Intel introduces Core i7-3930K and i7-3960X CPUs
The Core i7-3930K, with 3.2GHz stock and 3.8GHz Turbo Boost frequencies, has 6 cores, 12MB 3rd level cache, and HyperThreading. It replaces the i7 980X in the market, but is expected to outperform it's predecessor. With it's unlocked multiplier, it is the cheaper of the two new processors.
The Core i7-3960X has 3.3GHz stock and 3.9GHz Turbo Boost frequencies, so is 100 MHz faster than it's cheaper brother. It has 6 cores, 15MB 3rd level cache and Hyper-Threading. Replacing the i7-990X, it also has an unlocked multiplier, and is the new flagship processor for enthusiasts and overclockers.
As well as having an improved Sandy Bridge core, these new processors use the new Socket 2011 package, so an upgrade will involve at least a new motherboard and quad channel memory. Combined with the quad-channel memory and improved processor cores, these should provide a significant performance increase for most users.
Jan 26, 2012: Intel Offers Performance Tuning Protection Plan
Aug 15, 2011: Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors priced
Jul 19, 2011: More details surface on Sandy Bridge-E extreme CPUs
Apr 21, 2011: Details emerge on Sandy Bridge-E processors
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Support For PCIE-3.0???????
Upon contacting Intel if the processor's PCIE controller has support for PCIE 3.0 . They could not confirm, spec sheet only says PCIE 2.0 support, but Toms hardware says different. (Extract below)
One of the most controversial points in my Sandy Bridge-E preview was the fact that PCI Express 3.0 was stated "not supported" by the manufacturer of my test platform. Multiple outside sources indicated that third-gen PCIe was planned, but wouldn’t be available, possibly until 2012.
It turns out that PCI Express 3.0 is, in fact, supported by Sandy Bridge-E (and the preview was updated to confirm 8 GT/s support the day after it went live). But because there weren’t (and still aren’t) any third-gen devices available yet, validating the feature was problematic. In fact, as you can see in the image below, Intel is still only officially guaranteeing that PCI Express 2.0 works, and probably will continue to do so until we see some hardware with a third-gen interface.