Intel Core i7 arrives this month

Sat Nov 1, 2008 3:01AM EDT

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At long last, Intel is set to roll out its latest update to the Core line of CPUs, and it's a big one. Called Core i7, it officially arrives this month, but a final, official date has still not been set. (Most have speculated that November 17 is the arrival date, but I've seen reports that it will officially be out before next weekend.) You will, however start seeing official reviews of i7-based systems starting tomorrow, so the time is nigh.

Here's the essential scoop on Core i7.

Formerly known by the code-name Nehalem (often misspelled Nahalem), this is a major upgrade to the Core 2 family of CPUs which have been the performance leader and standard-issue components on desktops and laptops since 2006. i7 will initially be available only on desktop PCs, though. Server and laptop versions are still in the works.

Architecturally, the new chip is said to mark the biggest single-cycle change since 1995's Pentium Pro. It's easy to see why: It's packed with loads of new features and looks to dust anything else on the market in performance. For example: The frontside bus (long a bottleneck in CPU design) no longer exists; it's replaced by Intel QuickPath, which now connects the CPU to I/O processing functions. I/O performance under this design should be improved by up to a whopping 10 times.

The first models are all quad-core designs, but i7 allows for up to eight cores on a chip. Those designs are likely to come in 2009. With all designs, all the cores and controllers are on a single die, unlike some earlier multicore CPUs.

Memory controller features are expanded, with support for DIMM slots in sets of three instead of two: Expect 3GB and 6GB RAM options to be the common alternatives.

Hyper-threading, a technology innovated back in the Pentium 4 era, is back. Theoretically it allows for more effective multitasking, though with such gargantuan power on the die, it will be hard to quantify what difference the return of Hyper-threading makes without some fancy benchmarkin'.

While I rarely review desktop PCs, I'm definitely looking forward to getting the first i7-based laptop on my desk. No ETA on those bad boys, alas. Stay tuned.

Comments on Intel Core i7 arrives this month

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  • 2 Posted by cricketr77 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    I've also seen some sites that say that November 10 is the release date. Also, Newegg has started selling triple channel memory in 3 and 6gb versions, and though they're not selling any x58 motherboards, its 'x38 and x48' motherboard section has been changed to 'x38, x48 and x58'

  • 3 Posted by os_the_spythug on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Impressive! its really impressive but as i heared its having so many problems and they are trying to fix them, as i always say never buy the product before your friend does...

  • 4 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Sounds impressive, but I can think of several ways to fry that bad boy in a microsecond. In order to release reliable computers to the consumer segment using this technology, there needs to be some upgrades to the motherboard market as well, significant enough to provide in-circuit deadman path routing so you dont blow the CPU by having I/O that is out of spec for what the CPU can handle. Although motherboards with that type of technology have been made on and off since 2004, almost no motherboards made today contain that technology. When these new i7 processor----- the streets, there is suddenly going to be a huge rise in systems that suddenly die out of the blue - and when the systems are tested, the only thing that is going to be fried will be the CPUs.

  • 5 Posted by jbraisher on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a poor college student who enjoys building PC's and I can't wait to upgrade to a Quad Core since when thi----- s, everything else will drop. But yeah I agree I'll let someone else realize it sucks before I lay down all the cash for this. Look at the nVidia 9 series, everyone who laid down the $300 bucks for the 9800gt looked like idiots when 2 months later the GTX series came out. Moral of the story: never buy an item as soon as it comes out.

  • 6 Posted by justme989898 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    Gaming performance is not much better then current quad cores I think this will be there downfall. Hopefully AMD takes this opportunity to innovate where they failed and wipe the floor with them like the netburst era

  • 7 Posted by aagnis79 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    It would be great if this CPU is built for Laptop !!!! If anyone know let me know.

  • 8 Posted by kif159 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    What good is a processor if you don't have a motherboard to play it on? I mean AMD might stink when it comes to CPUs but atleast they are compatible with each other....intel's goal is to shoot a giant hole in your pocket. I think intel forgot what it means to upgrade, AMD when you buy a processor, you only buy a processor, with intell everytime you want to change the processor, you have to change your motherboard, Case, and everything. Finding an Intel and motherboard compatibly is harder than finding your true love...really.

  • 10 Posted by townelounge on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    AMD got rid of their front side bus years ago. This may be revolutionary for Intel, but not the CPU industry. Another example of how Intel is really NOT the technology leader. I have heard many good things about the Nehalem CPU and I'm sure it will be very good for Intel, but let's not get too consumed by the hype of the marketing machine that is Intel.

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