Intel Introduces Core i7, Xeon 3400, and Core i5 Processors
Chipmaker’s new products are based on Nehalem microarchitecture and feature Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading technologies.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp. introduced several high-performance desktop and server processors yesterday. The new Intel Core i5 processor family, two new Intel Core i7 processors, and the Intel Xeon processor 3400 series bring Intel’s Nehalem microarchitecture to the mainstream desktop and entry server markets.
Formerly code-named “Lynnfield,” these new chips are based on Intel’s Nehalem microarchitecture. The new processors, along with the new Intel P55 express chipset, are available today.
All processors are lead- and halogen-free and feature Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology. The Core i7 processors also support Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology.
According to the manufacturer, its new chipset “brings the most revolutionary design changes since the invention of the PCI bus in the early 1990s.” An Intel press release adds, “These changes set the stage for Intel’s forthcoming 2010 compute platform.” Intel says its P55 Express Chipset will be “the baseline building block component” for motherboards worldwide
The Core i7 and i5 processors are the first Intel processors to integrate both a 16-lane PCI Express 2 graphics port and two-channel memory controller, enabling all input/output and manageability functions to be handled by the single-chip Intel P55 Express Chipset. Previous Intel chipsets required two separate chips.
A Direct Media Interface (DMI) connects the processor and chipset. The chipset supports 8 PCI Express 2.0 x1 Ports (2.5GT/s) for flexible device support.
Dual graphics cards are supported in a “2×8” configuration.
The chipset also supports 6 SATA 3 Gb/s Ports with Intel Matrix Storage Technology, providing RAID levels 0/1/5/10. Up to 14 USB 2.0 Ports can be supported with the chipset’s integrated USB 2.0 Rate Matching Hub, along with Intel HD audio.
The new processors are Intel’s first to be supported by the new Land Grid Array 1156 package and socket technology.
