Another Core i7 laptop ready at the starting line

Darius Chang | Sep 24, 2009

At an Intel briefing session, we caught sight of another Core i7 laptop which is due to hit the retail market soon. The 16-inch Asus M60J series sports a Core i7 820 QM 1.73GHz processor, 4GB RAM, dual harddisk bays, 1GB Nvidia GeForce 240M GT graphics, Blu-ray drive and even an LED-backlit display. It also comes with a fingerprint sensor to boot.

So what's the big deal about the new Core i7 platform? Ignoring the technical jargon, there are three main factors which push the performance envelope of the chip to new levels. First, integrated memory controllers, which existed in AMD processors for years, has finally made it way to Intel offerings. This move allows data between the computing core and memory to be transferred much faster than when the components were on separate parts of the mainboard.

Second, the Intel Hyper-Threading technology provides two processing threads per core, which makes a program believe that a dual-core chip has four computing component. Last, but not least, Core i7 technology incorporates built-in overclocking for times when extra power is preferred over battery life and thermal production. Named Intel Turbo Boost, the processor can run at up to 75 percent faster than its official clock speed without causing damage to the system.

Some laptops based on the Core i7 chips are expected to start appearing in the next few weeks, though the majority of the vendors are waiting for Windows 7 launch on October 22 to announce their new systems.

Filed under: Notebooks
Leave a comment | Bookmark | Share