Intel Core i7

Intel Core i7 is an Intel brand name for severalfamilies of desktop and laptop 64-bit x86-64 processors using the Nehalem, Westmere, and Sandy Bridge micro architectures. The Core i7 brand istargeted at the business and high-end consumer markets for both desktop andlaptop computers, and isdistinguished from the Core i3 (entry-level consumer), Core i5 (mainstreamconsumer) and Xeon (server and workstation) brands.

The Core i7 name was introducedwith the Bloomfield Quad-core processor in late 2008. In 2009 new Core i7 models based on the Lynnfielddesktop quad-core processor and the Clarksfield quad-core mobile were added,and models based on the Arrandale dual-core mobile processor wereadded in January 2010. The first six-core processor in the Core lineup is the Gulftown, which was launched on March 16,2010. Both the regular Core i7 and the Extreme Edition are advertised asfive stars in the Intel Processor Rating. In January 2011, Intel released thesecond generation of Core i7 processors. Both the first and second generation ofIntel Core i7 processors are rated as 5 stars in the Intel processor rating.The 2nd generation of Intel core processors are based on the 'Sandy Bridge'core and are set to be updated in January 2012 with 'Ivy Bridge'

In each of the first three micro architecturegenerations of the brand, Core i7 has family members using two distinctsystem-level architectures, and therefore two distinct sockets (for example,LGA 1156 and LGA 1366 with Nehalem). In each generation, the highest-performingCore i7 processors use the same socket and QPI-based architecture as thelow-end Xeon processors of that generation, while lower-performing Core i7processors use the same socket and PCIe/DMI/FDI architecture as the Core i5.

"Core i7" is a successor to the Intel Core 2brand. Intel representatives stated that the moniker Core i7 is meant tohelp consumers decide which processor to purchase as the newer Nehalem-basedproducts are released in the future.