The new Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor costs $167 per core or $83 per thread.
6 Cores. 12 Threads. Say Hello to Intel's Gulftown! : Read more
6 Cores. 12 Threads. Say Hello to Intel's Gulftown! : Read more
With this in mind, will the same mentality be used when we hit 12 core processors, yet we are still at 3 Ghz? It has been proven that 3 cores is the sweet spot today. When was the last time you pegged your speedy quad core while playing the latest game, surfing the web, and so on - on a daily basis? I think when it comes down to it, I'm isolating in on perhaps intelligent assignment by the operating system for those programs that are not multi-threaded or don't need to be. How many programs, and what type will you be running to max out all six cores right now? RAM is the helping hand in this situation, it's there so the CPU doesn't have to work as hard doing its job.The real benefit behind this is multi-tasking. Being able to run more programs at once without slowing to a crawl. Having your anti-virus start a scan without you even noticing is the real benefit. Some programs can benefit from more cores directly, but having more cores will benefit everyone, just need to wait for it to come down in price.