DR. G. D.

POL FOUNDATION YMT College of Management

Sector -4, Institutional Area,

Kharghar, Navi Mumbai - 410210

A RESEARCH PAPER
On

Comparative Study On Different

Intel Core i7 Processor

Submitted By
Sanjay Namdev Dhadve

Under the guidance of

Prof. Pooja Mehta

For

SEMESTER VI SEMINAR
MASTER IN COMPUTER APPLICATION
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
 YEAR 2015-16

Comparative Study On Different

Intel Core i7 Processor
Sanjay Namdev Dhadve
Master in Computer Application
YMT College of Management, Kharghar
[[email protected]]

Abstract [1][2]Intels Core i7 processors are requires a comparison with their immediate
based on the Penryn manufacturing process the predecessors. The comparison can be
company introduced last year, but otherwise summarized as follows. The Core i7 is a
there are few similarities with the Core 2 Duo, completely new architecture which is muchfaster
Core 2 Quad, and Core 2 Extreme lines. A Core and more efficient than the Core 2 Duo.
i7 processor fit in familiar LGA775 motherboard Currently only the Core i7 920, 945 and 965 XE
chip sockets the Intel norm for years now. Core versions are available. Of that the Core i7 920 is
i7 processors employ a new technology the Intel available at just offers better performance than
Quick Path Interconnect (QPI), for increased almost all Core 2 Duo processors.
bandwidth and reduced latency. Hyper-
Threading has also been reintroduced the line, so Keywords Intel core i7, Penryn manufacturing,
each core process two threads simultaneously
making eight-core processing a reality. And in Motherboard chip, Quick Path Interconnect (QPI),
case that not enough multiprocessing for the Hyper-Threading, Intels Netburst architecture,
technology can support as eight physical cores ALU architecture, Core 2 Due.
meaning that 16-core processing The road to the
Core i7 actually started with the demise of Intels
Netburst architecture. Intel's old strategy for
producing microprocessors was to simply I. INTRODUCTION
increase the core clock speeds, instruction sets
and cache sizes a few ticks every year. Every Intel core i7 processor is one of the
time this happened the power draw and heat first core i-series processors built based
levels would increase as well, until eventually on the new Intels micro architecture
Intel hit a brick wall with the Pentium 4. They technology called Nehalem. Intels
are 64 bit processors in computer architecture, Nehalem micro architecture has key
64-bit integers, memory addresses or other data features that outrank from previous
units are those that are at most 64 bits wide. Also processor technologies.
64-bit CPU and ALU architectures are those that
are based on registers, address buses or data In the Nehalem architecture, the
buses of that size. The need for core i7 processors memory controllers and North Bridge
 are directly put into the processor. In
the Nehalem processor technology,
core i7 is the first CPU introduced in
2008.

Intel core i3, i5, and i7 naming scheme for their

CPUs for quite a while now, but what these labels
mean tends to slowly change over time as new
features are introduced or older ones get replaced.
On top of this, the naming scheme between desktop
and mobile CPUs is often different as well. In this
article, we will go over what differentiates i3, i5,
and i7 processors for both mobile and desktop
Haswell CPUs. The biggest thing you need to know
in regards to the i3, i5 and i7 naming scheme is that
it is primarily a way for Intel to separate their CPUs
into three performance tiers:
a. Intel Core i7: High-end
b. Intel Core i5: Mainstream
c. Intel Core i3: Entry-level
Until recent times, core i7 family processors
were the best particularly for extreme 3D
gaming, intensive graphics tasks,
multimedia production in standard
computer level. Now, this processor becomes
CORE I7 GENERAL
previous generation CPU, for the reason that
SPECIFICATION
Intel introduced new and improved
processors called 2nd generation Intel All support 64-bit execution
Core processors family. But this doesnt
mean that we shouldnt buy Core i7 Integrate 4 Cores (latest Core i7 processor
processor. It still does the job it is designed incorporate 6 cores)
for.
Speed ranges from 2.66GHz to 3.33GHz
Core i7 processor has several versions both in
high end and budget group. Depending on Front Side Bus Speed include 2GHz,
your work type and budget, you can pick the 4.8GHz or 6.4GHz
right one. Support DDR3 main memory
Support Hyper-threading technology
1MB L2 and 8MB L3 cache
Enhanced Intel Speed Step Technology
Virtualization Technology
Streaming SIMD Instructions (MMX)
Over clocking capability
 Supports Intel Turbo Boost technology to 25.6 GB/s of total bidirectional data
throughput per link. Intels decision to move
the memory controller in the CPU and
introduce the new QPI data bus an impact for
single-processor systems. However, this
PURPOSE OF INTEL CORE I7 impact is much more significant for
PROCESSOR multiprocessor systems.
The Core i7 processors series targets
the gaming industry and for the
applications that demand efficient
performance.
Generally, Core i7 processor is
recommended for:-

