I7-980X Out on March 14, 2010?

[r_manic]

Can anyone provide verification on this?

The rumored launch of the new processor is set for March 14 to 16. The processor carries the Gulftown codename and has been spied up for preorder in Europe. The part uses 32nm build process and will have a 3.3GHz clock.

Other things we know include 12MB of L3 cache, a 130W TDP, and it will work on X58 boards with a BIOs update. Pricing has been seen at about $1,297. Cheap it ain't.

Also, why would anyone want to spend that much on a CPU? Save for the six-core appeal of course.

 

[clement4413]

Priceless !!

1297$, Intel will be able to keep their CPU, I will never buy a CPU at this price. Prefer to wait the AMD Thuban.

 

[vvhocare5]

Its not a question of why would anyone buy the new 6-core for $1300, its because they can buy one.

A Lamborghini goes just as fast as a Chevy truck on a rush hour clogged freeway, and the Lambo owner paid a lot more for that privelage - but he/she sits there with the satisfaction that they could buy that car.

And if you are happy being in a lesser vehicle, or processor, thats all good. clement will never experience the same power as with the Intel 6 core but he will attempt to justify it by saying he paid less.

 

[mephiston1]

@vvhocare5: I like your answer dude! =D however I'd like to add that the dude in the lamborghini would have no problems finding a cheap slut at a club whereas the guy in the chevy truck would have some problems. XD the same doesn't hold true for PC parts hahaha.

on a more serious note, it's really crazy, I never did think that Intel would cross the $1k mark of a single CPU. All those $999 pieces (Extreme Editions etc.) are already so ridiculous. If your manufacturing process is still so costly, maybe you should just leave the parts in the research labs first?

 

[r_manic]

Best answer selected by r_manic.

 

[Zinosys]

@vvhocare5, good answer.

But the i7 980X is projected to be released on the 16th. (Although I wouldn't complain if it came out a couple days earlier.)

Cheers.

 

[randomizer]

I'm not sure it really matters. We're talking about 1 week away, plus or minus a few days. This is not like speculating what quarter it will be released in. NDA lifts on the 11th as far as I know and that's all I care about

 

[trgTyson]

I read a lot of posts like "who really needs 6 cores?"..and.."the price is too high"...it's not for the average person that web browses and plays the odd game. This will be taken advantage of in applications that are multithreaded. For what you get/need it for I think the price is fair, obviously it doesn't cost Intel that much to make the chip...but this solution is cheaper/faster(more OC potential, but for heavy renders a dual quad nehalem of slower speeds would probably be about the same) then lets say, a fast dual quad system. The reason I say faster is the overclock potential of this chip, rendering/dynamic sims on this chip will be nice at 4ghz with all 6 cores going full tilt.

I already stress my machines at work that are dual-quad nehalems with hyperthreading and 24gb of ram and I know they cost the company well over $8k..so this will make a nice home setup

 

[NST]

Purchasing both an i7-980X and a Lambo is included in my future plans.Having a car like Lamborghini is definitely dangerous.It costs much to repair and many people may like you just because you own the particular car.Also, you may die, if you drive the Lambo not carefully or too fast.Lastly, having such an expensive car makes you a very nice target for thieves and burglars.Likewise, if you have the Gulfie and you are an enthusiast, you might screw it, while installing a watercooling setup and then you 've lost 1000 bucks.Secondly, one of your jealous friends might take away your life (and more importantly) your computer because his own can't play Crisis.Thirdly, there are the girlfriend issues.She may not like you ignoring her and playing all day Crisis with your new CPU and then things like this happen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtWurY7wtpc or even worse she may like it and want to join you in your gaming sessions with terrible results as this vid shows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ydXbJrQ4jc&feature=fvw .Especially in the second case, calming down your girlfriend might actually cost you more than a Lamborghini.So why people buy cars like Lambo and why do they buy extreme editions' CPUs, if there are all those drawbacks?The answer is simple, someone has to do it.

Now seriously, I believe that the retail price of the i7-980X will be 999$, replacing in this way the i7-975.There will be also a cheaper Intel hexa-core CPU released later this year.The 1297$ price tag is for people who are rich and just can't wait for the official release (i7-980X is up for sale for more than 2 months).Anyway one thing is sure, next year more powerful processors will be released, so buying Gulftown is clearly a matter of choice.

RIP PCs and video-game consoles killed by girlfriends.

Pffff , now I have to go and repair my Chevy truck.