Intel Core i7 CPUs reappear on NewEgg

Remember those Core i7 processors that showed up -- ever so briefly -- on NewEgg a few days ago, only to promptly disappear, leaving us to ponder what we'd done wrong? Well, even though they're not slated to officially hit shelves until November 17th, we've heard from a slew of vigilant tipsters (hipsters?) that they're back. The prices are the same as we saw before, but you might want to check 'em out yourself right away, just in case they disappear again and you're forced to wait until tomorrow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Game_playa @ Nov 16th 2008 1:06PM]

Repost?

[Game_playa @ Nov 16th 2008 1:06PM]

Silly me, I didn't read the post

[High Ranks make you sterile @ Nov 16th 2008 1:26PM]

RTFA!!!!

(wait)

Silly me, I didn't read the comment.

[Techie @ Nov 16th 2008 1:48PM]

I don't know you guys but I'm waiting until the cache hits 12MB or at least 16MB+, hopefully 24MB+

[AlekZander @ Nov 16th 2008 2:02PM]

@Techie:

That's not going to happen. The i7 uses a completely different architecture from the Core 2 series, it doesn't need large caches. 1 MB of L2 cache on an i7 is equivalent to 6-8 MB on a Core 2.

[MioTheGreat @ Nov 16th 2008 3:45PM]

Given that the memory controller is now on the processor die, you don't need the caches to be quite as large as they were with the C2D.

[vampritt @ Nov 18th 2008 3:42AM]

does the X58 motherboard has USB 3.0 ? sorry just curious....

[Ethan Zonca @ Nov 16th 2008 1:06PM]

The i7's also showed up in TigerDirect's most recent catalog

[kal326 @ Nov 16th 2008 11:45PM]

I got an email today that the 920 and 965 as well as quite a few boards were in-store at Microcenter. Didn't both to actually check into it as I don't really need to drop $800+ on a new board, proc, and 4GB of DDR3 since I already picked up a Q6600 less then a year ago.

[vampritt @ Nov 17th 2008 10:52PM]

Sorry to say but intel is repeating its past 775 core/core2 mistakes. Sockets after sockets for the same architecture. Its marketing dream but end user nightmare.

All we want is some good motherboard with rock solid component and get low end processor and overclock it like hell (thats why we need good mobo)..heheheh

PS: running on intel 965 Gigabyte DS3 with 2160 @3.2Ghz.. yummy... (and cheap) Rock stable!!!

hehehe call me cheapstake but I think there are lots of users like me

[brandon @ Nov 16th 2008 1:06PM]

Yay!!!

[Casper42 @ Nov 16th 2008 4:14PM]

Looks like they also rolled out the rest of the x58 boards as well. Friday they had like 2, today they have 7.

Time to start shopping!!

[MioTheGreat @ Nov 17th 2008 12:19AM]

Start shopping?

Apparently, newegg has already given me a tracking number.

[Erb @ Nov 16th 2008 1:07PM]

Doesn't matter, They don't actually ship until tomorrow!

[initialxy @ Nov 16th 2008 1:12PM]

But what about motherboards? It won't fit on current-gen boards right?

[Kamokazi @ Nov 16th 2008 1:14PM]

Look before you speak...8 models available on Newegg starting at $220

Currently only the X58 chipset is out, but other models should appear soon.

It's also a different socket too, LGA1366

[decapitor @ Nov 16th 2008 1:12PM]

Cheaper and available now at microcenter according to the email they sent me this morning.

[m-p{3} @ Nov 16th 2008 1:13PM]

Holy sh.. $1,069 o_O

[Kamokazi @ Nov 16th 2008 1:16PM]

That's normal for their extreme edition chips. The ouch is the low end being over $300.

[o29 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:16PM]

Extreme edition always comes with extreme prices.

[Andrew @ Nov 16th 2008 1:43PM]

Thats not to bad for the low end seeing as it will out process almost all of the regular core 2 quads.

[ethana2 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:47PM]

extreme edition.. is extreme.

Right, Limecat?

[Leindurstit @ Nov 16th 2008 1:22PM]

Awesome, reverting to an old naming scheme. How are they ever going to undo this damage and hope to convince the average buyer that a 965 is better than a 9650.

[Dookky @ Nov 16th 2008 1:48PM]

I would hope anyone buying parts to build a computer would know the difference... If they don't, they don't deserve to bask in the glory that is i7.

[mohammad7410 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:23PM]

You're forgetting something, it has free shipping !!

[mohammad7410 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:24PM]

I hate the comment system.
This was @m-p{3}

[ethana2 @ Nov 16th 2008 1:48PM]

I feel your pain. We all feel your pain sooner or later.

[KillaChaos @ Nov 16th 2008 1:48PM]

$300 for .6Ghz on a 45nm chip? Am I missing something?

[bobartig @ Nov 16th 2008 2:12PM]

Yes, for the past ~50 years or so, higher-end processors have demanded a premium over the middle of the pack variants that can't run as fast. This is particularly true when a chip is new, and the high, extreme speed chips are priced outrageously high, although they'll be the first to come down when price breaks start happening. It costs a premium to be at the very front of the hardware curve. You've been missing something, probably for the entirely of your life.

[KillaChaos @ Nov 16th 2008 2:22PM]

You can easily overclock 1Ghz+ on most 45nm chips, .4Ghz doesn't feel worth $300 to me, especially when the only feature from low end to main stream is a higher clock.

[steve @ Nov 16th 2008 4:40PM]

dude, the entire architecture is different. The i7 can get a lot more done at the same speed than a Core2. According to your logic, a 3+Ghz P4 netburst would spank a lower clocked Core2, but this completely wrong, facepalm wrong. Go do some research...

