I just read the article that i7 (Nehalem) can overclock itself. The one thing that impresses me also is the fact that if you have a quad or a dual core nehalem processor, if a program such as a game doesn't utilize dual-core or quad core, the cores that aren't in use shut down, and the power transfers to the one core or 2 cores that are in use. I know it's premature to say this since Nehalem isn't out yet, but all I have to say is, WOOOOOOW (Like the flea in the Vorizon FIOS commercial). Now I'm thinking of waiting for Nehalem. Does anyone know when the processors will be available? Did I read they will be available in the second half of 2009? I know the extreme processors come out first. Any pricing for the mainstream processors?

Would it be worth it to wait for Nehalem or should I go with a E8600 for now (also contemplating a E9550 because I have FSX)

There should be 3 versions later this year. The cheapest one is supposed to cost $284. Not confirmed by Intel so far, so take it with a grain of salt.

If Nehalem overclocks itself, it will be less fun, no challenge left. I guess real men will buy AMD

Edit: definitely get the Q9550 if FSX is important to you.

For someone who doesn't o/c and my luck if I do, it will explode; a processor that overclocks itself is a nice touch lol. (I'll ignore the real men comment ;-) <joking>

Well here's the thing. I don't play it a lot but I do play it. I don't play it that much because of the keyboard controls stink and getting a flight stick hasn't been a priority. I haven't played it for a few weeks though.

^WHAT????????

Keyboards are much easier than pads. And I came from consoles to PCs in 1995 from a SNES to a PC.

I think this is going to be a feature really that can be turned on and off in the BIOS much like Speedstep.

On that note, I have heard that Intel plans to include a better version of Speedstep, much like the one in their current mobile chips. But I guess we have to wait and see that huh.

I think we are seeing (beyond literally) a taste of the future. Dynamic electronic components that can adapt as the needs adapt.

Also interesting to hear its not going to do a ton for games, but other apps that the architecture is weak at currently.

Well, I am just happy to see Intel, AMD/ATI, nVidia, etc. hard at work innovating new technology. It will be a sad day if things start to stagnate.

Are you sure that it was said overclock? Perhaps the article meant that it will change it speed according to demand...i.e. underclock. Can you link the article?

Just seems that a chip that can overclock itself would pose certain marketing issues. What would they say..MINIMUM speed of 2.4GHz? or perhaps up to 4.0ghz and in really small print say "not all chips may see these speed, actual performance will depend ambient temperature, other components and a act of god"

All this is great but here is some extra stuff to think about:

1) The CPU itself will cost around US$270. You will need a new motherboard with that, new RAM and a new hard drive to support the new 6Gb SATA interface. The total cost will be at least US$1,000 for the whole upgrade...

2) The CPU overclocking is $hit. It is just a CPU that could already do 3.5GHz on air easily, that they will sell for 3GHz and when needed will "overclock" to 3.4GHz. That just means that they will do what a simple overclock would do anyway. A serious overclocker could possibly take it even further. So the "overclocking" feature is just crap.

3) Nehalem will automatically shut off its' cores if an application is not utilising it... has anyone considered the fact that the "application" will be running in an OS, probably Windows XP or Vista? Now, what happens if a game only uses one core? The 3 rest will shut down.. so what will the OS play with in the background?... more stuttering i see in the future! Instead of going forward it looks like we are going backwards! I just hope someone in the Intel department has thought of that already and one extra core stays on just for the OS.

If the OS needs another core or two or three they will stay on. It's not one or four, it's dynamic.

I agree with jimmysmitty I'll bet the OC can be disabled in BIOS.

It's on the main page along with others from IDF. Here is a direct link to the article.
IDF: Core i7 Will Self Overclock - Tom's Hardware

Bull. Just like with 1.5Gbit SATA on 3Gbit controllers, 6Gbit is backwards compatible. All current hard drives will work just fine on the new interface. The total cost for the upgrade, assuming the user is already happy with their graphics and has DDR3, will be around $500, more like $650 or so if they are currently using DDR2.

That depends on whether the ceiling is thermal/power, or truly stability. The way I read it, it would overclock one or two cores while shutting off the remaining cores, allowing it to run faster while staying in a lower power and thermal envelope.

If a game is using one core, and Vista is using one, the CPU will see it as two cores in use, and schedule accordingly. It will never shut down a core that is actively doing something, whether that something is background tasks or the primary application. This concern is completely unfounded.

"For someone who doesn't o/c and my luck if I do, it will explode; a processor that overclocks itself is a nice touch lol."

I would advise anyone who is prepared to do even a little research to attempt a mild overclock if they should desire it.

With regard to the self clocking feature, we don't have that inherent in our current range of processors but actually we have something even better in my opinion. Gigabyte have something the call CIA2 (Cpu Intelligent accelerator), this is something that is available as an app through the OS or a setting in bios. It will actually overclock the system to a certain percentage, beyond 20%, winding a 3Ghz cpu to around 3.6-3.8 Ghz. It will do this without disabling speed stepping and will work with DES (dynamic energy saver) advanced, which is a utillity that works brilliantly and even has a power saving meter to boot!! This system is generally what's referred to as dynamic overclocking and is a everyday way of getting the max out of your cpu without shortening its life span. It's nicer to work with than a hard clock which will generally fluctuate between the step down to the max core speed, without even having all the cores properly loaded. Dynamic overclocking will go from the step down right up to the max core speed gradually utilising more of the settings in between. My primary issue with it is that the max oc is about 20-25% which is still a long way from the 50% achievable with a hard clock (cpu dependant of course). I have contacted Gigabyte about this but they wouldn't provide any assurances which leads me to believe the next bios containment of CIA might reach beyond 30%.

Sure a hardware embedded unit working in sync with an OS to support it would be ideal and I am sure this will be computing in the future as the energy saving technologies of today indicate.

I have my doubts that any self overclocking CPU could reach it's limits, so I don't think Manual overclocking is going to stop when this happens.

The poster above mentioned 'Dynamic overclocking', that is available on some motherboards. I have used such features, on my last computers MSI MB and never really been that impressed. I found it unstable at times, even if the idea is a good one for Novice users who want some extra performance.

I have no idea why a self oc'ing chip would complicate anything?
I bet that you can still oc the chip.
If and when some benches come out for Nehalem I may or may not get excited.
For me it's all about bang for the buck, DDR3 hasn't hit the mark yet.
I also don't see the point of buying a video card better than an 8800GT just so I can play a poorly coded game faster (crysis).