We just got our hands on Intel’s much awaited Gulftown, aka the Core i7 980 Extreme. For those who don’t know, this CPU is based on a new 32nm fabrication process and features 6 cores running at a whopping 3.33 GHz, which many will recall is the same speed that the i7 975 Extreme chip runs at, but with two less cores.
Without further ado lets get into some pics:
The CPU and heatsink. Note that this is an Intel heatsink, and the first time we’ve seen such an elaborate tower-based solution from them with heatpipes.
I’m using a very basic camera, but it’s possible to see the lettering, though it won’t say much more than “Intel Confidential”.
Set up in the BIOS. Intel insisted on us using the their own X58 motherboard, the DX58SO. A quick BIOS update and the board recognised the 980X without hiccups. We will be posting some preliminary benchmarks shortly.
We will also be featuring this CPU in a detailed review in the April issue of Digit, so interested people might want to look out for that.
To discuss the Intel Core i7 980 Extreme visit this post on the forum.