Intel in processor heaven with the new Core i7

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 11 August 2008 19:11

Opinion and Analysis

An Intel blog on the new processors says that more will be revealed at the San Francisco IDF (Intel Developer Forum) to be held from the 19th to the 21st of August, with the keynote speech by Pat Gelsinger on the 19th one to look out for.

Although we’ll see i7 processors appear in Q4 this year, 2009 will be the year that i7 processors really take centre stage.

Even though i7 is not a number that exactly flows on from the current “Core 2 Duo” designation, Intel says to “believe it or not, this new naming scheme should make it easier for PC buyers to decide which technology is right for them.”

Intel also tells us that “the Intel Core processor will become the foundation, the primary client brand going forward, with individual identifiers distinguishing different features and capabilities with the family of processors.”

The Register in the UK tells us that the Core i7 chips are also the previously codenamed “Bloomfield” chips, built on the Nehalem technology.

We can expect the Extreme Edition to run at 3.2GHz and work with 1333MHz of DDR3 memory, and is expected to sell for US $999.

The other two chips will run at 2.93GHz and 2.66GHz but will only work with 1066MHz DDR3 memory - see the Register link above for more technical details.

However despite the Register's revelations, Intel might still have a surprise or two up its sleeve for the IDF event, so much more will be known come the 19th!