Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/04/core_i7_975/
Core i7 bumped to 3.33GHz
Still too slow? Overclock it
Posted in PCs & Chips, 4th June 2009 17:54 GMT
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Intel has speed-bumped its top-of-the-line Core i7 Extreme Edition processor, increasing its lead as the fastest desktop chip that the company has ever offered.
The new 45nm Core i7 975 (http://processorfinder.intel.com/Details.aspx?sSpec=SLBEQ), based on the company's Nehalem (http://www.intel.com/technology/architecture-silicon/next-gen/index.htm?iid=tech_tb+arch) architecture, clocks in at 3.33GHz. It includes 8MB of L3 Smart Cache (http://www.intel.com/technology/architecture-silicon/core/) running at its four cores' clock speed.
Dual QuickPath Interconnects (QPI) (http://www.intel.com/technology/quickpath/) transfer data at 6.4GT/sec, and such performance-enhancing niceties as Intel's SpeedStep (EIST (http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-028855.htm)), Virtualization (VT (http://www.intel.com/technology/virtualization/technology.htm)), and Turbo Boost (http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/) auto-overclocking technologies are all enabled.
Its core-clock multiplier is set at 25X - but it's unlocked, should you feel the need to experiment with a bit of straightforward overclocking.
The Core i7 975 slots into the now-second-class Core i7 965's price point, which is $999 in lots of 1,000 - although processors at this rarified level are rarely if ever sold in those amounts. You can find it today in retail packaging at sites such as NewEgg for $1,039 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115212) and Platinum Micro for $1,078 (http://www.platinummicro.com/product.asp?pf_id=PRI975&gclid=CPn_loGP8ZoCFRxNagodUgmUJQ).
But if that's too rich for your Meltdown-melted wallet, you might instead pick up a Core i7 920, which can be found at various outlets for well under $300. It takes well to overclocking (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/1), and an Intel spokesman told The Reg that it will "most definitely" remain available for the foreseeable future. ®