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Intel Core i7-875K and Core i5-655K unlock multipliers, better performance
Intel's back in its familiar saddle today with the unveiling of a pair of new CPUs, marking the start of a new K-series that will cater to the overclocker inside all of us. The Core i7-875K is a 2.93GHz quad-core unit, which can scale heights of 3.6GHz via Turbo Boost, or even higher if you have the patience, tenacity and appropriate cooling to make it happen. Review action for this chip shows it to be Intel's premier offering short of the enthusiastically overpriced and overpowered Core i7-980X. Even more affordable will be the Clarkdale-based Core i5-655K, which trots along at 3.2GHz (with a 3.46GHz gallop option), but response to it was a little more muted. It's a dual-core CPU, after all, and if you don't plan on exploiting that unlocked multiplier to achieve some madness above 4GHz, you might be better off looking elsewhere. In amidst all the mad benchmarking, we've also found a review of a Falcon Northwest i7-875K rig as well, so give it all a read if you're mulling over a desktop upgrade. Read - Tech Report Read - AnandTech Read - PC Perspective Read - Hot Hardware Read - TweakTown Read - Legit Reviews
Dell packs Intel's Lynnfield CPUs into Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 desktops
With the introduction of new Intel CPUs comes the introduction of new rigs, and you can bet that Dell has been champing at the bit to unveil these two beauties. The new Studio XPS 8000 and 9000 machines are amongst the first from the Round Rock powerhouse to include Intel's minty fresh Core i5 and Core i7 processors, with the 8000 aimed squarely at mid-range users who'd prefer a smaller case. Both rigs can be equipped with some pretty decent innards, with up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, room for dual internal hard drives, eight USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA socket, 350W power supply and an optional TV tuner available. Graphics cards from ATI and NVIDIA are also available (ATI's HD 3450; NVIDIA's GT220, GTS240 and GTX260), and if you're really feeling crazy, a Blu-ray drive can also be slotted in. Both rigs can be ordered up today, with the 8000 starting at $799 and the 9000 requiring at least $1,999 to bring home.
Intel's Lynnfield processors now officially official, benchmarked
Sure, Taiwan's been enjoying these chips for almost a month at this point, but it's taken until now for Intel go official with its announcement of the "Lynnfield" processors, Core i5-750 and Core i7-870. If the early reviews are to be believed, both chips are dominant in their performance and price range, although there are some notable caveats for the tech savvy to take heed of. If you're in need of the finer details of all these, hit up the read links below for the skinny. Read - HotHardware Read - PC Perspective Read - Tech Report Read - TweakTown Read - Official Intel Press release
Intel is clandestinely selling Core i5 and new i7 chips in Taiwan (video)
Well, clandestinely is perhaps too strong -- and long -- a word for it, but the fact is that Intel's thoroughly roadmapped and unnecessarily delayed desktop refresh has already happened for folks in Taiwan. Our buddies at TweakTown even went to the trouble of putting together a video of Taipei's computer market, which didn't seem to suffer any shortages of Lynnfield parts. In US currency, the prices above are $204 for the Core i5-750, $296 for the i7-860 and $593 for the i7-870, which at least confirm earlier indications on the matter, but come on Intel, if you're not going to announce these things, at least start selling them on the sly over here too.
Intel's Core i7 'Clarksfield' CPUs for laptops launching late September?
Taiwanese rumor-rag, DigiTimes, has a knack for sniffing out insider information from within Taiwan's MoBo manufacturing cartel. So it's worth paying attention when it claims to have the latest launch schedule for Intel CPUs. Up first is a trio of laptop-based Clarksfield CPUs -- 2GHz Core 2 Extreme XE, 1.73GHz Core 2 Quad P2, and a 1.6GHz Core 2 Quad P1 –- ready to make their debut sometime around the end of September or October. These processors should carry the Core i7 brand to keep things as confusing simple as possible and would be a suitable match for a Q4 refresh of the MacBook Pro or Dell XPS laptop, for example. At the low end of the rumored schedule are a pair of Celeron SU2300 and Celeron 743 CPUs for ultra-thin laptops with an expected announcement coming at the end of September. Intel's also pegged with plans for desktop-based Lynnfield CPUs and P55 chipsets to be announced between September 8-11. The first announcement is set for early August -- if Intel starts making a fuss about its new Xeon procs for servers at that time then we'll have a pretty good idea as to the validity of DigiTimes' claims.
