LGA-2011
Latest
Maingear adds high-performance Ivy Bridge-E processors to its desktop lineup
Roughly two years have passed since Intel released its first LGA-2011 E series processors, but now that its 22nm Ivy Bridge-E silicon is in the wild, PCs have a new high-horsepower option. With the outfit's latest unlocked six-core chips ready for action, Maingear's adding them as an option to their Shift, F131, Force and Rush desktops. At the top, the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition stakes claim to base clock speeds of 3.6GHz, while the Core i7-4930K and i7-4820K hum at 3.4GHz and 3.7GHz, respectively. Running at Turbo Boost frequencies, the top of the line model hit up to 4GHz, with both other models peaking at 3.9GHz. To commission a monster rig, and help Ivy Bridge reclaim the limelight from Haswell for just a moment, click the neighboring source link. Update: Origin PC's also joined in, adding Ivy Bridge-E processors to its Genesis, Millennium and Chronos desktops. Update 2: Velocity Micro's Raptor class PCs are also getting in on the new silicon treatment, with prices starting at $2,399. CyberPowerPC is also following suit, incorporating the E series into its Fang III Black Mamba, Cobra, Zeus EVO Storm, Pro Gamer FTW and Power Mega III machines.
Intel releases Core i7-3820 CPU, proves Sandy Bridge E isn't entirely elitist
The cost of entry to the LGA-2011 party just tumbled by around $250 thanks to Chipzilla's Core i7-3820 processor. It's a proper Sandy Bridge E processor with PCIe 3.0 support and more PCIe lanes, more memory bandwidth and room for more RAM compared to older platforms, but of course it's also lower specced than the pricey 3960X and 3930K. It 'only' has four cores (and eight threads), 10MB of L3 cache and it isn't fully unlocked -- as denoted by the lack of a K or an X in its title. Priced at around $300, it looks like a steal when stacked up against an LGA-1155 cousin like the $332 Core i7-2700K, which has the same 3.9GHz base clock speed, 8MB of L3 cache and none of the added benefits of Sandy Bridge E. However, once you factor in the cost of an X79 motherboard and perhaps also a new cooling solution, Intel's pricing starts to make more sense. AnandTech reviewed and benchmarked this chip a while back and reached a glowing conclusion -- check it out at the More Coverage link below.
Sandy Bridge E squashed into $3,000 Clevo P270WM gaming suitcase
If you thought Intel's super-charged Core i7 CPUs were only for desktops, then AVADirect reckons it can change your mind. The company's Clevo P270WM notebook comes strapped to the back of either a six-core i7-3930K or an over-sized i7-3960X, while still leaving plenty of room for dual GeForce GTX 580M graphics, a Bigfoot Killer WiFi adapter, three hard drives and four memory slots offering up to 32GB of RAM. Topping it all off is a 3D-capable 17.3-inch Full HD LED glossy display and backlit keyboard. The base configuration with the 3930K processor, single graphics card and 750GB HDD will set you back over $3,000, and if you have to ask how much the NVIDIA Quadro graphics option costs then you're probably better off with something like this.
Intel's 2011 CPUs require new motherboards, start saving those pennies now?
Hoping Intel's 32nm Sandy Bridge CPUs will unify your computing world next year? Bit-tech reports they may also drain your pocketbook. Anonymous sources told the site that Intel's spiffy new CPU / GPU / memory controller integrations will use two new sockets, LGA-1155 and LGA-2011; if true, you'll need to buy a new motherboard to match. Aside from packaging the aforementioned GPU and memory controller on the same die, LGA-1155 rumors don't hold any surprises thus far, but the enthusiast-grade LGA-2011 chips will supposedly sport a quad-channel DDR3 memory controller (like Nehalem EX) and the long-awaited PCI Express 3.0 for 32 lanes of graphics-gobbling bandwidth. We also hear new southbridges will have native SATA 6G. Honestly, these rumors are so tame as to be entirely credible. Let's dream up something ridiculous, like Intel actually supporting USB 3.0.
