INTEL CORE I7

INTEL CORE I7

 INTEL CORE I7 

        Intel Core i7 is an Intel brand name for several families of desktop and laptop 64-bit x86-64 processors using the Nehalem, Westmere, and Sandy Bridge microarchitectures. The Core i7 brand is targeted at the business and high-end consumer markets for both desktop and laptop computers, and is distinguished from the Core i3 (entry-level consumer), Core i5 mainstream consumer) and Xeon (server) brands.

In each of the first three microarchitecture generations of the brand, Core i7 has family members using two distinct system-level architectures, and therefore two distinct sockets. In each generation, the highest-performing Core i7 processors use the same socket and QPI-based architecture as the low-end Xeon processors of that generation, while lower-performing Core i7 processors use the same socket and PCIe/DMI/FDI architecture as the Core i5.

"Core i7" is a successor to the Intel Core 2 brand.[1][2][3][4] The Core i7 identifier was first applied to the initial family of processors[5][6] codenamed Bloomfield introduced in 2008. In 2009 the name was applied to Lynnfield and Clarksfield models.[7] Prior to 2010, all models were quad-core processors. In 2010, the name was applied to dual-core Arrandale models, and the Gulftown Core i7-980X Extreme processor which has six hyperthreaded cores. In January 2011, Intel released a line of Sandy Bridge based chips under the Core i7 brand.

Intel representatives stated that the moniker Core i7 is meant to help consumers decide which processor to purchase as the newer Nehalem-based products are released in the future.[8] The name continues the use of the Intel Core brand.[9] The first Core i7 was officially launched on November 17, 2008.[10]