Intel rebrands: Core i3, i5, i7 are in, Centrino on the outs
Intel's doing some spring cleaning on its branding structure, adding new Cores on the block. Joining the high-level Core i7 series will be the mid range Core i5 in the coming months and the lower-end Core i3's early next year. To be more specific, the Lynnfield chipsets will be either i5 or i7 depending on the feature set, Clarkfield mobile chips will be i7, and the 32nm Arrandale will at least at first fall under i3. Of course, with the new gang in town, some older monikers will be going wayside, and getting the slow fade out are Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, and Centrino, the latter being eventually marginalized for WiMAX and WiFi products only. Making the cut are Celeron, Pentium, and the ever-resilient Atom names. We're a bit sad to know there will never be a Core 2 Dodeca, but hey, it's only a name, right?. Hit up the read link for more details, including a video interview with Intel's VP of Marketing Deborah Conrad.[Via CNET]Read - Intel's New Brand Structure ExplainedRead - Fewer Brands, Greater Impact
Intel said to slip Core i5 platform to September, competition needed
Want a good example of why Intel -- or we, the consumer -- needs a strong competitor? DigiTimes' has it from sources at motherboard makers that Intel will delay its mainstream desktop Core i5 platform (including Lynnfield procs and 5-series chipsets) from July to early September. A rumor with merit given DigiTimes' proven sources within motherboard makers like ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI. The reason for the delay is to allow vendors to deplete 4-series inventories that have piled-up during the economic slow-down. Of course, if AMD or... well, AMD could muster the silicon to compete with Intel at the same price point then such a delay would not be possible. How much you say? DigiTimes has the Core i5 processors priced at 2.93GHz ($562), 2.8GHz ($284) and 2.66GHz ($196) when purchased in bulk. [Via PC Perspective]
Gigabyte shows off GA-IBP Core i5 motherboard at CeBIT
What, what? Core i5? What's that? In short, that's the response we got when prodding for details on this here motherboard at CeBIT, but sure enough, the object you see above just might be the first mainboard shown off designed to play nice with Intel's forthcoming Core i7 lite™. The Gigabyte GA-IBP will reportedly be available to purchase around July, which -- coincidentally enough -- is right when we're expecting the Core i5 chips to make their debut on the market. The on-hand Gigabyte rep wouldn't talk about specifics, noting that most everything about this board was still under NDA; when we strolled into Intel's hall, we were flat told that no Core i5 prototypes were available here in Hannover. At any rate, you can count on at least one motherboard to use on your next mid-range gaming rig, and you can peek that very board in the gallery below.
Intel demos first-ever 32nm processors
Intel had a little roadmap event today to shed some light on its massive $7b fab investment, and the focus was mostly on the upcoming transition to 32nm processors -- highlighted by the first-ever demo of a working 32nm Nehalem-based Westmere chip. It was just a demo, so there aren't any hard benchmarks available, but eventually the tech will show up in the Calpella platform's dual-core Clarkdale laptop processors that integrate two processor cores, a graphics core, and a memory controller all in a chip the size of one 45nm quad-core Clarksfield chip. (Yes, the codenames are confusing as hell.) Intel wouldn't lock down the schedule for any of this stuff, but when we asked them about the rumored Calpella delays we heard about this morning we were told that parts of the platform will definitely go into production sometime in 2009. Video, slides, and the full press release after the break.
