Intel Core i7-980X Extreme 6-Core Processor
Earlier we talked about why old designs are not going away. Today lets look at a new design. The Intel Corei7-980X Extreme. Currently one of the most powerful processors in existence. For comparisons sake I am going to loosely compare the 980X to the Motorola 68000 which arguably was the first 32 bit CPU. (yes the 980x is technically 64 bit but for the sake of comparison we’ll use it).
| Core i7 980X | Motorola MC68000 | |
| Speed | 3600MHz | 4MHz |
| Transistors | 1.17 Billion | 40,000 |
| Process | 0.032 micron | 3.5 micron |
| Power | 130W | 1.35W |
| Voltage | 0.95V | 5V |
| Cost | $999 | ~$30 |
Too put that in perspective you could stick over 29,000 MC68K cores on a 980X die.
Intel Core i7-980X Processor die
So while old designs are still in wide use (and will continue to be) the new processors are nothing short of amazing.
980G Review may be found here at Hot Hardware
