Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer peripheral solutions, today announced the immediate availability of the Viper II Series 'Sector 7' Edition to its family of Extreme Performance DDR3 memory. The Sector 7 Edition DDR3 is the ultimate performance memory solution for the Intel X58 system platform and has been designed with overclockers, enthusiasts and gamers in mind. Sector 7 modules are compatible for use with Intel 'unlocked' Core i7 and Extreme Edition Core i7 processors.

Patriot's Sector 7 Edition is available in 6GB, 12GB and 24GB tri-channel kits in speeds ranging from 1600MHz to 2000MHz. The Sector 7 Edition products are an extension of the well received dual-channel Sector 5 Edition line of DDR3 for the P55 platform.

ASUS is also planning to expand its TUF series motherboard lineup with the Sabertooth X58. This socket LGA-1366 uses the design model of the TUF series, which includes 2 oz copper layered PCB, a choice of high-grade components, and CeraMX ceramic surface heatsinks that have greater heat dissipation area. These give the board higher thermal limits, making it suitable for operation in really hot places (or simply turning that into overclocking headroom in cooler places).

The CPU is powered by an 8+2 phase VRM, wired to six DIMM slots for triple channel memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express x16, two PCI-E x1, and one PCI. Apart from the six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, there are two 6 Gb/s ones. Other connectivity features include USB 3.0, gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio and FireWire. Expect this model to be priced in the league of premium ones.Image Courtesy: Future Looks

ASUS showed off its latest high-end motherboard, and latest entry into its premium Republic of Gamers line, the Rampage III Gene. The "Gene" identifier tells that the board is of the micro-ATX form-factor, while Rampage III is the latest series of socket LGA1366 motherboards based on the Intel X58 Express chipset. Compared to the Rampage II, Rampage III embraces latest technologies as well as ASUS innovations, this includes support for USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, and ASUS ROG Connect, to name a few. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase PWM circuit, 2-phase for the six DDR3 DIMM slots for triple-channel memory support.

Expansion slots include two full-bandwidth PCI-Express 2.0 x16, an open-ended PCI-Express x4, and a legacy PCI. NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossfireX are supported. The ICH10R southbridge drives six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, while an additional Marvell-made controller drives two SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Connectivity includes 8-channel audio (probably SupremeFX X-Fi), two USB 3.0 ports, a number of USB 2.0 ports including one which holds a Bluetooth module, gigabit Ethernet, and FireWire. ROG-exclusive features include ROG Connect, which allows you to control overclocking with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone that has the ROG device installed and is Bluetooth-paired with the board, a more flexible BIOS, iROG motherboard management system, and power, reset, and clear-CMOS buttons at convenient locations. Pricing and availability are yet to be known.

EVGA is readying a new high-end socket LGA1366 motherboard building on its FTW (for the win) moniker, the X58 FTW3, carrying the EVGA SKU code of 132-GT-E768-KR. The new motherboard was spotted on the North American online retailer NCIX.com, where it was listed for US $342.39 and CA $319.99, before EVGA even launched the product or gave it a product page on the company website.

The 132-GT-E768-KR is a standard ATX motherboard. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase standard VRM, it is wired to six DDR3 slots for triple-channel memory support. The X58 IOU is cooled by a larger than usual heatsink, which slants towards the socket to give clearance to large CPU coolers. The X58 and ICH10R stick to the specifications, with no additional bridge chip. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x16, x8, x8 when all three are populated, x16, x16, NC when the first two are), supporting 3-way SLI, 2-way SLI, and ATI CrossFireX. Connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s and six 3 Gb/s ports, two gigabit Ethernet controllers, 8 channel audio, two USB 3.0 and 8 USB 2.0 ports, and support for the EVBot OC module. EVGA should officially introduce this board soon.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and computing hardware solutions is proud to unleash their latest monster performance GA-X58A-UD9 motherboard, featuring a revolutionary new 24 phase Unlocked Power design, 4-way graphics support including NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX, as well as a host of unique GIGABYTE features such as 333 Onboard Acceleration and On/Off Charge.

