First Nehalem processor to be discontinued

May 6, 2009 10:10 GMT  ·  By

Santa Clara, California-based Intel has recently released a product change notification to all of its partners, informing them on the chip maker's plans to discontinue one of its three Nehalem-based Core i7 processors, the Core i7 940 model. Put into effect as of May 4, 2009, the product discontinuance plan is related to both the tray and the box versions of said processor. With the announcement, Intel makes way for the recently-rumored Core i7 950, which should be announced in the near future, most likely prior to or during the Computex 2009 computer show in Taipei, Taiwan.

 

According to Intel's product change notification document, customers will be able to place their last orders until July 10, 2009, for both tray and boxed variants. The last shipments will be made until December 4, 2009, but the world leading chip maker will continue to ship the tray versions of the CPU through November 5, 2010. Partners are advised to switch to tray orders to continue to benefit from the company's support.

 

Intel's Core i7 940 processor has been designed to deliver a performance near that of the company's current flagship model, the Core i7 965, which will also be replaced with an upcoming Core i7 975 model. According to previous reports, both the Core i7 975 and Core i7 950 should be unveiled by the end of this month, or in early June, in time for Computex. The 950 model will be clocked at 3.06GHz, up from 2.93GHz on the Core i7 940, while the 975 processor will boast a core speed of 3.33GHz.

 

Pricing of the Core i7 950 should be similar to the company's current Core i7 940 model, which is about US$562, while the 975 will be priced at around US$999, in the same range as Intel's current flagship 965.