Intel's Core i7 processors have been out for some time, but they are now coming to notebooks as well. While given the name Core i7, the Nehalem derived processors which are coming to notebooks take advantage of the latest features which arrived in the new Core i5 and new Core i7 products. This includes turbo boost, which can substantially increase the clock speed of a processor depending on the number of cores being used.
Obviously, the notebooks are not meant for portability. If you want a cheap and portable netbook look elsewhere. If you're in need of a capable desktop replacement, however, these Core i7 notebooks are perfect for the job. Just as in the desktop processor market, Core i7 mobile processors are the fastest processors available to consumers.
Dell has been extremely quick to jump on the Core i7 bandwagon. Alienware, Dell's gaming PC branch, was among the first to jump on the bandwagon with their stunning and surprisingly affordable Alienware M15X. Gaming notebooks are a fairly niche product, however, and Alienware's notebooks are as subtle as a baseball bat to the face. The Dell Studio XPS 16, however, is just a normal notebook, albiet one packing some big guns - and that is what makes it great.
Looking at it, you'd never suspect it has cutting-edge hardware packed inside. That isn't to say it is unattractive, but it also isn't showy. Use it for any demanding task, however, and the Studio XPS 16 comes to life. Its 1.6Ghz Core i7 can turbo up to 2.8Ghz, and although this is the slowest Core i7 mobile product offered it is still faster than 90% of notebooks.
The Studio XPS 16 also includes a 500GB hard drive, Radeon 4670 mobile graphics, four gigabytes of RAM, and all sorts of other goodies. It is, quite simply, loaded. And the price? The basic Studio XPS 16 with a Core i7 costs $1,399 dollars. Considering the hardware you're getting, that is an absolute bargain.