"GIGABYTE set out to completely redefine what is possible performance and feature-wise on the X58 platform, and the GA-X58A-UD9 truly delivers on both fronts," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "Providing the industry's highest caliber CPU power delivery with our unique 24 phase Unlocked Power design and including all of the features which set GIGABYTE motherboards apart from the competition, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 fits into a whole new first class category all its own."

Corsair, a worldwide supplier of high performance computer and flash memory products, today announced new 16GB and 24GB Dominator DDR3 memory kits for workstation-level computers. These DRAM kits feature a clock speed of 1600 MHz and a CAS latency of nine cycles. The introduction of these new kits expands Corsair's worldwide award-winning Dominator memory family, providing an exciting new level of performance for data-intensive computing applications.

Corsair's 24GB Dominator DDR3 memory kit has been rigorously qualified and tested in platforms based on the Intel X58 chipset. It is designed for use with three-channel CPUs such as the Core i7 980X processor. The 16GB Dominator DDR3 memory kit is designed for use on dual channel platforms based on the P55 chip set. Both module kits include Corsair's patented DHX+ technology, and feature racing-blue highlights and fins.

MSI's newest high-end LGA1366 motherboard comes at a time when there are new offerings by several motherboard makers boasting of support for USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, and support for the Core i7 "Gulftown" six-core processors out of the box. Another feature is having more than four PCI-Express x16 slots, which is becoming a trend. The lure here is being able to run four graphics cards in multi-GPU, with enough expansion room left for a fifth graphics card for processing physics, and that ATI and NVIDIA have multi-head display technologies in the making. First pictured in late January, the XPower X58 is MSI's socket LGA1366 platform addition to the Big Bang series of high-end products. The production version has a cooling system which uses heatsinks over the CPU VRM areas and X58 chipset, which are connected by a thick 8 mm heatpipe which MSI refers to as "SuperPipe". The ICH10R southbridge is cooled by an independent, slightly larger heatsink.

On offer are six PCI-Express x16 slots, a strong CPU VRM driven by a 16-phase PWM circuit which draws power from two 8-pin power connectors and uses DrMOS chips and High-C capacitors, a 3-phase memory power circuit, overclocker-friendly features such as consolidated voltage measure points, OC Genie, OC Dashboard module, a voltage-measure kit called V-kit, and Easy OC DIP switch. While the ICH10R gives out six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, an additional controller gives two 6 Gb/s ports (colour-coded white). Audio is care of a bundled PCI-Express x1 audio card called the MSI QuantumWave that includes THX TruStudio PC Suite, and support for Creative EAX 5.0 HD. Connectivity includes dual gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports next to a number of USB 2.0 ports, power-eSATA, FireWire, and a connector for the OC Dashboard module. The MSI XPower X58 should be released soon.

Combining unprecedented security, performance and energy efficiency, Intel Corporation today launched the Intel Xeon Processor 5600 series. The new processors deliver two new security features -- Intel Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (Intel AES-NI), and Intel Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT) -- that enable faster encryption and decryption performance for more secure transactions and virtualized environments, providing data centers with a stronger foundation for cloud security.

These are also the first server and workstation chips based on the groundbreaking, new Intel 32nm logic technology, which uses Intel's second-generation high-k metal gate transistors to increase speed and decrease energy consumption. The Intel Xeon Processor 5600 series supports up to six cores per processor and delivers up to 60 percent greater performance than the 45nm Intel Xeon processor 5500 series. In addition, data centers can replace 15 single-core servers with a single new one, and achieve a return on their investment in as little as 5 months.

MSI seems to be almost ready with a new high-end motherboard for the socket LGA-1366 Intel Core i7 platform. The new MSI Big Bang XPower motherboard is based on the usual Intel X58 Express + ICH10R chipset, and offers six PCI-Express x16 slots, which which it can support CrossFireX, SLI, and still have room for dedicated PhysX accelerators or other PCI-E devices. The XPower also features support for SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 using additional controllers.