[steve @ Nov 16th 2008 4:46PM]

here, i'll help. slow day today...

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.[16] The 2.66 GHz Core i7 920 scores 16,294. An earlier generation Core processor, 2.66 GHz Core 2 Quad Q9450, scores 11,131.[17]

AnandTech tested the Intel QuickPath Interconnect (4.8 GT/s version) and found the copy bandwidth using triple-channel 1066 MHz DDR3 was 12.0 GB/s. A 3.0 GHz Core 2 Quad system using dual-channel 1066 MHz DDR3 achieved 6.9 GB/s.[18]


from wiki

[holycow @ Nov 16th 2008 5:01PM]

Yes you're missing the '2'

[Marshall Worth @ Nov 16th 2008 1:49PM]

As for the average consumer, they just buy whatever Dell, HP, etc tell them to buy, sooo no harm done there.

[Marshall Worth @ Nov 16th 2008 1:50PM]

ugh, @Leindurstit

[wootman @ Nov 16th 2008 2:14PM]

So why do mobos only start at 220$ for the i7s, it seems bit high to me.
Is there anything special in them im missing out on, besides a different number of socket connections and whatnot?

[Nihility @ Nov 16th 2008 2:47PM]

They come with free rape.

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 16th 2008 2:53PM]

The X58 chipset is for enthusiasts. I personally think they are amazing because they offer both SLI and CrossFire compatibility and 6 slots for RAM.

Don't worry, Intel will release more stuff next year for everyone else :p

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Nehalem_(microarchitecture)#Variants

[MioTheGreat @ Nov 16th 2008 3:18PM]

The x58 chipset is expensive, for one. Implementation is non-trivial, as well.

Anyway. I'm excited for the little "OC Palm" thing that comes with the nicer Asus boards. You can put Yahoo widgets on it, which is really neat.

[Casper42 @ Nov 17th 2008 12:09AM]

Its not just X58, though that is part of it.

Core i7 will come in 2 flavors.
The LGA 1366 which is on the boards you see today.
The LGA 1156 (formerly 1160) which comes out next year.

The 1366 variant is meant specifically for Gamers and Enthusiasts and will actually be the same socket used for Small to Medium servers as well. Will you be able to run a Xeon i7 in an x58 board? No idea. But you can see Intel is using a very similar architecture which means this platform will grow wings and fly over time.

The 1156 is the chipset is what you will see in the majority of the Dells, HPs, Gateways, etc sold at your favorite (or least favorite) big box store.

Anyway, I'll stop babbling, but hopefully you get the idea that these are meant to be high end systems, and thus carry a high end price tag as well. I would expect you see the x58 and 1366 for Dell in the XPS system, for HP in their BlackBird, etc.

I priced the cheapest Core i7 system earlier at Newegg (keeping Triple Channel DDR3) and it comes in at around $700 for the 920 Chip, Cheapest Board and 3 x 1GB RAM.
A mid level machine using the 940, a more expensive board and 3 x 2GB RAM comes to around $1200.
A Top end machine with the 965, Asus Rampage II Extreme and 6GB of DDR3-1600 comes to around $1800

[eggothewaffle @ Nov 17th 2008 12:51AM]

The uber 8-core monsters, codenamed Beckton, will be coming out on yet *another* socket: LGA1567.

I'm not sure if I'm really digging Intel's decision to divide all these desktop/server chips into three sockets. Two I can understand, but three? What?

[MioTheGreat @ Nov 17th 2008 2:22PM]

>The uber 8-core monsters, codenamed Beckton, will be coming out on yet *another* socket: LGA1567.

The LGA1567 chips are MP chips. It's understandable to give them a different socket.

[Tester3000 @ Nov 16th 2008 2:33PM]

The mobo's will drop in price soon,, just like everything else. Early adopter will have to pay a premium. I can see the price dropping a bit by x-mas. Also these are the high end x58 boards. Lower end boards will probably be coming out next year.

[Wiigee @ Nov 16th 2008 2:43PM]

Hipsters dont look at this stuff. they are all about apple. unless they use old emachines to be ironic.

[Eli Gundry @ Nov 16th 2008 4:01PM]

Ugh. Your totally breaking the first rule of hip: Discussing what is hip. Now excuse me while I shun you with my friends from that corner.

[KilgoreTrout @ Nov 16th 2008 2:49PM]

Something's wrong here.
I ordered 3 extreme edition mit mobo to stick into voice activated 64 bit HTPCs I'm building for some choosy clients and the scandinavian distributor told me to forget about them until december, thus causing an inconvenient imbalance in my wallet cash flow.
Now that this bad boys have been announced people insist on having them on their systems even if a good 'ole Xeon would do just as well for a fraction of the price, without upsetting my cash flow just to wait for fancy newfangled pieces of silica of which they only know the name.
The customer is always right but very often is a moron too.

[kal326 @ Nov 16th 2008 11:54PM]

Tucker? What the fuck are you babbling about?

[KilgoreTrout @ Nov 17th 2008 6:31AM]

Who's Tucker?
What the fuck are YOU talking about?

[Rekit @ Nov 16th 2008 2:56PM]

Newegg -- the reason I own a business credit card.

[NoAndThen @ Nov 16th 2008 3:05PM]

I'm going to wait for the next revision (I make it a rule not to buy 1st gen tech) but I'll definitely be building this into my next xbmc HTPC, probably late next spring when pricing is a little more reasonable and i7 overclocking is stable and easy as pie.

These things are freaking sweet, though.