Intel's Six-Core Core i7-980X Gulftown Gets Listed

The fact that Intel plans to release its Core i7-980X central processing unit in March has not been a mystery for quite a while. Current rumors suggest that the processor will be launched around the middle of next month. This CPU will be based on the Nehalem architecture and will be followed by two others, namely the toned-down 970 and another Extreme Edition, currently slated for the first quarter of 2011. Suggesting that the official launch date of the first such chip is not too far off, the upcoming Intel Core i7-980GX Extreme Edition, otherwise known as Gulftown, has started being listed in Europe.

The 32nm process technology-based CPU is listed at various prices, but in each instance it shows specifications ready to take the performance of any system to new levels. One of the most noticeable elements is the clock speed, which, despite usually being lower for multi-core processors, is of no less than 3.33 GHz. The Gulftown has 12 threads, 6.4GT/s QPI, a 130W TDP and 12MB of L3 cache memory.

With the launch of the Gulftown, Intel will take the lead in marketing six-core processors, as Advanced Micro Devices isn't going to bring out its Thuban hexacore chip until the second quarter of the ongoing year. The Gulftown also seems to have an advantage over its rival in the fact that it works on existing X58 motherboards, with only a BIOS update required. AMD, on the other hand, needed to develop the 890GX chipset to provide its six-core with a compatible platform.

The central processor from Intel has been listed on multiple European websites, with one of the lower price tags found to be of 963.40 Euro. This is the equivalent of roughly $1,297. Still, this price will likely go down after the processor's official launch, considering the high likelihood of the Santa Clara company targeting the US$999 price point.