Multitasking, for running multiple

programs at the same time

Multithreading applications

Extreme 3D gaming
The higher-level architectural differences
Creating professional movies and between the previous generation and the new
editing graphical tasks Nehalem micro architecture for multiprocessor
systems.
More than enough for basic tasks such
as word processing, internet browsing
and e-mail

II. EXISTING SYSTEM

FEATURES OF INTEL COURE i7

PROCESSORS

1. Higher-Performance Multiprocessor
Systems with QPI [1]
Fig- Previous Generation Micro architecture
Not only was the memory controller moved to
the CPU for Nehalem processors, Intel also
introduced a distributed shared memory
architecture using Intel Quick Path
Interconnect (QPI). QPI is the new point-to-
point interconnects for connecting a CPU to
either a chipset or another CPU. It provides up
 a PXI system, processor intensive applications can
take advantage of the multiple CPUs. Examples of
these types of applications range from design
simulation to hardware-in-the-loop (HIL).

I. COMPARISON OF INTEL PROCESSORS[6][7][8]

Processor Series Code Production

Nomenclature Name Date
Intel Core Txxxx, Yonah
2006 - 2008
Lxxxx,
Fig: Nehalem Micro architecture Uxxxx
Intel Core Uxxxx, Allendale,
2 Lxxxx, 2006 - 2011
Conroe,
Exxxx,
Txxxx, Merom,
P7xxx, Penryn,
Xxxxx,
Qxxxx,
QXxxxx
Intel Core i3-xxx, i3- Arrandale,
i3 2xxx, i3- 2010 -
Clarkdale,
3xxx, i3- present
4xxx Sandy

