Intel Core i7-3970X Extreme CPU, Detailed Report

It is somewhat ironic that the architecture used in the making of Intel's strongest desktop central processors is one step behind that of common ones, but high performance always warrants more work and, thus, more time.

By that we mean to say that the strongest Extreme Edition Core i7 CPUs are based on the Sandy Bridge-E core, not Ivy Bridge. For that matter, by the time Ivy Bridge-E cores are ready, Intel will have already launched the Haswell micro-architecture. That said, there is a single Sandy Bridge-E high-end CPU that Intel still has to launch this year: Core i7-3970X. Slides published by BSN show that the base clock speed is of 3.5 GHz, while the Turbo Boost frequency can be of up to 4 GHz. For a chip with no less than six different cores, that is quite a bit. The cache memory is of 15 MB (L3), while the Hyper Threading technology allows a system to see 12 logical cores instead of “only” 6. Everything else is the same as on the other Extreme Edition SB-E units: a thermal design power of 130W (at most), compatibility with socket 2011 motherboards and unlocked multiplier.

We don't know for sure when shipments will begin, but it should be either this month (September 2012) or the next. No doubt overclockers will have a field day as soon as they get their hands on the Core i7-3970X. There is, unfortunately, one little problem with the processor, and we don't mean the lack of DDR3-1866 memory. The “problem” is lack of support for PCI Express 3.0 graphics adapters, which only the 22nm Ivy Bridge-E chips will have, in 2013, but which “normal” CPUs already offer. In related news, BSN's slides mention several other processors, whose specifications are unknown: Core i7-4930, i7-4960, i7-4970, and possibly i7-4990.

Intel Desktop Platform Roadmap, readies new Ivy Bridge-E CPU
Image credits to Bright Side Of News

Posted in: Hardware, Preview