With Core i7 scheduled for Q4 this year, you’d think Intel should concentrate entirely on solid marketing strategies for the new CPUs, but no, they still have enough time to release some Core 2 CPUs. No high-end this time, only some entry-level stuff. However, Intel chose to release these new models in a more silent way, no aggressive campaigns and intrusive ads whatsoever. We just found these available at online retailers with a blinking “new” beside them.

First and foremost is a quad-core CPU model number Q8200, followed by a dual-core E5200. Both of these integrate the 45nm micro architecture. The third CPU is aimed at the mobile phone market and is officially known as Celeron D 450, coming in a 65nm package.

According to Guru3d, Q8200 is meant as a true entry-level quad-core chip and runs at 2.33GHz with only 4MB of L2 cache along with a 1,333MHz front system bus. The dual-core E5200 is clocked at 2.5GHz, a Level 2 cache cut down to 2MB and a system bus reduced to 800MHz. The 65nm Celeron D 450 also features a 800 MHz FSB, and is the slowest of the three with a 2.2GHz clock and just 512KB of L2 cache.

Bulk prices for the three CPUs are as follows: in 1,000-unit quantities - $224 for the Q8200, $84 for the E5200 and $53 for the 450. Intel also plans to cut down prices for other Core 2 CPUs, just before the official Core i7 release.

We learned about some awkward Nehalem specs yesterday, but that didn’t slow down Intel’s Core i7 promotion campaign. Today, Intel was kind enough to inform us about the upcoming Core i7 prices.

Fuddzila informs that we should be seeing three Core i7 CPUs at launch time, currently expected to be in early November. Each of the three Bloomfield CPUs practically corresponds to one of the three usual market sectors (high-end, mid range and entry level).

The high-end model and the most expensive of the three is a Core i7 clocked at 3.2GHz and QPI at 6.4. The actual model denomination wasn’t mentioned, but we know it’ll cost around $999. This is the first Extreme Edition Core i7 to be released.

The mid range CPU is clocked at 2.93 GHz and has QPI at 4.8 and 8MB cache. Again, there’s no official name and will be available for $562 wholesale price. That means it’ll be only slightly more expensive than the current gen Q9650 Core 2 Quad at 3.0GHz selling for $530.

The cheapest Bloomfield generation CPU announced by Intel works at 2.66GHz and has the same QPI at 4.8 and 8MB cache. It is expected to retail for $284, and I’m sure it will be the most appealing of the three, since the performance gaps between them usually doesn’t support the price difference theory.

Mobo integrators are ready to launch their Core i7 compatible products and in a couple of months we’ll get to pit the Nehalem CPUs against AMD’s Deneb. The first Core i7 specs were signaling the fact that Nehalem should be faster than Deneb, but a recent clarification shrouded all those expectations into a thick cloud of confusion. Fudzilla reports that the Bloomfield CPU (he first Nehalem CPU to hit the market in Q4 2008) will only support DDR3 800 and 1066.

Even the extreme edition 3.2GHz Core i7 which will be launched early next year officially supports only DDR3 modules clocked up to 1066 MHz. Intel didn’t mention anything about specific support for DDR 3 1333, 1600 or higher. However, it might be possible for motherboard integrators to come with a solution for this problem.

The guys over at Fudzilla also found out that the memory-CPU voltage has to be synchronized and this would mean that overclocking the Core i7 CPUs will be pretty limited. Current evaluations pointed out that you cannot go over 1.65V as far as memory voltage is concerned. DDR 3 1600 usually requires 1.8V or higher. Moreover, since the voltages have to be synchronized, everything over 1.65V is likely to turn your Nehalem CPU to a toast.

Bloomfeld won’t be supporting any DDR2 memories either. Only the motherboard integrators and chipset makers, excluding Intel, may be able to lift these limits.

The Core 2 CPU lineup has been around for two years now and it really brought Intel back on track, providing better overall performance when compared to AMDs solutions. Now Intel is ready to launch the Nehalem CPUs and the Core architecture will be entering a new stage. To better emphasize this fact, Intel decided to start a new branding system.

According to the press release, the new CPUs based on the Nehalem microarchitecure will be carrying an “i7” identifier and the series will be formerly branded as Intel Core i7. This is the first of several new identifiers to come as different products launch over the next year.

"The Core name is and will be our flagship PC processor brand going forward," said Sean Maloney, Intel Corporation executive vice president and general manager, Sales and Marketing Group. "Expect Intel to focus even more marketing resources around that name and the Core i7 products starting now."

The two logos in the image each stand for different performance specs. The blue logo will be featured on entry-level and mainstream CPUs, while the black logo will appear on high-end “Extreme Edition” models. Intel will include processor model numbers to differentiate each chip.

The first Core i7 CPUs to hit the market are expected to be in production in the fourth quarter of this year. All of these primary CPUs will integrate up to four cores and will continue to offer the Hyperthreading technology that enables CPUs to handle up to 8 simultaneous threads.

AMD was the first to announce the upcoming Fusion processor that combines the power of CPUs and GPUs. Now Intel strikes back and presents its own Fusion-like solution that is supposed to be released in Q3-Q4 2009.

The Intel hybrid platform is codenamed Havendale and will feature a CPU with integrated GPU capabilities as well as an Ibex peak chipset which will be a single-chip solution, fusing the Northbridge and the Southbridge together. Even though the hybrid processor integrates an iGFX GPU, the motherboards will still support external PCIe graphics.

According to Fudzilla, the CPU part of the Havendale is only a dual-core, Nehalem derived 45nm model. OK, it’s not a six-core, but it comes with integrated memory controller on the CPU side of the chip. The processor is DDR3-only compatible and it interconnects with Ibex peak directly through a memory interface (DMI).

In order to provide decent graphics performance, Intel is going to interconnect the Ibex peak unified chipset with the GPU through Intel's Flexible Display Interface (FDI). Additionally, the new chipset has an input/output part and something known as a Manageability engine, already present in Intel’s 4-series Northbridge.

Although it’s not a high-end processor, the integration of a CPU and a GPU will mean lower power consumption and greater performance at the same time.