Intel Core i5-7xx, i5- Arrandale,

i5 6xx, i5-2xxx, 2009 -
Clarkdale,
i5-3xxx, i5- present
4xxx Clarksfield,
Lynnfield
The Nehalem micro architecture integrated the
memory controller on the same die as the Core i7 Intel Core i7-970, i7- Gulftown,
processor and introduced the high-speed QPI data i7 980, i7-980x,
Sandy
2011 -
bus. In a Nehalem-based multiprocessor system i7-990x, i7- present
39xx, i7- Bridge-E, Ivy
each CPU has access to local memory but they also
49xx, i7 Bridge-E,
can access memory that is local to other CPUs via 58xx, i7
QPI transactions. For example, one Core i7 59xx
processor can access the memory region local to Intel Core i7-6xx, i7- Bloomfield,
another processor through QPI either with one i7 7xx, i7-8xx,
Nehalem,
direct hop or through multiple hops. With these new i7-9xx, i7- 2008 -
2xxx, i7- Clarksfield, present
features, the Core i7 processors lend themselves 37xx, i7-
well to the creation of higher-performance Clarksfield
38xx, i7-
processing systems. For maximum performance 47xx, i7- XM,Lynnfield,
gains in a multiprocessor system, application 48xx
software should be multithreaded and aware of this
new architecture. Also, execution threads should
explicitly attempt to allocate memory for their
operation within the memory space local to the CPU Processor Clock Socket Fabri-cation
on which they are executing. By combining a Rate
multiprocessor computer with PXI-MXI-Express to
Intel Core 1.06 GHz - 65 nm
 2.33 GHz Socket M
Intel Core 2 Socket 775, 45 nm,
1.06 GHz - Socket 65 nm
3.33 GHz M,Socket
P,Socket
J,Socket T 2. Improved Cache Latency with Smart
L3 Cache[1]
Intel Core i3 LGA 22 nm,
1.2 GHz - 1156,LGA 32 nm
3.7 GHz 1155,LGA
1150 Cache is a block of high-speed memory for
Intel Core i5 LGA 22 nm, temporary data storage located on the same silicon
1.06 GHz - 1156,LGA 32 nm, die as the CPU. If a single processing core, in a
3.6 GHz 1155,LGA 45 nm multicore CPU, requires specific data while
1150
executing an instruction set, it first searches for the
Intel Core i7 LGA 1366, 32 nm,
3.0 GHz - LGA 22 nm data in its local caches (L1 and L2). If the data is
4.0 GHz 2011,LGA not available, also known as a cache-miss, it then
2011-v3 accesses the larger L3 cache. Exclusive L3 cache, if
that attempt is unsuccessful, then the core performs
Intel Core i7 LGA 1156, 22 nm, cache snooping searches the local caches of other
1.6 GHz - LGA 32 nm,
4.4 GHz 1155,LGA 45 nm cores to check whether they have data that it
1366,LGA needs. Attempt also results in a cache-miss it then
2011,LGA accesses the slower system RAM for that
1150 information. The latency of reading and writing
from the cache is much lower than that from the
system RAM, therefore a smarter and larger cache
Processor Number TDP Bus Speed greatly helps in improving processor performance.
Of Core
Intel Core 5.5 W - 533 MHz,
Single, 49 W 667 MHz The Core i7 family of processors features an
Double inclusive shared L3 cache that can be up to 12 MB
in size. Figure 4 shows the different types of caches
Intel Core Single, 5.5 W - 533 MHz, and their layout for the Core i7-820QM quad-core
2 150 W 667 MHz,
Double, processor used in the NI PXIe-8133 embedded
800 MHz,
Quad 1066 MHz, controller. The NI PXIe-8133 embedded controller
1333 MHz, features four cores, where each core has 32
1600 MHz
Intel Core Double 35 W - 1066 MHz, kilobytes for instructions and 32 kilobytes for data
i3 73 W 1600 MHz, 2.5 of L1 cache, 256 kilobytes per core of L2 cache,
Processor L1 Cache L2 Cache L3 Cache
- 5 GT/s
along with 8 megabytes of shared L3 cache. The
Intel Core Double, 17 W - 2.5 - 5 GT/s
i5 95 W L3 cache is shared across all cores and its
Quad
Intel Core 64 KiB 2 MiB N/A inclusive nature helps increase performance and
Intel Core per core
Quad, 130 W - 2.5GT/s - 6.4 reduces latency by reducing cache snooping traffic
i7 150 W GT/s
Intel Core 2 Hexa,
64 KiB 1 MiB - N/A to the processor cores. An inclusive shared L3
per core
Octa 12 MiB cache guarantees that if there is a cache-miss, then
64 KiB the data is outside the processor and not available
Intel
Intel Core
Core i3 Quad 45256
W -KiB 4.8 3 MiB 6.4
GT/s, -
i7 per core 130 W GT/s4 MiB in the local caches of other cores, which
Intel Core i5 64 KiB 256 KiB 4 MiB - eliminates unnecessary cache snooping. The L3 is
per core 8 MiB designed to use the inclusive nature to minimize
Intel Core i7 64 KiB 6x256 KiB 12 MiB -
per core 20 MiB

