Intel Core i7 Launch Party at Equinox, Singapore – A History of Chips Part 2

Could it be that oh-so-confusing video blog I created a while back that earned me a ticket to the Intel Core i7 launch party at Equinox, Swissotel The Stamford?  I have no clue.  This afternoon, I met my good old friend Robert for lunch and he joked that I should write something revelation, something closer to my heart.

And indeed I should attempt to.

Computer processor, quite honestly, is the least sexiest thing on Earth.  It is so behind-the-scene that most of us simply take it for granted, or hardly take notice of its existence.  But yet, the pace of our civilization’s progress depends on not only how many brilliant scientists we have, but also how far we push the envelope of technology.  I am a computer science and engineering graduate.  And I have witnessed the evolution of computer processor since the Intel 80268 era.  Commercially viable processor architecture doesn’t change often like fashion does.  The new Intel Core i7 – or often referred as the Nehalem architecture for those of us who have kept track of its development – is one breathtaking milestone of our digital era.

I have recently upgraded my home PC to an Intel Core 2 Quad (note: try not to click onto that link as it is rather dry and boring for public consumption).  I love my Quad Core, I really do.  It is fast, trust me.  But the Extreme Edition of this new Core i7 scores 60% faster than mine (73.5 versus 117).

To be honest, I am still quite shocked that Intel releases the new Nehalem architecture especially when (1) their only competitor AMD is way behind and struggles so hard to survive and (2) their Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors have been selling well and met 99.99% of the mass public’s needs.  I really thought that Intel would take a back seat on this one.

Maybe Intel simply takes pleasure in putting a final nail to AMD’s coffin (how many of us have gone from AMD4Life to “AMD is Dead” overnight?). And mind you, Intel’s new chip with a feature size of 32nm is on its way to see the world in the year 2010.  For whatever the reason, it is clear to the world which company is out there pushing our limit on how fast we compute.  You can certainly own one of the fastest processors on the planet.  I bought my C2Q 9450 (with motherboard) at S$600 in May.  The new Intel Core i7 with the new Intel chipset X58 costs from S$900 to S$2,200.  For those who are willing to spend up to a grand for each top end graphic card, the future is within reach.  One could overclock the Extreme version up to 4GHz although the official figure given by Intel is 3.2GHz.  Now, that is sick.

Personal Notes:

• Thank you Intel and Ogilvy for the invite.  Now I can tell my grandchildren that I was there when Core i7 was first launched.
• It is lovely to see familiar faces at the party – my fellow Singaporean bloggers.
• Seeing the MSI counter brought back memory.  I had MSI motherboard and graphic card once.  And thank you for those gifts!  Now I can decorate my office.