Intel Core i7

Intel Core i7 is a name that the company Intel uses for the computer processors it makes for high-end desktop and laptop computers and tablets. Intel uses this name for the fastest processors that they think will be used to build the most powerful consumer devices. The 'Core' part of the name, which refers to the processor's core, has been used by Intel since 2006, but the first Core i7 processor was released 3 years later in 2009.

Core i7

Produced	From 2008
Common manufacturer(s)	Intel
Max. CPU clock rate	1.3 GHz to 4.2 GHz
QPI speeds	4.8 GT/s to 8 GT/s
Min. feature size	45 nm, 32 nm, 22 nm, 14 nm, 10 nm, and Intel 7
Instruction set	x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2
Microarchitecture	Nehalem Sandy Bridge Sandy Bridge-E Ivy Bridge Ivy Bridge-E Haswell Haswell-E Broadwell Skylake Comet Lake Rocket Lake Alder Lake Raptor Lake
Number of cores	2, 4, 6, 8, 10 , or 16
Socket(s)	LGA 1366 LGA 1156 mPGA-989 LGA 2011 LGA 1155 rPGA-988B BGA 1023 LGA 1150 BGA 1364 BGA 1168 Socket G3 LGA 2011-3 LGA 1151 BGA 1356 BGA 1515 BGA 1440 LGA 1200 LGA 1700
Core name(s)	Bloomfield Lynnfield Clarksfield Clarksfield XM

There are different types of Core i7 processor. The name does not name a type. Instead, it is the name for all of the fast processors that Intel thinks should be sold to consumers. Intel uses two other "Core i-" names for its processors for consumers: "Core i5" and "Core i3." The "Core i5" processors are mostly as fast as i7 processors, but lack the Hyper Threading technology which allows each core to be used twice simultaneously giving the impression of doubling the cores.

Intel uses a different name, Xeon, for processors that Intel makes for "server" computers for businesses (and some rare laptops). Some of the "Core i7" processors are almost the same as some of the "Xeon" processors, but each of the Xeon processors is a little bit different than the "Core i7" processor, because a "server" computer is not the same as a consumer computer. Intel also makes other "Xeon" processors that are not the same as any "Core i7" processor. Unlike the Core i7, Xeon processors support ECC (error correcting) memory, and multiple CPUs on the same motherboard. However, Alder Lake processors have officially supported ECC memory if used with a W680 motherboard and ECC memory.