The CPU is powered by a 16-phase DrMOS PWM, which draws power from two 8-pin power connectors. It makes use of High-C capacitors for higher durability. An additional 6-pin PCI-Express power input adds electrical stability to the PCI-Express x16 slots. The socket is wired to six DDR3 DIMM slots for triple-channel memory support, which are powered by a 3-phase VRM.

Intel's Core i7 processor in the LGA1366 package is currently leading in the performance front, some of the fastest processors for the desktop platform fall in this league. Despite lacking a directly competitive processor, the platform had its share of competition thanks to motherboard manufacturers competing within themselves. EVGA for one, is set to unveil a bleeding-edge motherboard later this year, which supports two LGA1366 processors. So far, enthusiasts working for EVGA have only disclosed that the motherboard would work with Intel's DP Xeon 5000 series LGA1366 processors, which are officially capable of working on dual-socket server and workstation motherboards.

However, a plausible rumor doing rounds has it that EVGA may attempt to make its motherboard work with Core i7 series processors - which are incapable to operate in pairs, at least from what we're led to believe. EVGA is attempting to do this by modifying the reference Intel design for the platform.

According to ASUS the Rampage III Extreme is "Designed for those who know the Dark Art of Overclocking". It comes equipped with all features that overclockers dream of, and also has new stuff like ROG Connect for example.
The board supports CPUs for Intel Socket 1366, which means Core i7 including Gulftown (yes, I asked). As chipset Intel's X58 and ICH10R is used like on the Rampage II Extreme. ASUS has routed 32 PCI-Express 2.0 lanes to the PCI-E x16 slots, so you can either run x16+x16, x16+x8+x8 or x8+x8+x8+x8 - all without the added heat and latency of NVIDIA's nForce 200. As we hear this does make quite a difference in a 4x HD 5870 configuration for example. Major improvements have also been made to the power solution which is now 8-phase digital 250 - 1000 kHz. Of course support for USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s is included as well.While exact details are not known, the price of the board will be "highest priced ROG" - my guess is around $400, with availability starting around the Gulftown launch which should be some time in March.

Big, big picture, about 5 MB, can be found here.

Shuttle, an industry leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance small form factor (SFF) PC solutions and creator of the XPC, today released details and images for the Shuttle models that will be showcased at the 2010 International CES, the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, from January 7-10, 2010.

Shuttle will be unveiling its forthcoming XPC models slated for release in the first half of the year, from the new J Series and re-designed All-In-One PC product lines. These models include the latest technology and new features from Intel, including the next-generation Intel Atom platform and the all new Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, and Intel Core i7 processors.

One of ASUS' premier offers for this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event is a new high-end socket LGA-1366 motherboard, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage III Extreme. The board succeeds the Rampage II Extreme which launched over an year ago along with Intel's then new Core i7 series processors. The new model based on the Intel X58 Express + ICH10R chipset, comes with four well spaced out PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, a new set of overclocking enhancements such as the ROG connect which lets you control the motherboard's overclocking from any Bluetooth and Java enabled mobile phone, SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 connectivity using ASUS' innovative PCI-Express 2.0 bridge implementation, and a more powerful CPU VRM to keep the board stable with bleeding-edge settings.

The board features an enhanced CPU VRM which is now powered by two 8-pin ATX connectors apart from two 4-pin Molex connectors. Some of these could be redundant and needed only for electrical stability. The CPU and memory power circuitry makes use of super-ML capacitors for cleaner power delivery. Voltage readouts are located next to the DIMM slots for accessibility. The motherboard makes use of slimmer component heatsinks that look to be made of the ceramic composite which the TUF Sabertooth P55 motherboard uses.

ASUS announced that it is ready to support the upcoming 32nm processor based on the LGA1366 socket and the Intel X58 chipset. This next-generation 32nm infrastructure, supporting six multi-cores, will deliver maximum performance to ASUS X58-based motherboards via a comprehensive BIOS upgrade. Chie-Wei Lin, General Manager of ASUS Motherboard Business said, "This new processor architecture accommodates up to six cores and significantly improves CPU performance. By enabling the architecture in our award-winning X58-based motherboards, we can deliver one of the fastest personal computing platforms in history and we are very excited about it."

