Intel Officially Launches Core i7-2700K CPU

Intel kept no secret of the fact that it plans to update its processor portfolio with a new flagship Sandy Bridge part, the Core i7-2700K, and this CPU has now been added to the company's official price list as it began shipping to Intel's partners.

Compared to the current top of the line Core i7-2600K, the new Sandy Bridge CPU has a base clock speed of 3.5GHz, which is 100MHz higher than its predecessor.

The maximum Turbo Core frequency has also received a small bump as Intel has decided to raise this to 3.9GHz, compared to the 3.8GHz of the 2600K.

The rest of the CPU specifications were left unchanged, and the chip includes 8MB of Level 3 cache, Intel HD 3000 graphics with 850/1350MHz clock speeds and a dual-channel DDR3-1333 memory controller, all packed inside a 95W TDP.

Just like all the other K-series processors launched by Intel until now, the Core i7-2700K also features an unlocked multiplier which means overclockers will be able to push the operating frequencies of the CPU further than Intel's specifications.

In fact, we have seen an engineering sample of the i7-2700K hit 5GHz using air cooling alone, which seems to suggest that the retail version of the CPU should also be able to reach such frequencies without to much of a fuss.

As far as pricing is concerned, Hardcore Hardware reports that Intel is shipping the Core i7-2700K for $332 in 1K quantities, making it $15 more expensive than the i7-2600K. 

This is quite unusual for Intel as its newly introduced CPUs usually have the same price as the chips they replace in the company's lineup, but it now seems like the chip maker is trying to profit from AMD's inability to provide a strong enough competitor for its Sandy Bridge processors.

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