Intel Core i7 is a family of three Intel desktop x86-64 processors, the first processors released using the Intel Nehalem microarchitecture and the successor to the Intel Core 2 family. All three models are quad-core processors. Was officially launched on November 17, 2008.

# The new LGA 1366 socket is incompatible with earlier processors.
# On-die memory controller: the memory is directly connected to the processor.
# Support for DDR3 only.
# No ECC support.
# 45nm process technology.
# 731M transistors.
“Turbo Boost” technology allows all active cores to intelligently clock themselves up in steps of 133 MHz over the design clock rate as long as the CPU’s predetermined limit for short periods when needed.

Re-implemented Hyper-threading. Each of the four cores can process up to two threads simultaneously, so the processor appears to the OS as eight CPUs.

Cons:
The new LGA 1366 socket is incompatible with earlier processors.
The Core i7 does not support error-correcting memory.