Core i5. Core i7

Apple is tapping Intel chips for its desktop lineup in a way it never has before.

Unveiled Tuesday, updated the iMacs have, for the first time, adopted Intel's Core i3 processor, with some distinct differences between the i3, i5, and i7 models, while the refreshed the Mac Pros tap Intel's most advanced six-core processor, also a first.

So, what should consumers zero in on inside the box? Here's a quick rundown.

Core i3/Core i5 Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading--most have both, but a of couple processors don't: Apple has gone with Core i3 processors for the first time. The Core i3, as the number suffix indicates, is Intel's low-end core i series desktop processor. In addition to the most salient differences--clock (gigahertz) speed and processor core counts--the biggest variation among the various Core i3 and Core i5 models is that a couple of the iMacs don't have both Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading. The size of the cache memory is also a distinction.

A primer, first.

Hyper-Threading: This can double the number of tasks--or threads--a processor can execute. So, a two-core processor can handle four threads. This technology is not offered on prior-generation Core 2 chips. Apple describes it as follows: "When you're running multiple applications at once,… Read more

A prototype iPhone 4G is powered by an Apple processor similar to the one found in the iPad, according to published reports Wednesday.

iFixit said Wednesday that the iPhone 4G prototype torn down on a Vietnamese Web site uses a chip that has markings similar to the iPad's A4 processor.

"[Wednesday's] photos from Vietnam of a leaked iPhone 4G prototype contain legible part numbers revealing [the] new iPhone's processor: the Apple A4," iFixit said.

If an Apple A4-class chip actually makes it into the final version of the iPhone 4G, consumers would likely see another … Read more

The chips inside Apple's new MacBook Pros that were unveiled Tuesday are very different than their predecessors. Here's why.

32-nanometer process technology: MacBook Pros use, for the first time, Intel's Core i5 and Core i7 processors. These chips are built on Intel's latest 32-nanometer manufacturing process technology, while the older Core 2 Duo technology uses a 45-nanometer process. Generally, the smaller the geometries, the faster and/or more power efficient the processor is.

Hyper-Threading: Hyper-Threading can double the number of tasks--or threads--a processor can execute. So, a two-core processor can handle four threads. This technology is not offered on prior-generation Core 2 chips. Apple describes it as follows: "Built-in Hyper-Threading allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core, so Mac OS X recognizes four virtual cores instead of just two. When you're running multiple applications at once, the Core i5 and Core i7 processors spread tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores."

Turbo Boost: The Core i series of chips use Turbo Boost, which speeds up or slows down individual cores to meet processing or power efficiency needs. This, like Hyper-Threading, is not available on older Core 2 Duo chips. Apple describes it as follows: "If you're using processor-intensive applications like Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro that would benefit from an extra performance kick, Turbo Boost dynamically increases the speed of one or both cores, taking a 2.66GHz MacBook Pro all the way up to 3.33GHz." In other words, processors get automatically "overclocked"--previously the exclusive domain of high-end gamers--when necessary.

Updated Nvidia graphics silicon: And where would updated MacBook Pros be without new and improved Nvidia graphics processors. Inside the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models is the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M discrete graphics processor, what Apple calls "the fastest graphics ever in a Mac notebook." The GT 330M increases the number of processing cores to 48, compared to 32 in the previous-generation GeForce 9600M. And the new GeForce GT 330M is up to 30 percent more energy efficient than its predecessor, according to Apple.

Surprise, surprise: Intel integrated graphics: At one time thought to be the bane of Apple's existence… Read more

It's interesting to see how design can filter down from a high-end brand through a whole series of laptops. While the original Dell Adamo, while eye-catching, was always set at a price above what most humans could pay for it, the small business-targeted Vostro 13 adopted a lot of the Adamo's clean-cut design features and offered up a far more affordable product. Dell's new lineup of Vostro laptops has shifted to similar design to the Vostro 13, but with included optical drives, a thicker chassis, and screen sizes ranging from 13.3 inches up to 17.3. … Read more

Lest anyone be left out of the tablet/slate wave that's currently crashing over the laptop and ultraportable industry, HP has announced a new 12.1-inch EliteBook convertible tablet for the business-minded who feel the need for pens and capacitive multitouch displays at the same time.

