6-core i7 980X gets flogged. Survey says: Fast, but underutilized for now…

Whenever you increase a particular computer part (such as a processor) with 50% more processing power, real world gains are sure to be evident. In the case of the i7 980X — the new hotness — do the two extra cores actually add any real benefit for that $1k pricetag? Two more prominent and thorough reviews by Benchmark Reviews and Anandtech reveal that while the 980X is faster, current software just isn’t making the most of those 12 threads of fury, resulting in what I would call, slightly less than anticipated speed. Not to mention, if you’re a gamer looking for their next processor, the premium in this case isn’t really worth it as the gains aren’t all that different from OC’d 920′s and 940′s. Don’t get me wrong, benchmarking software shows increases in speeds and power between 130 to almost 200% — nothing to shake a stick at. It’s just that everyday stuff that isn’t so noticeable yet.

Potential purchasers who can afford such luxury however shouldn’t be turned away. Give it 6-12 months. Once software developers really get the hand of this whole multi-threaded thing, the 6-core 980X will fly. Lust for it yet?

Overclockers

6-core i9 i7 Extreme (Gulftown) processors detailed in leaked spec sheet.

2 cores? What is this, 2005? 4 cores? Still yesterday’s news. 6-cores? Now we’re talkin’. In the mad race to the top of the processor heap, once achieving the fastest clock speed came and went with manufacturers moving their focus from speed to cores, the processor scene was upped multiple notches. What started as dual core and then progressed to quad-core would ultimately lead to the next logical advancement — 6-core. Such is the beast that lives within the upcoming Gulftown processors.

One puzzling move to make light of is that the Gulftown 6-core processors were originally slated to drop with core i9 nomenclature. That naming scheme however appears to have been dropped in favor of core i7 Extreme. Meh, in the end it doesn’t really matter. All we enthusiasts care about is the performance that will ooze from every silicon wafer and circuit on the 32nm chip.

To leave off, just fill your head with the wonderful thoughts that a 12 core (physical) and 24 core (logical — hypertrheading) processor will be capable of. Isn’t technology grand?

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