Intel release 990x processor for $999 (3.46ghz)

Yesterday KitGuru reported on Core i7 960 and 970 price drops. They are also releasing a new Extreme Edition processor, called the Core i7 990x.

This chip is being sold at the $999 mark, and replaces the 980x as the flagship processor from the chip giant. This chip is a clock bumped 980x, with the speed set at 3.46ghz (from 3.33ghz).

This minor speed increase could obviously be achieved from a 980x with a simple 1x bump in multipler but it ensures that their flagship processor pushes the performance chart further away from AMD. Their 1100T is a great 6 core design, but it simply can't compete with these Intel high end solutions. This is reflected by the more modest price points.

This new 990x is a six core (twelve threads) design which features 12 mb of L3 cache and Turbo Boost Technology, based around the 32nm architecture.

With recent price drops of the Core i7 970 to only £450, it seems as if they might be killing some potential sales of the new flagship design.

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