We’ve been in this business here at HotHardware for a long time now. For most of that time, we’ve heard from countless so-called "industry experts" that the PC is dead, or at the very least dying. Quite frankly, we’re sick of hearing it. The PC is far from dead. One has to look no further than Intel's most recent finanical results, or even the contents of this website. In fact, we’d argue that the PC is more pervasive than ever. The PC isn’t dead, it just so happens to be one of the most flexible and versatile pieces of technology in existence, and it has simply gone through a number of transformations in its illustrious lifetime. What was once a non-descript, beige box good for little more than word processing and spreadsheets is now the sleek, aesthetically pleasing, hub of our digital world, that can take many different shapes. And despite its impending doom, today the PC is about to become more powerful than ever.
November 14th, 2011 marks the release of Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E microarchitecture and its companion X79 Express chipset. Sandy Bridge-E is the ‘tock’ in Intel’s tick-tock release schedule cadence, that bridges the gap between current Sandy Bridge processors and next year’s, totally new Ivy Bridge microarchitecture. The first processor to arrive in the SBE line-up is the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, a six-core chip poised to knock Intel’s aging Gulftown-based processors from their position atop the PC food chain, one that they've held for almost two years.
We’ve got a Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition in house, along with a handful of X79 Express-based motherboards, and have pitted them against an assortment of high-end processors in an array of benchmark scenarios. Our results are laid out for you on the pages ahead, but before we get to the juicy performance details, let’s get some of the particulars out of the way first; specifications coming right up...
Intel Core i7-3690X Extreme Edition Processor
Specifications & Features
Core Frequency:
3.3GHz (Up To 3.9GHz w/ Turbo)
QPI Speed:
6.4GT/s
TDP (Thermal Design Power):
130W
Number of CPU Cores:
6 (12 Threads w/ HT)
Intel SmartCache:
15MB
L2 Cache:
1.5MB (256K x 6)
Processor input voltage (VID):
.95v
.032-micron manufacturing process
Shared Smart Cache Technology
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST)
Extended HALT State (C1E) Enabled
Execute Disable Bit (XD) Enabled
Intel 64 Technology
AES-NI: Processor instructions
Intel Virtualization Technology (VT)
Packaging - Flip Chip LGA2011
Total Die Size: Approximately 434.7mm2
Approximately 2.27B Transistors
Price - $950
Six Core Processing: Runs 6 independent processor cores in one physical package
Base Processor Frequency: 3.30 GHz
Massive PCI Express Bandwidth: 40 lanes of PCIe supported through the processor
Intel Turbo Boost Technology: Dynamically increases the processor frequency up to 3.90GHz when applications demand more performance. Speed when you need it, energy efficiency when you don’t.
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology: 12 threads provide unprecedented processing capability for better multi-tasking and threaded applications. Do more with less wait time.
Intel Smart Cache: Up to 15MB of shared cached allows faster access to your data by enabling dynamic and efficient allocation of the cache to match the needs of each core significantly reducing latency to frequently used data and improving performance.
Overclocking Enabled: Core (Turbo) and DDR3 ratios are unlocked for ease of overclocking
Integrated Memory Controller: Supports 4 channels of DDR3-1600 memory with 1 DIMM per channel. Support for XMP memory.
Hot Hardware full review of the "Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition Sandy Bridge-E CPU"
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