It seems only yesterday that quad-core processors made it to mainstream popularity — I guess it’s true when they say processing speeds double every 18 months or so. Right now Intel’s own hexa-core project, codenamed Intel Gulftown until very recently, has received its own brand name. Now Intel Core i7 980x Extreme Edition, Intel heats up the race to hexa-core by inching closer and closer to a release date.
The six-core Gulftown chip will be able to handle 12 processing threads with its Hyper-Threading technology. It’s based on 32nm Westmere architecture, and will reach speeds of 3.33 GHz. It will also sport Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology, making for a very tempting package to look into when it rolls around within the next three months.
Meanwhile, Intel’s rival AMD has suggested a 45nm architecture-based hexa-core offering. AMD will be targeting a different consumer market with its own offering, and while details are scant at this point, we do know that it won’t take too long to call Intel’s hexa-core hand.
Via: Tech Tree
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