Intel has presented a new flagship for the LGA1366 platform. Intel Core i7-990X Extreme is based on Gulftown and comes armed with six cores at 3.46 GHz backed up by 12MB cache and a fast QPI bus. The price is outrageous as usual and lands at $1,000.
Intel Core i7-990X is the replacement for Core i7-980X that launched in March 2010. The difference between the two is that 990X is clocked 133 MHz higher and fresher stepping. Intel uses the same base design and established 32-nanometer technology. The processors support 12 threads and triple-channel DDR3 memory.
Intel’s new flagship will lead the LGA1366 platform up to Q4 2011 when the new Sandy Bridge E platform LGA2011 takes over. While Intel now introduces the new flagship it also lowers the price of its third hexa-core processor.
Intel Core i7-970 (3.2 GHz) eas priced at 885 USD but from February 13 the MSRP is lowered to 583 USD. Hardly a bargain, but Intel’s hexa-core processor platform still becomes more accessible with a price cut of 34%.
Also Intel Core i7-960 is cut substantially. This LGA1156 CPU is clocked at 3.2 GHz and lowered by 48% from 562 USD to 294 USD.