ASUS' entire range of X58-based motherboards is ready for the new 32nm processor. For maximum CPU performance and advanced graphics processing enabled by the six cores, users simply need to update the BIOS of their existing X58-based motherboards.

The EVGA EVBot is a useful tool for tweakers and overclockers to maximize their system and have fun tweaking their EVGA products. With the ability to adjust on the fly voltages, clock frequencies and much more, the EVGA EVBot unleashes the full potential of your select EVGA motherboards or graphics cards! Optimistic Booster allows EVBot to take over and increase CPU frequency for a short amount of time. (ex. up 4MHz ever 4 seconds, down 3MHz every 3 seconds) This allows you to obtain the highest performance possible for a benchmark run. Simple and straight forward to use, and best of all, no drivers needed! Just plug and play.

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced a 24GB Dominator triple-channel DDR3 memory kit designed for high-performance desktop and workstation computing applications.

Corsair's 24GB Dominator DDR3 memory kit has been rigorously tested in high-performance platforms based on the Intel X58 motherboard chipset for Intel Core i7 [Bloomfield] processors. It comprises six 4GB DDR3 DIMMs that operate at a frequency of 1333MHz, at latency timings of 9-9-9-27, with 1.65V VDIMM. The 24GB Dominator memory kit also features Corsair's patented DHX+ heatsink technology for optimal cooling and reliability. The modules, equipped with signature American Racing Blue heatsink fins, are found on select Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory for Intel Core i5 and Core i7 platforms in 8GB and 12GB kits.

Contrary to older reports, Intel will stick to the Core i7 brand identifier to sell its first consumer (client) six-core processor based on the Nehalem architecture, codenamed "Gulftown". The first offering of these socket LGA-1366 processors, is the Core i7 980X Extreme Edition. Its positioning and pricing shows that Intel will replace its current flagship desktop processor, the Core i7 975 Extreme Edition with it, and at the very same price-point of US $999 (in 1000 unit tray quantities).

A future price list also shows that the Core i7 980X Extreme Edition is slated for March 2010. A month ahead of its launch, Intel will introduce the Core i7 930, which succeeds the Core i7 920 at its price-point of $284. The Gulftown core will be manufactured on Intel's brand new 32 nm HKMG process, it features 6 processing cores with 12 threads (HyperThreading Technology), triple-channel DDR3 memory with its integrated memory controller, 6.4 GT/s QPI link to the Intel X58 Express chipset, 12 MB of L3 cache, compatibility to platforms that support the Core i7 9xx processors, and 130W TDP. The Core i7 980X Extreme Edition comes with a clock speed of 3.33 GHz, The Core i7 930 on the other hand, is a quad-core processor which runs at 2.80 GHz.

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the launch of its new Dominator GTX ultra-high performance DDR3 memory modules for Intel and AMD platforms, designed specifically for performance enthusiasts, gamers and extreme overclockers.

Corsair Dominator GTX modules are individually screened and tested on multiple high-performance Intel X58 and P55 chipset platforms to ensure that they operate at the incredible frequency of 2250MHz at low-latency timings of 8-8-8-24 at 1.65V. They are designed specifically for performance enthusiasts and overclockers who want to achieve the highest performance possible and to break benchmark world records.

First surfaced two weeks ago, Gigabyte's then called GA-EX58-Extreme 2 motherboard has been renamed to GA-X58A-UD7, ahead of its launch. Traditionally known for giving the DQ6 and UD6 identifiers for its high-end motherboards, Gigabyte used the 'Extreme' identifier for some of its later high-end offerings. This is the first time a '7' identifier is in place. Touted to be a full-fledged successor to the EX58-Extreme, the X58A-UD7 brings to the table an upgraded feature-set, including support for USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gb/s, and four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrical x16, NC, x16, NC; x16, NC, x8, x8; or x8, x8, x8, x8, depending on how they're populated,) enabling 4-way ATI CrossFireX. Support for NVIDIA 3-way SLI is also included. One of the star attractions of this model is its factory-fitted chipset water-cooling block. Based on the Intel X58 Express chipset, the X58A-UD7 supports socket LGA-1366 Intel Core i7 processors. Its price and release date are still under wraps.