Equipped with a stainless steel finish and magnesium casing, the EliteBook 2740p tablet PC will be available with either a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, a reinforced glass screen, and a touch interface that will also work with an included pen. The 2740p (and its non-tablet sibling, the 2540p below) also meet … Read more

Laptops based on the new mobile Intel Core i3 and i5 processors from Dell and Acer continue to roll into retailers like Best Buy at sub-$700 prices. But don't expect Apple to offer deals like this on its upcoming MacBook Pro.

The mobile i5 and i3 offer a significant step up in performance. Tech Web site AnandTech said the i5 processor delivers "the single largest performance improvement we've seen from a new mobile processor in years."

And retailers have been quick to haul out systems based on the freshly-minted chips. This week, Best Buy is … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Intel announced more than a dozen new processors at CES 2010 here Thursday.

The Consumer Electronics Show roll-out includes the new mobile Core i3 and mobile Core i5, and additions to the Core i7 line. Performance and features generally increase with the size of the i identifier number. In other words, Core i7 processors are typically faster than Core i5 chips.

Intel is touting the better-integrated graphics of the Core i3 and i5 processors. The new "Arrandale" graphics technology has 20 percent more shaders--an important component for 3D graphics, Intel senior vice president Sean Maloney said here … Read more

The mysteries of the Lynnfield and Jasper Forest die photos (from last week's post titled "Investigating Intel's Lynnfield mysteries") were all cleared up at the Intel Developer Forum last week, and as expected, there was nothing sinister going on--just some confusion in Intel's graphics arts department.

With the help of the always-helpful George Alfs of Intel's press relations department and Intel vice president Mooly Eden (general manager of Intel's PC Client Group), we got everything straightened out. Literally!

Here's the die photo of Intel's Lynnfield chip from my previous post:

This is the newest (shipping) part based on the Nehalem microarchitecture, differing from the earlier Bloomfield by the addition of an on-die PCI Express controller. Both chips are made in Intel's 45nm process technology.

According to Eden, the Lynnfield chip design is shared with several other Intel chips that will be on the market soon, including… Read more

I have a few questions to ask at this week's Intel Developer Forum....

Why is Intel using a more expensive chip for the new Core i5 and cheaper Core i7 processors? Why does this new chip--code-named Lynnfield--appear to have features Intel isn't using? What's the connection between Lynnfield and a future Intel chip code-named Jasper Forest?

These questions arose as I've been getting ready for IDF by reviewing recent press releases and news stories about Intel's current and forthcoming products, and chatting with fellow analysts about what we're looking forward to seeing there.

The recent announcements of the Core i5 and new Core i7 processors seemed pretty straightforward. Consider Brooke Crothers' piece on CNET: "Out with the old: Intel makes Core 'i' chips cheap." As Crothers explains, the facts are simple: the new Core i7 800-series slots in under the existing 900-series and replaces some older parts. The Core i5 is a new line, clearly positioned below the Core i7. Features, performance, and prices are all lower. That's as it should be.

But in looking at the coverage on some enthusiast sites, a fact jumped out at me. The Lynnfield chip is 12.5 percent larger than the Bloomfield chip used in the higher-priced Core i7 900-series processors (296 square mm vs. 263 square mm), in spite of the fact that Lynnfield only has two memory interfaces and no QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) link.

The big difference between the chips is the addition of 16 lanes of PCI Express on Lynnfield, but that's only about 80 pins plus the control logic. The changes should have roughly canceled each other out. Maybe one chip would be a little bigger than the other, but not by this much.… Read more