Intel's new Nehalem micro-architecture stormed out of the gate with its first available iterations, three Core i7 desktop processors released Monday that already have system builders and reviewers heaping praise on the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip giant. Nehalem's introduction also sets up what should be an intriguing battle of 'apples-to-apples' chip competition with smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices of Sunnyvale, Calif. Over the next year, each chip maker will be ramping new product lines that have a number of similarities, marking a convergence of their respective road maps for the first time in years.