A promising new technology from LucidLogix, the Hydra, has perhaps hit its biggest roadblock. The Hydra multi-GPU engine allows vendor-neutral and model-neutral GPU performance upscaling, without adhering to proprietary technologies such as NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossfireX. NVIDIA, which is staring at a bleak future for its chipset division, is licensing the SLI technology to motherboard vendors who want to use it on socket LGA-1366 and LGA-1156 motherboards, since Intel is the only chipset vendor. On other sockets such as LGA-775 and AM3, however, NVIDIA continues to have chipsets that bring with them the incentive of SLI technology support. NVIDIA's licensing deals with motherboard vendors are particularly noteworthy. For socket LGA-1366 motherboards that are based on Intel's X58 Express chipset, NVIDIA charges a fee of US $5 per unit sold, to let it support SLI. Alternatively, motherboard vendors can opt for NVIDIA's nForce 200 bridge chip, which allows vendors to offer full-bandwidth 3-way SLI on some high-end models. For the socket LGA-1156 platform currently driven by Intel's P55 Express chipset, the fee is lower, at US $3 per unit sold.

The Lucid Hydra engine by design is vendor-neutral. It provides a sort of abstraction-layer between the OS and the GPUs, and uses the available graphics processing resources to upscale resulting performance. This effectively kills NVIDIA's cut, as motherboard vendors needn't have the SLI license, and that users of Hydra won't be using SLI or Crossfire anymore. Perhaps fearing a loss of revenue, NVIDIA is working on its drivers to ensure that its GeForce GPUs don't work on platforms that use Hydra. Perhaps this also ensures "quality control, and compatibility", since if the customer isn't satisfied with the quality and performance of Hydra, NVIDIA for one, could end up in the bad books. This could then also kick up warranty issues, and product returns.

Intel's Core i7 LGA-1366 performance segment processors is in for another update, past the recent introduction of the Core i7 960 (3.20 GHz). The newest entry replaces the popular Core i7 920, and leverages the company's socket LGA-1366 platform as the ultimate high-performance desktop platform. The Core i7 930, like all processors in the Core i7 900 series, runs on motherboards with the Intel X58 Express chipset. The processor comes with a clock speed of 2.88 GHz. Assuming it retains the base frequency of 133 MHz, we're not entirely sure how 2.88 GHz is worked out with a bus multiplier value that is a whole number. Since the Core i7 930 replaces the i7 920, it is expected to seat itself at the same price point of $299. Since this release comes slightly ahead of that of Intel's "Gulftown" 6-core processor, in Q1 2010, it remains to be seen if this processor continues to be built on the 45 nm HKMG process, or the newer 32 nm one.

The inclusion of USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s into the feature-sets of mid-thru-high end motherboards, have sparked off a mini wave of motherboard SKUs carved out on the basis of these features alone. Gigabyte, which recently unveiled its P55A family of socket LGA-1156 motherboards, has just done the same for its high-end socket LGA-1366 motherboard, with the introduction of the GA-EX58-Extreme2. Unlike other motherboards by the company that simply slipped in USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s while retaining essentially the same component layout, the GA-EX58-Extreme2 is a completely new design, that does not look similar to that of its predecessor, the GA-EX58-Extreme.

Gigabyte made use of not one, but two Marvell 88SE9123 2-port 6 Gb/s controllers, to give out four 6 Gb/s ports (color-coded white), all internal. Furthermore, two USB 3.0 controllers have been included to provide four ports. Unlike its predecessor, the GA-EX58-Extreme2 provides four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrical x16, NC, x16, NC; x16, NC, x8, x8; or x8, x8, x8, x8, depending on how they're populated.) The CPU is powered by a 24-phase circuit, and is wired to six DDR3 DIMM slots to support up to 24 GB of memory across a triple-channel interface. The chipset and VRM cooler supports water-cooling. The rest of its feature-set remains in tune with its predecessor: six SATA 3 Gb/s ports, dual gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio, and support for both ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technologies. Gigabyte may include this into the wave of products it plans to launch ahead of the winter shopping season. A video preview can be watched at the source.

