Intel recently launched the Nehalem based Core i7 as in their 7th architectural generation this year. A name that will catch on quickly and you’ll get used to it just as quickly as well. These Core i7’s work great, but the question on everyone’s minds is: are they any better than the Quad’s and are they furthermore worth it? The answer to come. For now let’s outline the general assumptions and expectations for the purpose of something that Intel always heralds as new: high quality parts, great efficiency, and dependable inextricable power.

As anyone who would read our reviews knows, we love plain and simple for the simple fact that beautiful things at most times come in very simple ways. “Experience the power of V8” is a daring phrase that Coolermaster takes to use in their new cooler, but it’s one that pays off. With a great cooling capacity for the CPU and reliability with support strength, the Coolermaster V8 is a cooler to be reckoned with in a sea where CPU heatsinks are far from few. While support is a great factor of reliability, the mount solutions prove troublesome at times where it requires the end-user to practically remove the entire motherboard for maintenance purposes. Thankfully with efficiency, maintenance is not needed in such a top-tier level.

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What’s that? Wait..it’s…it’s a QX9770. Yorkfield didn’t see this coming. Full of life and energy, it’s time for the QX9770 Core 2 Extreme to take the spotlight in the public’s gleaning and teary eyes. Get ready to make this baby your pride as it can handle all your gaming and application needs to the fullest. People go from processor to processor, question to question, only to end up on the same conclusion from their demands: What’s the CPU that can deliver the best possible experience for someone with my needs? Something that works for me? The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 speeds in at 3.2 GHz with a 1600MHz FSB to the rescue! Whether you’re the most demanding of users, or one that just wants every bang for his/her buck, the QX9770 delivers without a problem.

Placing the CPU in to the LGA775 socket, you can feel the connection you just made with your computer to give it the best in its digital lifespan. The 45nm manufacturing technology allows for a vibrant burst of life from the processing unit, and then comes the Windows screen. Where’d it go? What the heck? Exactly. It’s just that fast. We could barely catch the loading screen as the energy elixir was being effused into our motherboard from this processor. The CPU-Z shows a beautiful speed of 3.2GHz at a rated FSB of 1600FSB. A hidden feature of these processors, for those of you who don’t know, is that the multiplier is unlocked up until 31. Actually getting there is a whole another matter. With the processor from the Core 2 Extreme series, this shouldn’t get you sweating.

York. Field. Yorkfield. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor is the sexy, sleek, new 45nm quad-core ‘Yorkfield’ termed processor. It is also the entry level 45nm quad-core processor, which is followed in towards a low price point. Even though it’s a bit pricey at ~$300, the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 puts a race compared to the $240 AMD Phenom 9850 quad-core processor. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Processor is everywhere. No, seriously. Take a look. There’s bundles this, bundles that…DDR2 this with that, that OCZ with this that this this that. You get the idea. Good. So, what’s a person like you to do in such a haze like this? Read our review, of course! Intel’s latest addition to the Core 2 Quad family built using Intel’s 45nm technology gives that hafnium-infused circuitry the electron pumping power it’s always been seeking since 65nm.

The Yorkfield processor is efficient and doesn’t give headaches when it comes time to boot up. We can see our the processor is identified at 2.50 GHz along with a 1333MHz FSB and 6MB L2 cache (12MB shared). At first look, the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 is a decent overclocker, with a 7.5 multiplier (333MHz FSB x 7.5 multiplier = 2.5GHz). Even if it’s low, the FSB will have to be increased beyond 450MHz to break the 3.5GHz mark. Prep the liquid cooling. Now there are 2 ways of looking at this. If you have a dilapidated motherboard combined with a great processor such as this one, it needs FSB speeds above 450MHz that can give the system a good huff of smoke. If you increase the FSB to 400MHz that will make the CPU 3.0GHz, which is more than enough for common applications. But that’s yet to be seen.

The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor is by far one of the most talked about processors in 2008 and with a rumored prices and what not. This means that the E7200 will be priced lower than what you can purchase an Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 for today as it will set you back for $149.99. The E7200 at 2.53GHz is 70MHz slower than the E4700 that currently works at 2.6GHz, but don’t worry as the E7200 has 1066MHz FSB, which is faster than the E4700 that has just an 800MHz FSB. The Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 has a 3MB chunk of L2 cache that should perform better than the 2MB L2 cache found on the E4700. The Front Side Bus (FSB) and increased density on the L2 cache should make up for the lower clock speed and make the entry level Core 2 Duo very competitive.

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