With six cores and twelve threads, the Intel Core i7 980 X is believed to be the speediest consumer chip that the world’s most recognized chipmaker has developed. How soon it will be implemented in standard desktops remains to be seen but there is no doubt that gamers and content editors who always wish to work with devices on the cutting edge of technology, will want to get their hands on this high performance device.
Like the previous Core i7 processors, the i7 980X also supports Intel’s hyperthreading and turbo boost technologies in the 32nm process. Though the stock speed is 3.3GHz, when just two or less cores are running, the turbo boost technology can take the speed up to 3.6-GHz. In fact, even if there are more than two cores active, the chip can still run at 3.46 GHz, undoubtedly making this one of the fastest Intel Core i7 processors. Add to this the fact that the i7 980X is also the first processor from Intel with six physical cores and one can understand the buzz surrounding this high-end processor.
While the i7 975 had a 8MB cache, the i7 980X comes with a 12 MB cache shared across all the six cores. In a processor, the cache acts a temporary storage area where all the frequently accessed data is stored for quick retrieval purposes. Obviously, a larger L3 cache would mean that more data can be stored in this area and that it can exchanged more readily amongst the six cores, improving the speed with which multiprocessor applications function.
Of course, this chip is slightly ahead of the software today and offers enormous system performance in applications that can be optimized to take advantage of the computing power of the six cores. As Intel states, games or applications that are optimized for 12-thread use will no doubt demonstrate the boost this chip can provide in system performance. For example, video editing software or applications that used intensive 3-D imaging experienced larger boosts when used with the 980X. Even productivity software showed considerable performance gains when used with the Core i7 980X. Another major strength of this six-core chip is that it can work easily on motherboards that are just over a year old ensuring that anyone with these motherboards can easily upgrade to a Core i7 980X.
The Intel Core i7 980X has a lot of strengths and very few factors that go against it. Yet the price of about R10, 000 could prove to be daunting to many unless they are serious gamers or in a specific industry such as video editing that will benefit considerably from the performance boost this chip provides. However, there has been a steady increase in the number of multithreaded applications that are being offered. There is no doubt that as multi-core processors and more importantly applications optimized for multi-core processors become popular, the extreme computing power of the Intel Core i7 980X will be fully appreciated and put to good use.
If you are an extreme gamer that is looking for the ultimate gaming PC with the Intel Core i7 980X Processor or want a PC with the best performance, visit Evetech’s Extreme Gaming PC’s Section to configure a top-end PC for yourself.
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