More details emerge about Intel Sandy Bridge E "extreme" desktop processor

With the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition six-core processor, Intel has reached the end of the road with its Gulftown platform. Before Ivy Bridge rumbles into the picture next year, the chip giant will be releasing a six-core desktop CPU based on its current platform, the Sandy Bridge E ("E" for "extreme," of course).

At first blush, fanboys could be a bit bummed with the E's core clock speed of 3.3GHz compared to the 990X's 3.46GHz, but with Turbo mode it can blast to 3.9GHz. Then again, with its unlocked multiplier, the chip should be overclocked over 4GHz easily. It also comes with 15MB of L3 cache, compared to the 990X's 12MB.

As you can guess, the CPU itself will doubtlessly carry its usual sky-high price of $1,000 or beyond. You'll also need a new motherboard as this will require the yet-unreleased LGA 2011 socket. While all signs have pointed to the E being a six-core processor, an eBay listing for an eight-core version for $1,360 quickly surfaced and vanished.

Speaking of eight cores, AMD's Bulldozer platform will soon arrive with octo-core desktop CPUs, which should provide some much-needed competition with Intel's Extreme processors. They'll probably undercut Intel's pricing considerably, but whether they'll come close in performance is yet to be determined.

[Via Fudzilla]