[English] Review – Intel Core i7 980X

Conclusions

The early months of this year have been very exciting. More and more next-generation hardware are being released. The following months should be even more exciting, as the next cutting-edge products are already lining up, ready to make their way out of the assembly line and into the consumers’ hands.

Intel’s “Gulftown” is one such product, and it is already here to provide us with some clues as to what to expect in the times ahead. The six-core Intel Core i7 980X is a glimpse into the future. Technically speaking, it uses the same architecture as the “Bloomfield” series of processors. Still, its additional cores and better overclocking ability (compared to the “Bloomfields”), not to mention the higher overall performance, are more than enough to place it on top of the Core i7 975 or the Core i7 965. After all, those three carry the same US$ 999 price tag at their initial release, so why get lesser core for the money?

With such hefty price, can we recommend you to buy one? While it actually depends on many factors, let us just narrow it down to the most essential thing: speed. If you are looking for the fastest multi-thread desktop processor available today, and are lucky enough to have the money to spare, then go for the Core i7 980X. The price of Intel’s previous flagship, the Core i7 975, has been reduced to around US$ 100 cheaper compared to Core i7 980X. However, in our opinion, that price difference may not be enough to compensate for Gulftown’s extra two cores, lower power consumption (relative to the processor core amount), and better overclocking potentials (4,6 GHz on air, according to our test).

Speaking of price, the Core i7 980X currently retails for around US$ 999. Some online shops overseas are selling this cutting-edge processor for US$ 999-1100. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, we found some shops offering one at around US$ 1100-1200. Actually, this condition is a bit more favorable for the customers because previous estimations put the price at a whopping US$ 1.500. We found Intel’s previous top-of the-line offering, the Core i7 975, available at around US$ 1000-1100 apiece in some stores.

If everything goes according to plan, AMD will soon follow with the launch of their own line of 6-core processors, codenamed “Thuban”. The fastest variant of this series would only cost you US$ 300, which should make it the most affordable six-core processor by the time of launch. How about the performance then? According to the results from some preliminary tests in the internet, AMD’s six core offerings could not come close to Core i7 980X in terms of speed. If you are looking for a 6-core processor with the best price-performance ratio, however, Thuban might be your best bet. Only those who are looking for the fastest should resort to Gulftown.