PSU Requirements

The Intel Core i7 processors aren't really that much of a power hog, if you compare them to high-end 3D graphics cards. Still, Intel provided us with some details of the Core i7's PSU requirements :

• The PSU must have two (2) 12 V rails.
• The PSU must be capable of a continuous current flow of 16 A at 12 V.
• The PSU must be capable of a peak current flowof 19 A on the second 12 V rail.

The 5 V rails are of no importance, only the 12 V rails. Intel recommends a minimum PSU power output of 450 W.

King Of 3DMark Vantage

Intel was very proud that the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition has the highest score in 3DMark Vantage. They compared the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition running at its standard clock speed of 3.2 GHz against the Core 2 Extreme QX9770 overclocked to 5.7 GHz. The result?

Do note that to minimize the bottleneck effect of the storage system and achieve such a score, Intel used two of their fastest 80 GB solid state drives in RAID 0 mode in the testbed. The SSD RAID array deliver a constant throughput of over 512 MB/s with a seek time of only 0.1 ms!

Not Quite The End

Intel gave us way too much information for us to include in this update. We will have more performance results and even more details of the Intel Core 2 processor coming up soon! In the meantime, take a look at these recent articles on Intel processors :

• Intel's Desktop CPU Roadmap @ October 2008
• Intel's Desktop Chipset Roadmap @ October 2008
• Intel's Mobile CPU & Chipset Roadmaps @ October 2008
• ED#102 : The Intel Core i7 Processor & Intel X58 Express Chipset Are Ready For Launch
• ED#103 : Intel To Launch New Core 2 Desktop Processors

Also, don't forget to take part in The Tech ARP 2008 Graphics Card Giveaway Contest!

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