2. INTRODUCTION
• A Central Processing Unit (CPU), or sometimes just called
processor, is a description of a class of logic machines that can
execute computer programs.
• Intel Core i7 is a family of three Intel desktop processors, the
first processors released using the Intel Nehalem micro
architecture and the successor to the Intel Core 2 family. All
three models are quad-core processors.
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3. INTEL CORE
• Intel Core is a brand name used for various mid - range to
high-end consumer and business micro processors made by
Intel.
• Identical or more capable versions of Core processors are also
sold as Xeon processors for the server
The current Core processors
Intel core i7
Intel core i5
Intel core i3
The old core processors include:
Intel core 2 solo
Intel core 2 Duo
Intel core 2 Quad
Intel core 2 extreme
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4. INTEL CORE
Types of Intel core micro processors :
Enhanced Pentium M based
Core Duo
Core Solo
64 bit Core micro architecture based
Core 2 Duo
Core 2 Solo
Core 2 Quad
Core 2 Extreme
Nehalem micro architecture based
Core i3
Core i5
Core i7
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5. INTEL CORE
Enhanced Pentium M based :
The original Core brand refers to Intel’s 32 bit mobile dual core
x86 CPU s that derived from the Pentium M branded
processors.
Core Duo :
Intel Core Duo (product code 80539) consists of two
cores on one die, a 2 MB L2 cache shared by both cores, and
an arbiter bus that controls both L2 cache and FSB(Front side
bus).
Core Solo :
Intel Core Solo (product code 80538) uses the same
two-core die as the Core Duo, but features only one active
core. This allows Intel to sell dies that have a manufacturing
defect in one but not both of the cores.
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6. INTEL CORE
64 bit micro architecture based :
The successor to Core is the mobile version of the Intel core 2
line of processors using cores based upon the Intel Core micro
architecture released on July 27, 2006.
Core 2 Solo :
The Core 2 Solo introduced in September 2007, is
the successor to the Core Solo and is available only as an
ultra-low-power mobile processor with 5.5 Watt thermal
design power.
Core 2 Duo :
The majority of the desktop and mobile Core 2
processor variants are Core 2 Duo with two processor cores
on a single Merom , Conroe , Allendale, Penryn or Wolfdale
chip.
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7. INTEL CORE
Core 2 Quad :
Core 2 Quad processors are multi chip modules
consisting of two dies similar to those used in Core 2 Duo,
forming a quad-core processor. This allows twice the
performance of a dual-core processors at the same clock
frequency.
Core 2 Extreme :
Core 2 Extreme processors are enthusiast versions
of Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, usually with a
higher clock frequency and an unlocked clock multiplier.
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8. INTEL CORE
Nehalem micro architecture based :
The Nehalem micro architecture Intel introduced a new naming
scheme for it . The Core i3 was intended to be the new low end
of the performance processor line from Intel
Core i3 :
The first Core i3 processors were launched on January
7, 2010. The first Nehalem based Core i3 was Clarkdale based
Core processors. There are
three variants, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7.
Core i5 :
Core i5, like Core i7, is based on the Nehalem micro
architecture. The first Core i5 was introduced on September 8,
2009 and was a mainstream variant of the earlier Core i7.
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9. INTEL CORE
Core i7 :
The Core i7 brand remains the high-end for Intel's desktop and
mobile processors, featuring the Sandy Bridge models with the largest
amount of L3 cache and the highest clock frequency.
Processors :
• The initial Core i7 processors released were codenamed Bloomfield,
branded as Core i7-9xx along with their Xeon 3500-series counterparts.
• Lynnfield is the second processor sold under the Core i7 brand, while
at the same time being sold as Core i5
• The second mobile Core i7 processor family is Arrandale, sold as the
Core i7-6xx processors
• Sandy bridge is the second generation Intel Core i7 series processor,
and is based on micro architecture
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10. FEATURES of i7
1. SOCKET: The Socket is a new LGA1366(Socket B) and is incompatible
with the previous versions:
LGA refers to Land Grid Array, a new type of socket for the latest range
of processors. The LGA is used as a physical interface for microprocessors
of the Intel Pentium 4, Intel Xeon, Intel Core 2 and AMD Opteron families.
Unlike the pin grid array (PGA) interface found on most AMD and older
Intel processors, there are no pins on the chip; in place of the pins are pads
of bare gold-plated copper that touch pins on the motherboard.
Intel supposedly decided to switch to an LGA socket because it provides a
larger contact point, allowing, for example, higher clock frequencies. The
LGA setup provides higher pin densities, allowing more power contacts
and thus a more stable power supply to the chip.
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12. 2. ON-DIE MEMORY CONTROLLER: The memory is directly connected
to the processor.
