The DX58SO motherboard includes all of the slots, ports, and connectors needed to build potent gaming platforms and workstations.
But the wheels of progress keep turning. Intel recently started shipping mainstream processors based on its 32nm lithography process, and is now ready to apply the next generation of manufacturing technology to its fastest desktop chips. By further miniaturizing transistors and improving their power handling characteristics, Intel is able to create a six-core monster with 12MB of shared L3 cache (totaling 1.17 billion transistors) that fits onto a smaller die than its predecessor!
There currently exists a single model enabling Intel’s latest architectural evolution: the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. Operating at the same 3.33 GHz as the previous flagship (Core i7-975), performance naturally increases in threaded software. But because the 12MB shared L3 cache can be allocated dynamically, some single-threaded apps will even see a speed-up.
Now here’s the really cool part. Despite its many improvements, Core i7-980X is designed to drop into the same LGA 1366 interface as existing Core i7-900-series processors. And because Intel used the 130W thermal design power ceiling already in place when it conceptualized this CPU, the same X58 Express-based motherboards you’ve already sold support Core i7-980X as well. Simply roll out a BIOS update to arm those boards with the microcode needed to properly recognize a brand new processor.
So, you don’t need to stock another platform in order to sell six-core powerhouses. Just pick a motherboard with the feature set that works for enthusiasts and workstation customers alike, such as Intel’s DX58SO. The board’s LGA 1366 interface accommodates not only the entire line of Core i7-900-series CPUs, but also a number of the Xeon 5500-series processors. A quartet of memory slots takes up to 16GB of DDR3-1600 memory for blazing-fast transfer rates across three channels.
Intel’s Core i7-980X wields six cores (with Hyper-Threading, of course) and 12MB of shared L3 cache to become the latest flagship in Intel’s desktop processor family.
Paired together, Intel’s new Core i7-980X and well-established DX58SO are a powerful combination, comprising the fastest desktop hardware currently available. And of course, the fact that you’re selling an Intel processor on an Intel motherboard employing an Intel chipset is good news for gamers and professionals alike, all of whom value stability just as much as unadulterated speed.
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