Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures - Jessamyn West
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Intel's Core i7 980X listed
CHIPMAKER Intel's monster 32nm CPU codenamed Gulftown and now dubbed the Core i7 980X has been listed in €uroland.
Geizhals, the German-language price engine, has begun listing the extremely expensive Core i7 980X at an Austrian e-tailer for just €999. A small price to pay for the greatness of the new hexa-core monster.
The Core i7 980X has six cores running at 3.33GHz with a Turbo speed of 3.6GHz in single threaded apps, although being an EE edition processor you get unlocked cores for life. The core is architecturally a 32nm shrink of the Nehalem, only with two additional cores and two QPI 6.4Gbps paths instead of one. The processor also has the Nehalem-like 256KB of L2 cache per core, plus 12MB of shared L3 cache, which should add up to make this one extremely powerful number crunching machine. Power-wise it is a hog, drawing 130W, which many of you might consider excessive for a 32nm processor. Truth is, however, that's no more than most of its EE predecessors.
Now, before you run out and withdraw your life savings to buy one, consider the following. Despite the 50 per cent more processing power, 12 logical threads and oodles of bragging rights, this CPU scrapes the bottom of the barrel in terms of "bang-for-your-buck". Case in point, early benchmarks show the Core i7 980X performing only as well as a Core 2 Duo E8400 in most games. Simply put, there's really nothing much to be gained from this sort of processor if you're a gamer.
On the other hand, it should make a fine workstation processor for CAD applications and media encoding and decoding. It's also good for secure computing if you need it, as it includes built-in AES support.
Intel might not inspire too many to buy these processors just now, but in this high-end "mine's bigger than yours" world, it sure has the bigger silicon.
You can find this CPU here. µ
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I just passed an Audi A8 W12 in my 1.6L 4 Cylinder diesel.
Skip the fanboy comments. Just check out Anandtech for an in-depth technical review.
It is interesting how many think that someone who needs to re-invent the wheel every time so that they come out ontop is actually very bad engineering and in school this is taught as a bad method of engineering.
An engineer who can reuse a current platform and improve is honest considered a better engineer because of the current constraints.
You can have a 1Ghz specialized co-processor that can beat the pants on a 3GHz Intel CPU at specific tasks so speed isn't really what is at stake here so needing to re-design sockets and pinouts doesn't automatically equate to better engineering it actually shows that it is sloppy engineering or intentional engineering (the latter is what Intel is notorious for which in turn costs more for the consumer). There are benefits to this kind of constant changing but it is also a big headache to any third parties manufacturing anything for someone like that.
Intel also wants this too so they keep control over all aspects of their chip business and keep shareholders happy. There is a wall though, at one point your market share can't go higher then 100% once that happens stocks go stagnant and once that happens then the consumer really gets it up the hooohooo and Intel doesn't even buys drinks first.
Here is what I recently recommended to someone with regards to what to buy for a system upgrade:
Q: Are you comfortable replacing a CPU and updating a BIOS.
A: Yes
Then buy AMD AM3 mobo, this will cost less but 1 to 2 years from now buy a 6 or even 12 core CPU for pennies and get the full benefit of only having to spend about $1500 CND and maybe ~$200 in the future for the new CPU. So for a total of about $1700 CND he will have a system that is above average (remember there are very few that buy high end systems and over half of the computer consumers buy the basement bargain bin special) system. So you will have a system that you could technically run for at least 5 years and have a guaranteed above average performance. You should have the longevity of around 5 to 10 years use out of an AMD based system due to the upgradeability.
In contrast buying an Intel CPU historically means that you have about 1 to maybe 2 years easily of above average performance. By the 5 year mark you have a pathetic POS on your desk. With Intel based system you will about around 1700 to 2000 CND for a system that will give you above average performance for that 2 year mark so you have a decrepit POS by the 5 year mark (remember buying a system at the same price as AMD will be below average performance in easily 1 year). Usually most Intel based system for people who want more performing systems is around 3 years. So in 3 years you may not need to spend the 1700 dollars but you are spending more so over a 10 year period you will have to spend easily %25 to %50 more on the ability to maintain a useful system in terms of performance or usefulness.
Who use to be the market for these processors, game enthusiasts. The sad thing is that PC gaming has been in a downward spiral because of the kiddie consoles. Most all new PC games still run DX9 because the Crapbox 360 does. Then they (PC games) are also all port jobs from the consoles. The game publishers write it for the kiddie consoles first then port it as an afterthought to the PC if they port it all.
The need for such a powerhouse processor is not needed for good gaming any more.
They must be a Intel employee or just really,really stupid.
Yeah,lets just have only have one CPU manufacturer in the WORLD.
That 6 core pos would cost you a grand per core then.
Are you drunk?
I like it, because this product will win in the benchmark. This is the result of good engineering from smart engineers. I believe, the crappy AMD Thuban will not win any benchmark against Intel Core i7 980x, because AMD's engineers are idiot that they can not design a microprocessor properly. I wish AMD is gone.
TDP is NOT the same as power draw. Intel does not releases that actual number. TDP is just the maximum that the package can handle.
These will promptly be purchased, compared to an Opteron 2431 (or other AMD chip which is half the cost). Victory for Intel will be declared.
Seriously, why do they even release these chips? Is it just to milk money out of the rich & stupid? I don't get it.
How about some games that run on more than a single core? Yes, multicore is great, but we need more programs that actually take advantage of them.
Notice that for ALL Extreme Buggieroo, NOT Recommended for Fast Stuff. WorkStation with X6 Do Better on price/Performance View. This 790 Now Rates Self As workStation, According to Belic. So i980 Seems OverKill In Midget Capabilities.
Notice2 that from 1 internal link for 4 cores to 2 for 6 cores. More & Moore, World is Turning to 3 Cores Modules. NOT 4, Not 2. AlWays 3.
Gigabyte has added 3 controller to 333 mix recently, few days ago & increased internals Greatly, Belch. So More Threes. EveryThing Is Turning Out Three.
So As AMD Glides Past intel in eyefinity6 & 12 Core processing, Weap Intel, Weep. Selling Nvidia One Letter At Time.
Notice N, Good for: theWORD or national Aircraft, Notice V, Great For Von DrashekNotice i Letter, Good For Trillions & Notice that Lovely D Letter, Great & Straight from Drashek, then NoticeALL Go Cheap. AMD Winner, Intel Loser, Nvidia Knocked ?Out....