Code-named “Gulftown” the 32nm, six-core i7-980X will be labeled as the i7x (“Extreme Edition”), not the i9 as many expected. It will be the first dual-socket, six-core processor from Intel. The image reveals that, with 6 cores and 12 threads, a dual-configured, i7-980X Mac Pro will sport 12 physical cores and 24 logical cores. Expect a top frequency of 3.33GHz.
It’s a guess as to if and when these processors will appear in Mac Pros, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled. That’s going to be one nasty machine.
Earlier this month, the the quad-core Mac Pro was updated to include a 3.33 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor.