Intel Core i7 Nehalem 965 XE 3.2GHz review

The long awaited new generation of Intel processors - Core i7, based on the new Nehalem core are finally available. Farewell FSB, hello QuickPath. Still we need to find out how does the new architecture fares to the older quad and dual core processors in various applications an are the great expectations of the user justified (or rather - is the top model Core i7 965 XE worth the obscene price tag).

Through the last few years Intel undoubtedly dominates the market. The times of the brilliant AMD Athlon 64 processors is long gone, the rule of Core (for the mobile computers) and Core 2 (for not only mobile but desktop computers too) is now. When you're on top there is no reason to stop. So this is how it has come to that, that we'll be reviewing the Nehalem, against whom AMD has nothing to show, just like they had no adequate answer for Intel's new processors through the past few years, and mind you - that's in every processor segment - desktop, mobile and server.

Despite everything Core 2 were based on the same socket as the older in architecture terms Pentium processors. Core 2 was the first truly dual core Intel processor, where the two cores were synchronized via shared L2 cache. But with using the LGA775, the architecture of the old motherboards, they were constrained in leaving uncorrected a major disadvantage, that AMD processors of the day didn't have - the use of FSB and memory controller integrated in the chipset instead in the processor.

Looking at the first Intel Nehalem Core i7 processor, we see it is in rather high degree based on the successful Core 2 architecture, yet at the same time bares some new and important architecture differences, technological технологии и features, like the integrated in it memory controller and also brings back older but well proven ones such as HT (Hyper Threading), thus addressing the Core 2 shortcomings, in an attempt to create the perfect processor. Now, before we dive head firs in testing, in order to determine is that true or not, lets see what exactly are the new things we face.