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INTEL CORE I7 EXTREME: FASTEST PROCESSOR EVER

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Intel Corporation has launched its most advanced desktop processor ever called the Intel Core i7 processor. Intel Core i7 is a family of three Intel Desktop x86-64 processors, the first processors released using the Intel Nehalem microarchitecture and the successor to the Intel Core 2 family. All three models are quad-core processors.It was officially launched on November 17, 2008.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology automatically adjusts the clock speed of one or more of the four individual processing cores for single- and multi-threaded applications to boost performance. The Core i7 processor more than doubles the memory bandwidth of previous Intel “Extreme” platforms, speeding the transfer of computer bits and bites in and out of the processor with Intel Quickpath Technology. Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology allows multiple computing threads to run simultaneously, effectively enabling it to do two things at once, so the Core i7 quad-core processor delivers 8-threaded performance.

Each Core i7 processor has an 8 MB level 3 cache and three channels of DDR3 1066 memory to deliver the best memory performance of any desktop platform. Intel’s top performance processor, the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition, also removes overspeed protection, allowing further increase in the chip’s speed.


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A 2.93 GHz Core i7 940 system has been used to run a 3DMark Vantage benchmark and gave a CPU score of 17,966.[15] The 2.66 GHz Core i7 920 scores 16,294. An earlier generation Core processor, the very expensive 3.20 Ghz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770, scores 13,182. Another one, the 2.66 GHz Core 2 Quad Q9450, scores 11,131.

Over-clocking will be possible with the 900 series and a motherboard equipped with the X58 chipset. In early October 2008, reports surfaced that it will not be possible to use "performance" DDR3 DIMMs that require voltages higher than 1.65v, because the integrated memory controller within the Core i7 will be damaged.[18] Some tests, however, have demonstrated that the voltage limit does not apply, like on a MSI board, and manufacturers can choose to bond CPU voltage to memory or not. By the end of that month, performance memory vendors had announced 1.65v DDR3 memory kits with clock rates up to 2GHz.

he Intel Core i7 is also a very good match for extreme gaming platforms, especially heavy Multi-GPU environements that require a tremendous amount of CPU power, so the Core i7 965 Extreme Edition can provide incredible gains over Intel's previous fastest CPU: the Core 2 Extreme QX9770.Now play Crysis like never before. 

Intel Core i7- 920 starts at $284, Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition will cost $999. But the prices are expected to come down in next 4 to 5 months.
And OEM`s may start shipping systems with core i7 extreme by the end of 2009.

IS WINDOWS 7 REALLY VISTA SP2 IN DISGUISE?

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Many people who got disappointed with vista(not really me) are hoping that Windows 7 will bring dramatic changes to Windows, they may well be disappointed. More and more evidence shows that Windows 7 may only be the equivalent of a Vista SP2.

Microsoft is being remaining silent about what will be in Windows 7, but it looks as if no major changes are in the offing. Microsoft has said that it's not developing a new kernel for Windows 7, and it has said that the hardware, software, and peripherals that work with Vista will also work with Windows 7.

Microsoft has said that Windows 7 will include something called pervasive multi-touch. That's a fancy way of saying that you'll be able to run the operating sytem and its underlying applets via a touch screen.

That certainly doesn't get me excited. Microsoft has been touting touch screens and pen computing for as far back as I can remember, and no one seems to care. Sure, it will help with specialized applications, but for most business and home users, it simply doesn't matter.

Windows 7 may ship with a new version of Internet Explorer such as internet explorer 8(if microsoft is able to release the full version by that time which is currently in beta state) and isn't necessarily tied to the operating system.

No doubt, there will be other changes as well. But if the kernel isn't being rewritten, and if all existing Vista hardware and software will work with Windows 7, there's a good chance you won't see any major changes to Windows.

Windows XP SP2, you may recall, added considerable new features to XP. It finally gave a firewall to Windows, introduced a pop-up blocker, introduced better wireless access and security, and more.

Those are all very significant changes --- and it's not clear that Windows 7 will offer as many new features as even SP2 did for XP.

So why bother giving the new version of Windows a new name, instead of calling it a Service Pack? Because Vista has gotten a tremendous amount of bad press, and this will be a way for Microsoft to put that behind it.

I hope that I'm wrong, and that we'll see plenty of new features in Windows 7. After all, we're still about a year-and-a-half away from shipping. But the signs right now don't look good.