Intel Updates Processor Line-up, Introduces Core i7-970

Earlier this month, a rumor surfaced that claimed Intel would be launching some new processor models this summer, and sure enough, it’s proven true… and a lot sooner than I expected. This past weekend, Intel quietly updated its processor line-up, adding some fresh faces to the line-up, as well as purging a slew as well – mostly from the previous generation.

On the high-end, Intel has lunched the Core i7-970 six-core processor. This model becomes the company’s second six-core model, and retails for $885. Despite the high cost-of-entry, this does not fall under the Extreme Edition branding, and at 3.20GHz (compared to 3.33GHz), it’s hard to gauge just how well it’s going to sell. If the processor was priced closer to $800, then its existence would make a little more sense.

As hoped, the Core i7-870 has seen a nice price-drop, to $294 from $562. As a quad-core model with full HyperThreading capabilities, not to mention a 2.93GHz clock speed, this is one drool-worthy model for the overclocker and non-overclocker alike. The i7-875K “overclocking” version of the CPU remains priced at $342. The i5 line also sees some love, with the introduction of the i5-760, a 2.80GHz quad-core model that improves slightly upon the i5-750’s 2.66GHz clock speed, and of course price ($205 vs $196).

No line-up upgrades would be complete without some attention seen towards i3, and the result is the i3-540, which falls right in between the i3-550 and i3-530. But at 3.06GHz, the i3-540 is priced quite well compared to the 2.93GHz i3-530… the price difference is just $4 ($117 vs. $113). The i3-540 has become the ultimate no-brainer of the entire i3 line-up.

On the low-power side of things, Intel has also introduced a new chip that becomes the highest-end model for that particular line-up, the Core i7-870S. Unlike the 2.93GHz clock speed of the non-S version, this chip features a 2.66GHz clock speed and retails for $351 (vs. $294) and also different TDP’s (82W vs. 95W).

Along with all these new models, Intel has cleaned up its line-up by purging some older processors, primarily on the Xeon LGA775 side. There are some other minor changes as well, so if you are curious, you can head on over to Intel’s updated pricing list and check out the PDF for all the details.