Intel Core i7 64 KiB 4256 KiB 6 MiB -

per core 10 MiB
snoop traffic between processor cores. The latency 5. Four cores allows for handling
of L3 access may vary as a function of the
software that requires lots of
frequency ratio between the processor and the
computations (some newer games
uncore sub-system.
This feature provides improvement for the overall will see increased performance)
performance of the processor and is beneficial for a
variety of applications including test, measurement 6. The Core i7 is Intel's current most
and control. Each physical processor may contain powerful processor, most have clock
several processor cores and a shared collection of speeds or GHz just below the absolute
subsystems that are referred to as "uncore".
best Core 2 Duo processor or higher
Specifically in Intel Core i7 processor the uncore
provides a unified third-level cache shared by all than the Core 2 Duo and unlike the
cores in the physical processor, Intel Quick Path best Core 2 Duo processors have
Interconnect links and associated logic. larger cache (the larger the cache, the
faster the processor can work),

7. The major difference is the amount of

processing cores, the more cores your
computer, the more things you can do
at once on your computer but overall
the i7 kills the Core 2 Duo in terms of
performance. Now that does come at
a price, i7 processors require DDR3
Figure 3: The Core i7 processor offers better cache RAM which is more expensive than
latency for increased performance the DDR 2 you can get away with
Core 2 Duo's,
ADVANTAGES OF INTEL i7 PROCESSORS
[8] 8. It requires more expensive
motherboards and if you're buying an
1. Affordable prices for being a quad-
i7 to really take advantage of it
core
expensive graphics cards and large
2. Built by a well-known, if not top, power supplies are necessary as well.
microprocessor manufacturer Bottom line, because the i7 at least
3. 45nm node technology allows for matches the Core 2 Duo in most
efficient cooling and over clocking models on GHz clock

4. IMC or integrated memory controller

lets the chip connect directly to
DISADVANTAGES OF INTEL i7
memory
PROCESSORS [8]
 1. Will only work with DDR3 Memory, in memory and data throughput when comparing
this micro architecture to previous micro
meaning for people upgrading from architectures. The main thing to remember is that i7
DDR2 will have to get a whole new CPUs are at the high end of the product line, i5
motherboard CPUs are in the middle, and i3 CPUs are entry
level.

2. New sockets different from the ever

REFERENCES
popular LGA775 socket (Core 2 Duo's
used this) will again mean getting a
[1] Series Datasheet, Intel Core i7-900
new motherboard
Desktop Processor Extreme Edition Series and
3. Not a whole lot of software will Intel Core i7-900 Desktop Processor, Volume
2
require multi-threading, meaning for
[2] http://ark.intel.com
the average person - there won't be
[3] http://ark.intel.com/products/family/79318/Intel-
much of a performance gain from a
High-End-Desktop-Processors#@Desktop
dual core.
[4] http://ark.intel.com/products/family/65504/3rd-
4. In some cases, the cache is lower on Generation-Intel-Core-i5-rocessors#@Desktop
the i7 compared to some dual cores - [5] http://www.intel.in/content/dam/doc/product-
brief/performance-core-i7-processor-brief.pdf
meaning programs that benefit from
[6] http://www.intel.in/content/dam/doc/product-
higher caches may actually experience
brief/core-i7-ee-brief.pdf
a performance loss
[7]http://download.intel.com/pressroom/kits/corei7/
5. Overall price is generally higher than pdf/Core%20i7%20Product%20Brief.pdf
dual cores, so upgrading isn't all that [8] http://it103achi.blogspot.in/2009/10/intel-i7-
chipset-advantages.html
practical since one would generally
[9] http://www.all-about-computer-
have to get a new motherboard and
parts.com/intel_core_i7_processor.html
memory as well for such a small gain.

CONCLUSION

In Intel Core i7 processor is Intels first CPU

designed based on Nehalem micro architecture.[9]
This processor is ideal for computer 3D games,
multitasking and multi-threading applications.
The Core i7 family of processors based on the Intel
Nehalem micro architecture offers many new and
improved features that benefit a wide variety of
applications including test, measurement and
control. Engineers and scientists can expect to see
processing performance gains as well as increases