It has been 10 months now since Intel unleashed its Nehalem architecture and we showed you the Core i7 920, 940 and 965 Extreme Edition. Not much has changed in the high-end sector during this timeframe, as Core i7 processors are still brutally fast and equally expensive. The most affordable option debuted as the Core i7 920 at $280 and that is exactly how much it costs today.
The Core i7 940 has been replaced by the 950, offering a small performance bump and the same ~$570 charge, while the flagship Core i7 965 Extreme Edition was superseded by the even more potent 975 Extreme Edition in the $1,000 price point. Although the processor front has remained much the same, there is now a serious range of X58 motherboards on offer with more than fifty products available from half a dozen manufacturers. If you know where to look, it is possible to purchase one of these for as little as $170 , with the more luxurious models costing upwards of $400 .
Another big change has come with the decrease of DDR3 memory pricing. When we tested the Core i7 processors last November, a triple-channel 6GB kit would set you back at least $250, today you have to spend no more than $100 . This means you can get yourself a Core i7 920 with motherboard and memory for under $600 today.
And while this may sound like a killer deal to some, not everyone needs the processing power of Intel's enthusiast-grade platform or is willing to pony up the money for it. The Core i5 750 is the first release in a series .