Intel Core i7-980X Processor Extreme Edition Processors

Tweet

Those who’d expect Intel’s forthcoming “Gulftown” 32nm processors to bear the Core i9 badge are in for a surprise, as leaked reports have revealed that they’ll be called Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. Expected to be released sometime in Q1 next year — according to an alleged roadmap that has found its way to the market on China’s PC Online, we just caught wind the the new six-core processors might be included in Apple’s new Mac Pro systems that are expected to hit shelves sometime in March or April 2010.

Supposedly clocking in at 3.33GHz, the 32 nanometer chips are built on the Westmeere CPU micro-architecture, will have 12MB of L3 cache, and six cores with 12 threads for each CPU (double in a machine equipped with 2 Xeon), making it the ultimate processor for those looking for multi-tasking and multi-threaded performance.

No word how much the new Intel Core i7-980X will cost, but we have a feeling that no matter what, those crazy gamers that just spent a fortune on the new ATI HD 5970 graphics card would be looking to get their hands on it as soon asap.