Intel i7 980x (Extreme)

Introduction

With the Intel Core i7 980x in hand benchmarks have been humming along. Strictly business gaming sessions (that's our story), photo editing, and general computing have been eye popping. Some things have been flying by so fast that we had to re-check them just to make sure they actually happened.

With six cores (32nm) and 12 threads pushing the Westmere processors, 1.17 billion transistors sitting on a 248mm square die data isn't the only thing pumping along. Once in a great while you get your hands on a game changing product that sets your blood pumping and the mind careening wildly along possibility paths previously unexplored. The Intel Core i7 980x is one of those products.

When the Core i7 965x hit the bench it was a thrilling day even for seasoned reviewers. At that time it meant upgrading your motherboard to LGA 1366, upgrading to (then) expensive DDR3 triple channel RAM, and purchasing a top end i7 965 that ran (at release) $1200. The thought of sitting on a cutting edge i7 965 was a daunting proposal. The i7 980x is an LGA 1366 drop in upgrade. If you're sitting on a LGA 1366 platform already, simply flash to the latest BIOS, pop out the old processor and drop in the i7 980x and you will be running the top desktop processor on the planet.

In the short time we've had the Core i7 980x we've been flooded with benchmarks and fielding a lot of inquiries. We couldn't comment on the i7 980x because of Non-Disclosure Agreements but one question we get asked almost daily is: "What's the fastest desktop computer on the planet?" All we could do under those conditions was point to the test bench and say with certainty, "That one."

In case you're planning on rushing out and grabbing one of the Intel family processors, here is a table with PriceGrabber links to make that chore a little easier.