Our first taste of Intel's new mainstream 'Lynnfield' CPU comes in the form of the entry-level Core i5 750 processor.

Officially, it's a 2.66GHz quad-core processor with 8MB of L3 cache memory and drops into the new LGA 1,156 socket. As for pricing, expect to pay around £150 from your favourite etailer.

For the most part, its internal workings are identical to existing Core i7 processors which have been on sale since late last year. It's built using the same 45nm silicon production process and benefits from Intel's newest processor architecture, known as Nehalem.

Changes from Core i7

But getting the price down means something had to give. Gone is the original Core i7's triple-channel memory controller, replaced by a simpler dual-channel item.

The mega-bandwidth QPI external interconnect has also been given the chop, replaced by the much slower and more humdrum DMI interface. All of which means there's much less bandwidth available into and out of the chip.

In order to simplify the overall platform, Intel has also shunted the PCI Express controller onto the Lynnfield processor die itself. Consequently, the new P55 supporting motherboard chipset is essentially a single-chip solution. Again, that a move that should help bring the overall cost of the platform down.

Of course, as a Core i5 rather than Core i7-branded chip, this processor lacks HyperThreading technology.

However, offsetting the superficially dumbed down feature set is a more aggressive implementation of Intel's auto-overclocking feature known as Turbo Boost.

On the original Core i7 processor, it increased operating frequencies by a maximum of 266MHz. For the new Lynnfield processors, a boost of up to 666MHz is possible, depending on thermal conditions.