Test: Intel's i7 980X CPU with 6 cores!

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Intel recently launched its first six-core processor available to the general public.  The Core i7 980X is now its flagship product, with a price tag that matches, and will no doubt leave out of the reach of most people.

In technical terms, it's similar to its younger brother, the Core i7 975, and has the same clock speed of 3.33 GHz, along with a Turbo mode which can push that speed up to 3.49 GHz when not all of the cores are used at once.  Both chips also have Hyper-threading, which means that the CPU reports to the OS that it has twice as many cores.

The main difference between the two models comes from the number of cores, which moves from four to six.  Let's take a look and see if that will allow it to take over its predecessor.

While we're on the subject, you'll find all of our tests in the Processor Face-Off.  Why not compare the Core i7 980X to the AMD Phenom II X4 965 for instance?  Don't forget you can also check our overall performance index for all of latest batch of CPU tests.

> Test: Intel Core i7 980X

> Product Face-Off: Processors
> Product Survey: Processors

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