'Bloomfield', now branded Intel Core i7 is set to be the biggest launch of Intel's processor core line up.
The chip family officially launches on November 17, 2008, setting you back $280 to $999 for the higher end model.
The chips come in 3 models, 920, 940, and the higher end model 965 Extreme Edition. All models of the chip feature 4 cores, 256 kb L2 Cache and 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, ranging from 2.66 GHz to 3.2 GHz, with 800-1600 MHz 3xDDR3 memory controllers, in a LGA1366 socket.
Even more amazingly, this chip features Intel's Hyper-Threading technology, which can run two simultaneous threads, per core. The chip can also power down each of its cores to a zero power state when the chip is idle, for maximum power efficiency.
Early tests show this chip can out-perform its predecessor Yorkfield up to 17% in single core tests. In the single-thread tests of Super-Pi 1M tests, the Intel Core i7 running at 2.66 GHz performed the test in 15.36 seconds.
With just a few days away, will Intel finally be able to bury its rival AMD, and continue its dominance in the hardware market? Time will show if the falling US economy has any effect on the release of what could be the biggest release of Intel's career.
Comments (27)
bb10 - 09 November 2008 - 19:33
It's Nehalem and only the Bloomfield is branded "Core i7".
BrainDedd - 10 November 2008 - 08:00
Amen to that.
Digitalx - 09 November 2008 - 19:35
too bad price isn't high on their agenda... why i stick with AMD.
kaiwai - 09 November 2008 - 20:22
And have all the joys of either a buggy chipset or an unsupported one - for those of us who don't run Windows. Marvellous - call me back when AMD actually stop being Microsoft's b*tch, then I might take an interest.
Digitalx - 09 November 2008 - 21:08
buggy or unsupported chipset... ? can't say i've ever heard of such thing but anywho my chipsets an nvidia one so i don't expect much from it anyway even though it's running perfectly well and whole computer costed less then it was to buy a good quad core cpu from intel.
Ci7 - 09 November 2008 - 21:57
costless and performless !
Barcelona failure
Digitalx - 09 November 2008 - 22:11
Barcelona failure
lol playing crysis on high smoothly is performless ? ok ...
Ci7 - 09 November 2008 - 22:36
lol playing crysis on high smoothly is performanceless ? ok ...
crysis is gpu limited anyway
you didnt get the math amd Quad costless and perform less compared to
intel Quad which pwn them
they came late ... the built the hype .... they lose .... the deserve to be lughed at !
*looks at wallet and cries*
Avi - 10 November 2008 - 11:44
+1.
Anaron - 09 November 2008 - 20:26
Sigh... a new CPU means a new motherboard which therefore means new RAM. I'll wait until the prices drop. Better yet, I'll wait and see what AMD brings to the table.
kiddingguy - 09 November 2008 - 23:08
+1
GP007 - 10 November 2008 - 00:08
Only new if you're using DDR2 now, there are X48 Core2Q/D mobos out there that support DDR, in which case you're using the same RAM. There is also the advantage of 3-channel DDR3 on the new x58's for more bandwidth and max RAM (12GB v 8GB before).
The new motherboard and socket where expected for a long time, the new Core i7 is pretty different than the current C2Q, even if the basic cores are the same. The new memory controller on-die along with QPI make all the difference.
Airlink - 10 November 2008 - 03:20
Some Core i7 motherboards will have 6 DIMM slots. If you assume each DIMM slot can take a 4GB DIMM, then it can have up to 24.5 GB of RAM:
6 DIMMs x 4GB per DIMM = 24576 MB or 24.5 GB.
However, some Core i7 motherboards will only have 3+1 DIMM slots.
Doli - 09 November 2008 - 20:50
Wait until "black friday" :P
emzino - 09 November 2008 - 22:05
Why don't battery manufacturers just stop living in the past and do some upgrading to battery life so it makes easier for all of us.
I'm still surprised to see that battery technology within laptops haven't really improved... Dissapointing
SBUX - 10 November 2008 - 04:27
Ya seriously... and I hate how 'stated' time is never really 'actual' time. If I am meant to turn all options and features off, run no programs, then I may as well turn it off!
Phalesafe - 09 November 2008 - 22:05
I'm gonna hold out for the 8 core flavor as I'm pretty sure it will still use the new 1366 socket but will have a totally new VRM and require a new mobo then.
Ci7 - 09 November 2008 - 22:36
well wait 2-3 years more
Glendi - 09 November 2008 - 23:45
The Hyper-Threading is for each of the 4 cores, which will trick them as being 8 cores.