Intel prepares to bulldoze Bulldozer with launch of Core i7-2700K processor

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Long rumored as Intel’s first response to AMD’s Bulldozer platform, the new Core i7-2700K processor has been officially launched as the fastest Sandy Bridge desktop chip. The quad-core CPU should already widen the performance gap between the Bulldozer flagship FX-8150 and Sandy Bridge’s high end, though at an approximate price of $330 (according to CPU World), the i7-2700K is nearly $100 more expensive.

At 3.5GHz (with a 3.9GHz Turbo Boost), the new Core i7 is 100MHz faster than the Core i7-2600K, which has already bested the FX-8150 in pretty much all benchmark testing to date. And as the “K” in the product name denotes, it has an unlocked clock multiplier to ease overclocking. No word yet on whether the new processor introduction will lead to a price cut in the i7-2600K to make it even more competitive with the Bulldozers. (Signs point to “no” as there’s some evidence the processor’s price has spiked in Europe after the launch of Bulldozer.)

Already, boutique system maker Maingear has announced that it is offering the new Core i7 in its Shift and F131 desktop PCs, giving users the option to have the company overclock it to 5GHz or higher. An F131 with the i7-2700K starts at $1,228, while a Shift equipped with one starts at $1,985. No doubt other gaming PC companies will announce their own systems with the new chip in the coming days.

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

View the original article here

Intel readying Core i7-2700K CPU to spoil AMD Bulldozer launch?

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

It looks like Intel may have a two-pronged approach to combating the imminent debut of AMD’s new Bulldozer desktop processors. Not only does the company plan to release its new Sandy Bridge-E “extreme” chips a few weeks after Bulldozer’s launch, but it also appears to have another CPU up its sleeve to send out against AMD’s new FX series.

CPU World sleuths noticed that Intel recently added a new box to its Material Declaration Data Sheets (MDDS) database that indicates that the company is preparing the Core i7-2700K, which would presumably replace the i7-2600K as the fastest non-extreme Sandy Bridge desktop processor. Unfortunately, there are no specs or other pertinent information about the chip, though CPU World assumes that it will be like the i7-2600K with four cores, Hyper-Threading, and 8MB L3 cache, but will carry a slightly higher clock speed.

Anandtech speculates that the pricing for the i7-2700K will be roughly $317, which will be higher than the top eight-core Bulldozers. Then again, if it can best AMD’s latest in performance testing, then enthusiasts might not mind the extra cost. The i7-2700K release could also pull the pricing of the i7-2600K down closer to the $266 price expected for the FX-8150.

In any event, it appears that Intel will have plenty of new product to battle with Bulldozer as the fourth quarter rolls on. But will it be able to blunt AMD’s momentum after it launches its latest chips?

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

View the original article here