After releasing a wave of socket LGA-1156 motherboards under the P7P55D series, ASUS is ready with its newest socket LGA-1366 offering, based on the Intel X58 Express chipset, supporting Core i7 "Bloomfield" processors. The P6X58D Premium first surfaced back in July, but hit development roadblocks due to industry-wide issues with the SATA 6 Gb/s controller it used, which now seem to have been ironed-out. It brings to the table support for new technologies such as USB 3.0, and SATA 6 Gb/s, along with making use of the company's Xtreme Phase motherboard component design. The two SATA 6 Gb/s ports are color-coded white, and placed next to the SATA 3 Gb/s ports color-coded blue, provided by the ICH10R southbridge. The white ports are driven by a Marvell SATA 6 Gb/s controller. The two USB 3.0 ports on the other hand, are color-coded blue, and are placed next to the PS/2 connectors on the rear-panel. They are driven by an NEC-made controller.

The LGA-1366 socket is powered by a 16-phase circuit. The six DDR3 memory slots support up to 24 GB of DDR3 memory across a triple-channel (192-bit) memory interface. Components, heatsinks, and slots on the board stick to the blue/white/black color-scheme. Heatsinks over the VRM, northbridge, and southbridge are connected by heatpipes. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrically x16, x8, x8, or x16, x16, NC, depending on how they're populated), two PCI, and one PCI-Express x1. Connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, USB 3.0, FireWire, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. ASUS-exclusive features include Precision Tweaker 2 (that provides voltage control with a fine-resolution), Stepless Frequency Selection, and ASUS CPU Parameter Recall. The new motherboard should reach markets this November.

Intel silently made its newest addition to the Core i7 desktop processor family official: the Core i7 960. This socket LGA-1366 processor is designed to work on motherboards with the Intel X58 Express chipset. After Intel's gradual replacement of the Core i7 965 Extreme Edition with the Core i7 975 Extreme Edition, there remained a scope for a non-XE Core i7 model with the same clock-speed as the i7 965 XE, albeit with an upwards locked bus frequency multiplier.

The Core i7 960 comes clocked at 3.20 GHz (24.0 x 133 MHz), with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 3.43 GHz. It has four processing cores, and with the HyperThreading Technology, provides the operating system with eight logical CPUs. It comes with a QuickPath Interconnect speed of 4.8 GT/s, and supports up to 24 GB of memory with its triple-channel (192-bit wide) DDR3 memory interface. Each processing core has a dedicated L2 cache of 256 KB, while an 8 MB L3 cache is shared between all four cores. It is built on the 45 nm HKMG process, with a TDP of 130W.

The Core i7 960 is touted to displace the Core i7 950 from its existing price-point of around US $562 (in 1000 unit tray quantities). As evidence of that, popular American retailer Newegg.com has listed the OEM part (chip-only) at $589.99, a mere $10 higher than the retail box of the Core i7 950 listed on the same store.

Nearly an year away from launch, Intel's 6-core Gulftown processor is creating buzz in the media. The new processor which has already been sampled, and tested, some of its first documentation has been leaked to the media in the form of a slide that lists out some details. To begin with, Gulftown will be the first high-performance processor built on the 32 nm second-generation HKMG process. Intel's first commercial 32 nm based processors are dual-core chips which will sell alongside the much larger 45 nm CPU lineup. Next of-course, is that it has six processing cores with HyperThreading enabling 12 logical CPUs. With TurboBoost, the processor powers down inactive cores and overclocks the active ones, thus boosting performance on single/few-threaded apps while reducing power consumption.

Next up is its integrated memory controller supporting DDR3-1066 memory. The same standard is listed for current Core i7 processors, though they are proven to work at higher memory bus speeds. The part that perhaps matters the most is that the processor is seamlessly compatible with the X58 chipset, is based on socket LGA-1366, and has the same TDP rating as Core i7 900 series processors: 130W. Existing motherboards that handle Core i7 processors are technically capable to handle Gulftown. The processor will only be available in the high-end (enthusiast) category, and according to the latest roadmaps, is slated for Q2 2010.