Need to know: Intel Core i7-980X

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Intel has launched its most powerful desktop CPU to date, the Core i7-980X, codenamed Gulftown.

As the model number indicates, it’s a new top-end part for the i7 platform, though during development the company considered branding the chip “Core i9” to reflect its exceptional capabilities.

The i7-980X’s major distinction is the unprecedented six processor cores included in the package, more than any previous processor has offered. With Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology allowing each core to service two program threads at once, it gives the effective power of twelve independent CPUs running in parallel.

Each core runs at a stock speed of 3.33GHz, matching the fastest Core i7 previously available (the quad-core i7-975), and Intel’s Turbo Mode automatically boosts individual cores further, up to 3.6GHz, when load is high.

Conversely, when cores aren’t needed they’re cut down to 2GHz and below to minimise power and heat dissipation demands. The “X” at the end of the model number stands for “Extreme Edition”, indicating that users can adjust the CPU to run at higher frequencies and gain even better performance should they wish.

With a launch price of around £800 inc VAT, the Core i7-980X certainly isn’t aimed at a typical business role, but for highly parallel workstation tasks – such as data mining or graphical transformations – it’ll tear through a data set like nothing else on the market. It’ll be interesting to see how the technology trickles down into less specialist territory.

Will I see a benefit in going from four cores to six?

In principle, this should allow the CPU to execute 50 per cent more instructions in a given time. In reality, many tasks aren’t well suited to parallel execution, requiring one data operation to complete before another is ready to start. The 980X is therefore a specialist processor, and may or may not be worth investing in depending on the nature of the software you run.

What hardware is compatible with the Core i7-980X?

Like all Core i7-900 series processors, the 980X works with Intel’s workstation-oriented X58 chipset and plugs into the standard LGA 1366 socket. This means it can be used as a drop-in upgrade for any X58 workstation, though the motherboard’s BIOS may need to be updated to work with the new chip.

Apart from the cores, how does the 980X differ from previous Core i7 chips?

The Core i7-980X is Intel’s first LGA 1366 chip to be based on the new 32nm manufacturing process. The smaller transistors mean the CPU requires less electrical power to function than existing models. It also means the chip itself can be smaller, reducing manufacturing costs – though the complexity and specialist nature of this particular model keeps the retail price high.

Does the 980X have the same features as Intel’s other 32nm chips?

The mainstream 32nm chips that have already been launched – the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7-800 series – feature special new instructions designed to accelerate AES encryption. Those new instructions are here in the 980X too, making it more efficient than before to work with encrypted data. However, the Core i7-980X doesn’t include the on-chip GPU found on the mainstream products meaning your workstation will still need a discrete graphics card.

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