Just about prospects: what do you think, will Linux kernel support i-7 architecture?
Guugling for ‘intel i7 linux kernel support’, first hit gives: supported from kernel 2.6.18, so any recent distro should support it.
I’m using the i7 for a while and with no problems at all.
OS Information
OS: Linux 2.6.27.39-0.2-default x86_64
System: openSUSE 11.1 (x86_64)
KDE: 3.5.10 “release 21.12.1”
CPU Information
Processor (CPU): Intel(R) Core™ i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz
Speed: 2,668.00 MHz
Cores: 8
There is no problem with Intel Core i7 support. Its more an issue of individual motherboards … How well do they support Linux? This is especially true for laptops where heat issues associated with the Core i7 are more important and I have read of difficulty there (on laptops).
I’ve been using an Intel Core i7 920 processor on an Asus P6T Deluxe V2 motherboard (in a desktop PC) for about a year now and I am quite happy with it. It is very very good for video rendering. The fast CPU also ensures this computer plays a wicked game of chess.
I had a 64-bit openSUSE-11.1 running on it originally, and it is now running a 64-bit openSUSE-11.2.
Linux does i7 just fine, and agree with the motherboard compatibility being more of an issue then processor compatibility.
Oldcpu got my troubles and deep thoughts. Yes, really, I hadn’t form my question in correct and full manner. The problem is that principal solutions in notebooks’ manufacturing are ‘final cuts’ for stable functionality of OS’s with the widest market coverage, and there is no possibilities to upgrade 'em or reassemble hardware. Linux-friendliness is still a “good will” of the laptop manufacturer and not a standard. I can be argued, that open source allows to reconfigure and rebuild the OS itself: yes, I agree, but sometimes “do-it-yourself” serves badly ourselves… One can say: “Why should I think about problems for Linux guys/gals? They solve their problems in manner they’d like to…”
To be honest, I was very angry for the first time about two years ago when read about GPU universal shaders architecture - “this works with DirectX 10.0, a part of Windows Vista” and there were not a word about OpenGL… The second wave of my anger was when in an article about Intel Core i-7 Windows-7 was announced as “…fully adapted for i-7 architecture”, and again not a single word about Linux.
Intel Core i-7 is still a dream for users in my country: import taxes for any hardware make anything cost double, so I have no opportunity yet to test it with OpenSuSE. I only want to know the opinion of people who have already tested it by Linux. And the first wave of answers make me optimistic.
The motherboard of my home computer is ASUS P5B. I’ve read a lot about problems with JMicron JMB363 chips in Linux forums, but it worked perfectly without any driver with openSuSE 10.2 - 10.3, and now works with OpenSuSE 11.2. I haven’t read any official announcement about ASUStek’s Linux-friendliness but there’s a fact - it IS!!!