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Core i7 Nehalem is Intel's major revamp to their processor architecture. Not intended by any means, to be a phase that will pass, but to be a stepping stone in the field, which will set the standard for newer architectures. Well, the good news is, it is the best of breed today and will serve all of today's processing needs without any of the architectural deficiencies that Intel's processsors have suffered from in the past - one way or another. What follows is a brief explanation of the major improvements with i7.
Triple-Channel MemoryIn simple terms, dual-channel memory mode is when you bundle chips of memory in twos, which renders faster memory speeds along with parallel access across both channels, distinctly doubling memory access speeds. Triple-channel, just means that you now buy memory in threes and the number will go up is what history tells me, when they find material that can be condensed to achieve smaller components. Then you would buy one chip which is a condensed 16 chips or whatever. I dont understand the number 3 and its significance here, but I will leave this topic at that.
Enter QuickPath Interconnect (QPI)The concept of a front side bus is now history. QPI Utilizes an Integrated Memory controller in the processor to perform this activitym thus achieving significantly greater bus speeds. This means that there is no longer a bus that transports data between the memory controllers and the CPU - no more latency. Designed exclusively for multi-core architectures, QPI uses direct point-to-point connections which is much faster than any legacy FSB architeture with a bandwidth of 25.6GB/s! One could compare this to AMD (American Micro Devices) Hypertransport architecture. Are we seeing a pattern here, or is this just how innovation works. Well, as long as efficiency is achieved, competition is justified, and vendors will and shall learn from each others mistakes and successes. We're leaving that topic alone.
Overclocking?The Core i7 processor supports overclocking and thermal control internally. Which means that the processor can be configured to automatically reach higher speeds when the extra juice is needed while automatically maintaining core temperatures. This means less work for us in the BIOS.
HyperthreadingThe Core i7 is a quad core processor with each core capable of simulating two logical processors, aka. Hyperthreading. This combination of both symmetric multi processing and simultaneous multi-threading provides enough flexibility for both multiple applications and multithreaded applications that we constantly run into in a video-editing, picture-editing and gaming world.
Performance
Great processor, Great Architecture. Our first attempt was to build a Hyper-V Server which we've used as a virtual platform for all our other machines. Thanks to Acronis TrueImage Backup software. At best, we've seen that each of our machines (3) which have been virtualized, each running and feeling like 'much' faster machines. We primarily use Terminal Services and NoMachine Nx to remote into these servers. Performance has been breathtakingly greater with 12 developers simultaneously working on these boxes at all times.
If you've complained about Vista or are planning to complain about Windows 7 this processor will definitely eliminate that possibility.
i7 ComponentsThis page lists Intel I7 Processor based components for you to build your own PC. You'll also find information on pre-built PC's that contain the best components already put together for you. Idea is to put together a configuration for you that works.
Any Ultra ATX Chassis should be a good fit for your computer - we leave that for you to decide. There are other i7 processors available out there, but this one is the best bang for the buck - guaranteed.
Note that when more than one kind of the same product is shown, it is because we do want to show you every option out there that adds value. For example, the Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 XMS3 and the Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator memory are both shown as one runs at lower clockspeed, but provides a good bang for the buck while the other is a little more expensive (not outrageously) and might provide a bang for the buck in terms of performance depending on what your needs are.
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Sunny, yes. That is money well spent. Enjoy your new PC. I've ordered one of the XPS435MT's myself and am looking forward to using it as my primary PC. I will be getting the Corsair Dominator memory to up my machine to 12GB also... the 1333 clockspeed should be phenomenal indeed, especially because I tend to do a lot of work in Visual Studio, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
I just purchased a Dell Studio XPS 435 MT from Dell's Outlet web site. It came preconfigured with DDR3 1066 Memory - 2G X 2 and 1G X 4. This was dissappointing because in this configuration I really could not use the Triple Channel Memory configuration, which the system is capable of. So I looked at your suggestion and went ahead and ordered three of the 4GB Kingston PC3 10600 DDR3 1333 Memory Kits for about 56$ each. Worth the extra 170 bucks, my computer runs at DDR3 1333MHz now, and at full triple channel speed! Thanks for the suggestion the i7 processor rocks!!!