Intel introduces Core i7 980X

Intel has introduced the Core i7 980X, the first hexacore processor for the consumer market. The Core i7 980X has six cores, each clocked at 3.33GHz. The consumption remained within limits with a tdp of 130W.

Under the name Gulftown, the Core i7 980X had been on Intel’s roadmap for quite some time, and enough numbers were leaking here and there to know that the CPU would become a real powerhouse. The Core i7 980X has six cores clocked at 3.33GHz. Using the turbo mode, one or two cores can be automatically overclocked to 3.6GHz when the other cores have nothing to do. If more than two cores are active, the maximum clock speed is 3.46GHz.

Like the recently introduced Core i3 and Core i5 dual cores, Intel bakes the new CPU with the 32nm process. Because of this new process, Intel was able to fit six cores, which together share 12MB of L3-Cache, in a package with a die size of 248mm². That’s smaller than the 45nm Core i7 quad-cores for the X58 platform, which have a die size of 263mm². The 32nm process also allowed Intel to limit power consumption: the Core i7 980X has a TDP of 130W, which is the same as the Core i7 975.

The Gulftown CPU has already been extensively tested and the chip manages to stay ahead of all competitors. Especially in multimedia tasks, the processor feels like a fish in water. The CPU is a so-called Extreme Edition, with a multiplier that can be increased at will. However, the Extreme Edition CPU from Intel also comes with an extreme price tag; the 980X costs $999. This makes the newcomer just as expensive as the Core i7 975, but it will probably fall in price.