PCWizKid earlier this year had a chance to review Intel's flagship Desktop CPU, the Intel Core i7 980X Gulftown 6 Core 32nm Processor. This CPU has been knighted the title of fastest Desktop CPU on the planet. Having this CPU in ones hand makes it almost a historic moment since having an extremely fast CPU that costs approximately $999 USD is not a common thing you usually get to see often. Big leaps in technology usually happen every 2-3 years, this 32 nano meter CPU is essentially where the future has been going making things more efficient.
We can expect the next generation of CPU's to be built on the 32nm or less architecture with more cores and processing power, the good thing is you can get a taste of it today with the Core i7 980X Extreme.
Codenamed Gulftown, the Core i7 980X has a fully unlocked multiplier, starting at a default 3.33Ghz core clock, Turbo Boost up to 3.6Ghz, six cores plus Hyper-Threading (12 threads!!!), 12MB of L3 cache, triple-channel DDR3-1066 memory interface, 130W TDP and of course uses the LGA1366 socket on a X58 chipset motherboard. Also included with the CPU in the box is an upgraded tower style cooler which is very decent and easy to install.
Specifications
# of Cores
6
# of Threads
12
Clock Speed
3.33 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency
3.6 GHz
Intel® Smart Cache
12 MB
Bus/Core Ratio
25
Intel® QPI Speed
6.4 GT/s
# of QPI Links
1
Instruction Set
64-bit
Instruction Set Extensions
SSE4.2
Embedded Options Available
No
Supplemental SKU
No
Lithography
32 nm
Max TDP
130 W
VID Voltage Range
0.800V-1.375V
1ku Bulk Budgetary Price
$999.00
Memory Specifications
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
24 GB
Memory Types
DDR3-1066
# of Memory Channels
3
Max Memory Bandwidth
25.6 GB/s
Physical Address Extensions
36-bit
ECC Memory Supported
No
Graphics Specifications
Integrated Graphics
No
Package Specifications
Max CPU Configuration
1
TCASE
67.9°C
Package Size
42.5mm X 45.0mm
Sockets Supported
FCLGA1366
Halogen Free Options Available
Yes
Advanced Technologies
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Yes
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology
Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Yes
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology
No
AES New Instructions
Yes
Intel® 64
Yes
Idle States
Yes
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
Yes
Intel® Demand Based Switching
No
Thermal Monitoring Technologies
No
Execute Disable Bit
Yes
When we compare the Intel Core i7 980's Core Technology information to other CPU's we see how it leads the pack with a smaller die size and massive transistor count.
CPU
Codename
Manufacturing Process
Cores
Transistor Count
Die Size
Westmere 6C
Gulftown
32nm
6
1.17B
240mm2
Nehalem 4C
Bloomfield
45nm
4
731M
263mm2
Nehalem 4C
Lynnfield
45nm
4
774M
296mm2
AMD Phenom II X6
Thuban
45nm
6
904M
346mm2
PCWizKid's Test System
- Asus P6T SE X58 Motherboard - 6GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 Triple Channel Kit - PowerColor ATI HD5870 Graphics Card - Cooler Master HAF X Full tower Case - Cooler Master V6 GT CPU cooler - InWin 1200W Power Supply - 500 GB SATA II HDD - Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Video Review
Conclusion
As shown in the video review the Intel Core i7 980X is a beast. It performs excellent regardless of what you throw at it. Lightly threaded apps benefit from the larger L3 cache and heavily threaded apps take advantage of the extra cores. You also get the best of both worlds with the 32nm process die being so small and the power consumption holding steady makes this a very cool CPU which can be overclocked to gain even more performance for an extreme enthusiast PC. Although for some the $999 USD price tag might seem high, you really get what you pay for. If you do a large amount of intensive 3D rendering or modeling, video encoding or have the need to multitask with processor dependant apps, the Core i7 980X Extreme is for you.
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