PCpro.co.uk managed to get their hands on Core i7 notebook and put it through its paces, coming up with some rather interesting results.

The outfit tested a rig based on the i7-820QM, a 1.73GHz quad-core that can reach 3.06GHz on a single core in Turbo mode. Reviewers were impressed by Turbo Boost, pointing out that it performed flawlessly and offered a substantial performance boost.

On the other hand, the new CPU doesn't really offer much in terms of battery life. The system power consumption peaks at 74W while running all four cores at stock speeds under load. Battery life under load drops to around 50 minutes. In light use, it's not nearly as bad, at just over 200 minutes.

Performance wise, the 820QM is closely matched to the 2.53GHz QX9300, meaning it's vastly superior to all other Intel mobile solutions. Apart from lackluster battery life and an immense 45W TDP, the $546 price (for 1k quantities) could be another stumbling block to speedy adoption.

It seems that the upcoming Core i7 mobile series chips are merely a stopgap measure until 32nm designs materialize.

More here.