Monday 3rd November 2008

Intel Core i7 - all you need to know

Posted at: Monday 3rd November 2008 by Clive Webster and James Gorbold

Custom PC takes you through everything you need to know about Intel's amazing new processor

Core i7 (codenamed Nehalem) is a radical new design for Intel: for the first time, it’s producing a native quad-core CPU, in which all four cores sit on the same piece of silicon. With its Core 2 Quad and Extreme CPUs, Intel uses two dual-core dies to create a quad-core chip.

Core i7 processors are larger than Core 2s, so a new socket design is needed and new motherboards too. The result is stunning performance in both Windows-based applications and games. We’ll take you through the essentials of the new processor design, what you need to upgrade and what you should expect from a Core i7 upgrade.

Intel Core i7 essential knowledge

Three Core i7 processors at launch - performance compared, all much faster than anything previously seen
An integrated memory controller – triple-channel for massive memory bandwith
A new processor socket for Core i7 – LGA1366
A new chipset for Core i7 motherboards – Intel X58
The X58 chipset can support both SLI and CrossFire multi-graphics
The QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) – ditching the Front Side Bus
Under the heatspreader – a new processor design
Intel re-introduces Hyper-Threading – Core i7 is a quad-core processor, but can execute eight processes simultaneously
How to overclock a Core i7 – Core i7 surprisingly easy to overclock by over 1GHz

Core i7 Reviews

£1,500 PC: Scan 3SX X58 Core i7 – an amazing debut Core i7 PC, with superb application and gaming performance for only £1,500 inc VAT
Processor: Intel Core i7 processor line-up
Motherboard: Asus P6T Deluxe

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Comments

Hey Matt, OverDrive seems to kick in at 105C (like the TJunct of Core 2). Was watching it in Core Temp the other day and it's a bit weird - shows up as the TDP changing from 130W to much less!

Comment by Claave at 3:06am 17th November 2008

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FAO Claave

At what temp has Overspeed kick in

Comment by mattbailey at 12:55pm 5th November 2008

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@ Claave and vulcanproject

Thanks for clearing that up guys. I was seriously considering the scan 3xs x58 core i7 until I read that Toms review. Now I can start considering it as an option again. Cheers!

Comment by SO_007 at 10:08pm 4th November 2008

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lazy tomshardware

tomshardware had to issue an editorial because they falsely claimed intel were purposely limiting overclocking with overspeed. when the processor reaches the maximum TDP with overspeed enabled, it will not allow the clockspeed to be increased further. but what tomshardware neglected to do was investigate and preferred throwing wild accusations, turns out that this feature can be turned off for ALL models not just the extremes, in the BIOS. you can read the long not very apologetic red faced editors note here http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclocking-core-i7,2063.html

Comment by vulcanproject at 9:02pm 4th November 2008

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@ SO_007

We didn't mention it because it's not an issue if you overclock properly - the Overspeed Protection only kicks in if and when the CPU is overheating.

Comment by Claave at 5:30pm 4th November 2008

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£ ?

Just tell us one thing how much will they be.

Comment by layton14 at 4:10pm 4th November 2008

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Issues with oc'ing 920 & 940 processors

There seem to be differing views on the relative ease of oc'ing the new processors. I just read an article on Toms that mentions an Overspeed Protection feature and how this will limit the ability of oc'ing all but the EE processor. I was surprised to read this as it is not mentioned by CustomPC anywhere... Can anyone shed more light on this and clarify the position on oc'ing the new i7's? Link to article below: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Intel-Core-i7-Nehalem,review-31404-7.html

Comment by SO_007 at 2:19pm 4th November 2008

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pretty stunning

from the multiple full reviews i have read, core i7 is ridiculously good, and as multithreaded apps become more common its only ever going to get faster and faster compared to core 2. wow, what can you say, over to you AMD......