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Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition 3.46GHz Socket LGA 1366

The Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition is based on the 32nm Westmere silicon, it offers an unlocked multiplier and bringing slightly higher clock speeds: 3.4GHz base and a maximum of 3.73GHz when Turbo Boost kicks in. The 990X comes with 12MB of L3 cache, sports a 130W TDP, and requires a socket LGA1366 motherboard.

Based on 11 reviews

Excellent:

5
Good:

3
Average:

2
Bad:

1

Pros

Extremely fast.
Offers six processing cores.
12 threads.
Unlocked multiplier eases overclocking.
Faster than any other consumer desktop CPU.
Same price as previous chip champ.

Cons

Expensive.
Arriving a bit late in the generation.
Only slight speed bump over 980X.

By Vortez on September 13, 2011

With the imminent arrival of Sandy Bridge-E in November, the X58 chipset will finally give way to its rightful successor leaving the current generation Extreme Edition i7 990x in a somewhat awkward position. As mentioned in our introduction, the time...

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By HardwareHeaven on June 02, 2011

For those who want high end performance to maximise productivity or for gaming with maximum framerates, there is no better CPU than the 990X to pair a high end GPU (or multiple GPUs)...

100
By Atomic MPC on May 09, 2011

Expensive, incremental update of the impressive i7...

85
By Legit Reviews on May 09, 2011

When price isn't an issue and you need a processor that will chew up anything you throw at it with a smile on its face, the Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition Processor is the perfect processor for you!...

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By Ocaholic on May 01, 2011

With its recent Gulftown CPU's Intel has a really fast processor in its portfolio. But as usual their extreme processors come at a very high price tag. For CHF 1179.- (est. EUR 786.-) you get this very exclusive piece of hardware which is future...

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By HEXUS.net on April 08, 2011

We feel a computer-car analogy coming up, as the Core i7 990X is in some ways a lot like a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Intel's straight-six chip is imbued with a 3.73GHz Turbo injection that makes it faster than ever, but like the Super Sport...

70
By Phoronix on April 06, 2011

Image resizing with GraphicsMagick narrowed the delta between the Sandy Bridge and Gulftown CPUs. The Core i7 990X Extreme Edition was 94% faster than the Core i5 2500K and 18% faster than the Core i7 970. The greater number of cores with the...

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By X-bit Labs on April 05, 2011

After we completed the first tests of Sandy Bridge processors, the verdict was extremely positive. Intel engineers did a great job on the new microarchitecture, so the actual products based on it ended up with a great combination of consumer...

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By PC Mag on March 31, 2011

At $999, the Intel Core i7-990X is unquestionably pricey. But it's the fastest chip you'll find, especially if your business or personal computer use thrives on highly threaded workloads. Buy it...

80
By TechRadar on March 31, 2011

Monstrous. We think that's a fairly apt term for a processor like the Intel Core i7 990X Extreme Edition.It's vast, and possibly a little vulgar, in terms of sheer size, performance and importantly cost.The i7 990X is one of Intel's classic...

80