Intel's new Core i7 970 six-core CPU listed online

As expected, Intel's second hexa-core processor is starting to emerge in online listings from retailers. The new Core i7 970 will reportedly be priced around $115 lower than the range-topping Core i7 980X in the U.S. and will feature slightly toned down specs such as 3.2GHz clock speeds as well as a locked multiplier. Otherwise both chips sport the same 12MB L3 cache, are compatible with socket LGA 1366 boards and -- of course -- have six cores and twelve threads.


The new Gulftown chip can be found in its boxed version from U.K. retailer Digital-Fusion for £705.52 (or around $1,090). The same site has the 980X for £801.22 ($1,230), so if the price relationship is retained for the U.S. market then its non-Extreme variant should retail for around $885. While the intention is to make their six-core parts available to a slightly broader user base, Intel could have a hard time finding buyers for its latest chip at that price -- after all, anyone willing to spend close to $900 on a high-end processor might as well pay the extra $100 for the Extreme Edition 980X.


Later this month the company is also expected to release a couple of entry-level Pentium processors, as well as a Core i5 760 with two cores clocked at 2.9GHz and a lower powered Core i5 870 with a selling price of $351.