14 DAY TRIAL // Intel's development of the Core i7 920 processor substitute was discovered as far back as late October. Intel was already in the later stages of developing the slot-in replacement known as the Core i7 930 central processing unit, but no specifics were available at the time on the exact release date for the chip.
The unit will boast four processing cores and eight threads. The processor is clocked at 2.80 GHz and will work on socket LGA 1366 motherboards. The total L3 cache memory of the unit is of 8MB and the chip will boast an integrated triple channel DDR3 memory controller. The total thermal design power of the Core i7 930 CPU is of 130W.
Even though the frequency of the chip is not much higher than that of the 920 (2.66 GHz), the chip will be paired with Intel's high-end chipset known as the X58, making it quite capable in high-end setups. Of course, the high-end market will likely be taken over by the Intel Core i7 980X processor, which is now set to be released in March 2010. Still, the price of the 930 is not much different from that of the 920 chip, which it replaces, an element that will likely make it a strong candidate for desktop PCs even in parallel with the Gulftown, which will supposedly be priced at $999.
The CPU will naturally retain the technologies existing in all Core i7 processors. These include the Intel Virtualization technology, the Execute Disable Bit capabilities and Intel 64-bit computing. Of course, like in all Core i7 CPUs, the Hyper threading technology will continue to maximize performance in order to match the workload on the unit.
The Intel Core i7 930 central processing unit will become widely available by the end of February and will have an initial price tag of $284. Specifications, support, tools and software related to the Core i7 processor line may be found on Intel's official website.