After months of whispers, Intel today officially introduced the next major platform for its
processors with the introduction of the Core i7 and updates to the Core i7 and Xeon 3400 series for mainstream desktop and entry server markets.
i7 860 and i7 870 processors
Formerly codenamed "Lynnfield," these new chips are based on Intel's award-winning Nehalem microarchitecture and are designed for consumers who need high-end performance for digital media, productivity, gaming and other demanding
applications. These processors, along with the new Intel P55 express chipset, are available today.
The new Core i7 and i5 processors are the first Intel processors to integrate both a 16-lane
PCI 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 northbridge and a southbridge.