14 DAY TRIAL // Most PC suppliers and hardware makers usually make a point of issuing a press release or other type of announcement whenever they refresh their product lineup. Other times, they decide to simply update their webstore or online database and leave it to end-users to notice, which doesn't take very long. However, on rare occasions, a company or another, whether on purpose or by accident, blows the whistle on a certain product that may or may not have been meant to be revealed just yet.
There have been many occasions when Dell released new products, or components, without bothering to issue an official announcement. This time, however, updating the available processor options on its notebooks has led to the unveiling of a pair of CPUs that Intel has not yet introduced. These two parts are known as the Core i7-740QM and i7-840QM quad-core chips.
The Core i7-740QM has a base clock frequency of 1.73GHz, 6MB of cache memory and a Turbo Boost clock speed of 2.93GHz. The second chip, the more powerful Core i7-840M, runs at 1.86GHz and has a turbo Boost maximum speed of 3.2GHz and 8MB of cache. Both processors have eight threads and should end up as complete replacements for the existing Core i7-x20QM parts. What is even more interesting is that, currently, the 740QM is listed with a price actually lower than that of its predecessor.
Those intrigued by this development may see the listing with their own eyes by going to the official Dell website. Of course, it is likely that, sooner rather than later, the listing will be pulled, unless Intel itself comes forth and officially launches the CPUs. Until either comes to pass, of course, consumers can simply go here, place orders and hope that Dell won't decide to cancel them.