14 DAY TRIAL // The rumor mill just keeps turning when it comes to the unreleased products, and the same goes for some of Intel's upcoming Core i7 models, which are said to debut in the form of the Core i7 950 and 975 CPU models. According to a recent article on HKEPC hardware, citing sources in Taiwan's motherboard industry, Santa Clara, California-based Intel is expected to update its Core i7 lineup with the introduction of two new processor models, designed to replace the company's current Core i7 940 and 965 models.
Rumors of the Core i7 975 processor have been going on for some time, but this appears to be the first time that the Core i7 950 model comes into question. Furthermore, these chips are said to come out as an improved version of Intel's Nehalem-based Core i7 processor lineup. They are to provide faster clock speeds at the same price tags as their lower-clocked versions. According to details on HKEPC, the new models will not differ much in terms of technical specifications, as they will provide the same package, cache size and QPI specifications.
The Core i7 975 is expected to sport a core speed of 3.33GHz, with support for 6.4GT/s QPI, built-in 8MB of L3 cache and an unlocked multiplier, which will allow users to take advantage of the processor's full overclocking potential. The Core i950 is said to come out with a core clock of 3.06GHz, support for 4.8GH/s QPI and built-in 8MB of L3 cache. Both processors will be available with a TDP of 130W. Price wise, they should become available in the second quarter of this year for $999 and $562, basically the same as the 940 and 965 models.
As far as Intel's Core i7 920 is concerned, the company isn't expected to deliver a higher-clocked version of this model. Unfortunately, according to the details on HKEPC, the pricing of the 920 model will remain the same, namely $284.