Three channel memory: each channel can support one or two DDR3 RAM’s.
Motherboards for Core i7 have four or six RAM slots.
Supports DDR3
• DDR3 RAM (double-data-rate three random access memory ) is a random
access memory technology used for high speed storage of the working data in
the computer.
• The benefit of DDR3 is the ability to run its I/O bus at four times the speed of
the memory cells it contains, thus enabling faster bus speeds and higher peak
throughput than earlier memory technologies.
• The DDR3 standard allows for chip capacities of 512 megabits to 8 gigabits,
effectively enabling a maximum memory module size of 16 gigabytes.
• There is a significant reduction in power consumption. It needs only 1.5V
compared to 1.8V for DDR2.
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14. 3. Quick Path Interconnect:T he front side bus is replaced by Quick Path
interconnect. Motherboards must use a chipset that supports Quick Path.
the Front Side Bus (FSB) is the bus that carries data between the CPU and the
north bridge.
Front side buses serve as a connection between the CPU and the rest of the
hardware via a so-called chipset. This chipset is usually divided in a north
bridge and a south bridge part, and is the connection point for all other buses
in the system
Pros: FSB architecture is an aging technology. High flexibility , low cost and
no theoretical limit to the number of CPUs that can be placed on a FSB.
Cons: In recent years this has been breaking down with increasing use of
individual point-to-point buses (see Hyper Transport and Quick Path). The
front side bus has been criticized by AMD as being an old and slow
technology that bottlenecks today's computer systems.
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15. The Intel QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) is a point-to-point processor
interconnect developed by Intel to compete with HyperTransport. It will
replace the Front Side Bus (FSB) for Desktop.
The speed of data transfer is 25.6 Gbps, almost double that of FSB.
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16. 4. Cache Memory
32 KB L1 instruction and 32 KB L1 data cache
per core.
256 KB L2 cache (combined instruction and
data) per core.
8 MB L3 (combined instruction and data)
shared by all cores.
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17. (a). Re-implemented Hyper-threading.
Each of the four cores can process up to two threads simultaneously, so the
processor appears to the OS as eight CPUs.
Hyper-threading (officially termed Hyper-Threading Technology or
HTT) is an Intel technology used to improve parallelization of computations
performed on PC microprocessors.
(b). 781M transistors for the quad core version.
(c ). Sophisticated power management can place an unused core in a zero-power
mode.
5. Support for SSE4.2 & SSE4.1 instruction sets.
SSE4 is an instruction set used in the Intel Core microarchitecture and AMD.
Intel SSE4 consists of 54 instructions. A subset consisting of 47 instructions,
referred to as SSE4.1. Additionally, SSE4.2, a second subset consisting of the
7 remaining instructions, will first be available in Core i7.
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18. 6. Overclocking : Overclocking is the process of forcing a computer
component to run at a higher clock rate (more clock cycles per second)
than it was designed for or was designated by the manufacturer, usually
practiced by personal computer enthusiasts in order to increase the
performance of their computers.
The idea is simple by varying the electrical and physical characteristics
of computing systems.
The first consideration is to ensure that the component is supplied with
adequate power to operate at the new speed. However, supplying the
power with improper settings or applying excessive voltage can
permanently damage a component.
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19. CHIPSET in i7
A chipset is a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that are designed to
work together, and are usually marketed as a single product.
In personal computers based on Intel Pentium-class microprocessors, the
term often refers to a specific pair of chips on the motherboard: the
northbridge and the southbridge.
The northbridge links the CPU to very high-speed devices, especially
main memory and graphics controllers, and the southbridge connects to
lower-speed peripheral buses (such as PCI or ISA).
In many modern chipsets, the southbridge actually contains some on-chip
integrated peripherals, such as Ethernet, USB, and audio devices. A chipset
is usually designed to work with a specific family of microprocessors.
Because it controls communications between the processor and external
devices, the chipset plays a crucial role in determining system performance.
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21. The northbridge typically handles communications among the
CPU, RAM, AGP or PCI Express, and the southbridge. Some
northbridges also contain integrated video controllers, also
known as a Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
in Intel systems.
The southbridge is a chip that implements the "slower"
capabilities of the motherboard. Because the southbridge is
further removed from the CPU, it is given responsibility for the
slower devices on a typical microcomputer.
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26. CONCLUSION
In a test performed on a leaked hardware, the core i7
outperformed the currently fastest core2 extreme
processor.
It has got the advantages of high performance, highly
overclockable, quite cooling and power efficient.
Some of the disadvantages include the requirement of
newer motherboards, sensitive to higher voltage.
The technology keeps on improving as the need for
faster and high end applications increases. The i9 core
version is about to be released soon.
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