Benchmark Reviews, Bit-Tech, Guru3D, Elite Bastards, Hardware Secrets, HotHardware, MadBoxPC, Motherboards.org, NeoSeeker,OCC, TechAge, TweakPC take a look at the Intel Core i5 750 - i7 860 and 870 plus P55 chipset. While the Core i5 and i7 800 series processors are based on Nehalem and share similar execution cores, with these new processors, Intel has changed the integrated memory controller configuration, brought PCI Express connectivity on-die, and revamped their Turbo Mode functionality to offer varying levels of increased performance depending on the type of application being used. These new processors also require a new socket, new coolers, and the P55 Express chipset--which is an elegant single-chip solution. Here's an excerpt:

Let's kick things off with the Core i5-750. This chip has a caveat... a lack of HyperThreading. Depending on what you do on your PC, that omission may or may not mean much. For me personally, I've become a huge fan of HyperThreading ever since the Nehalem launch, because there are many scenarios when it will come in handy. For workstation-type applications, HyperThreading isn't so much a luxury, but a requirement. The gains in performance in such applications as 3ds Max can't be ignored. If you don't have HT, your renders are taking a lot longer to complete. Fortunately though, for those who don't use workstation apps often or at all, don't have too much to be concerned over.

Thanks to the Turbo alone, the i5-750 kept near the top of most of our charts, only to be surpassed either by a CPU with a greater raw frequency or by one that had HyperThreading. In our Adobe Lightroom and TMPGEnc Xpress tests, Turbo did enough to keep this lowly $200 CPU ahead of everything else we've tested, aside from the faster Nehalem's of course

To understand just how great the Core i5-750 is, you need to compare it to the previous Core 2 Quad line-up. The Q9650, for example, used to be a $1,000 chip, but it now sits at $316 according to Intel's recent pricing list. At $316, it's ~$116 more expensive, yet it managed to surpass the performance of the i5-750 in only three of our tests, and even then, the results were close. Couple that with the fact that the new chip overclocks well, the $199 price tag is going to be heartily welcomed by those who want to build a fast new PC and not empty their wallet.

So, how about the new Core i7's? Like the Core i5-750, the Core i7-870 is simply an incredible offering. Thanks to its HyperThreading capabilities and improved Turbo, it scored right under the Core i7-975 Extreme Edition in most of our tests, and if it didn't, it was never that far off. This, for a CPU that costs 45% less. That's impressive.

With this kind of performance being exhibited, the Core i7-950 isn't so much a viable option right now, unless prices are dropped, because both retail for around the same price, and I'm confident that the i7-870, thanks to its Turbo mode, would beat out the i7-950 in most tests. In this case, it all boils down to what's more important, the features of X58, or slightly improved performance. For dual-GPU configurations, the i7-920 - i7-975 are still the best options, thanks to the dual PCIe 16x capability.