Thread: Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Version

It is a time-honored tradition: assume complete the improvements from the most current architecture shift, and drop them into an unlocked processor aimed at overclockers and workstations with considerable computational workloads.


Adjusting at the top of the Sandy Bridge Extreme Version lineup is the 3.3GHz Core i7-3960X. The fresh processors are construct on the Sandy Bridge architecture, and the fundamentals have not altered. Sandy Bridge Extreme Version extends 2 central processing units with 6 cores, and one central processing unit with 4 cores. The Core i7-3960X I tested offers 15MB of L3 cache shared among the cores - up from 12MB in previous year's variant, or from 8 megabyte in the Core i7-2600K. That bigger L3 cache allows faster information substitutes among the cores, which develops functions in apps that are optimized for multiple cores.




Intel parked its try Core i7-3960X central processing unit on a DX79SI "Siler" CPU board. The Siler is well skilled, to say the least. Eight DIMM ports extends a possible 64GB of random access memory, with IV DIMMs managed on all side of the processor.


This could place a trouble for few bigger central processing unit fans. For my tries Intel furnished an Asetek liquid cooling kit, but lot of options cooling systems and CPU board supporting Socket 2011 will doubtless be present at or near establish.


Two Universal Serial Bus 3.0 slots concern the rear of the CPU board, with onboard links furnishing another couple for your case. The Siler supports an entire of 14 Universal Serial Bus slots - 6 on the rear, and 8 on 3 on board headers - with room for two FireWire slots as well. The in build SATA channels are pretty standard: two 6.0GB/s SATA slots, four 3.0GB/s SATA ports.