Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Processor Review

Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor is hands down the most powerful desktop processor ever benchmarked here at Legit Reviews. This was made crystal clear when the Intel Core i7-975 processor was able to beat out the Intel Skulltrail platform running a pair of Intel QX9775 processors. This is the very first time a quad-core processor with Hyper-Threading was able to knock down the 2P server/enthusiast platform running a pair of true quad-core processors. This is impressive considering just one Intel QX9775 processor runs $1555 shipped at Newegg! That means the $1,039 Core i7 975 Extreme edition just beat a system using $3110 worth of processors! This is very significant and it’s no wonder Intel recently announced that the QX9775 was being discontinued. The Core i7-975 loves applications that require four or more processing threads as these quad-core HypterThreaded Nehalem cores really start to shine then.

If the performance at stock settings didn’t blow you away, then keep in mind that this Core i7-975 is also an Extreme Edition part. This means that it is fully unlocked, giving you a license to crank up the multiplier and to adjust the base clock frequency to your liking. We were able to overclock the Core i7-975 by nearly 1.1GHz without even touching the voltages! The Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition D0 stepping processor is a monster! All this performance does come with a price, though, as the 150W TDP is higher than most processors on the market and the system will use significantly more power. That being said, you don’t purchase a super car for fuel economy and the Extreme Edition of processors is much the same.

Quad-Core CPU Name	Cores	Clock	Cache	QPI/FSB	TDP	Pricing
Intel Core i7-975 Extreme	4	3.33GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$1039
Intel Core i7-965 Extreme	4	3.20GHz	8MB	3200MHz	150W	$999
Intel Core i7-950	4	3.06GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$574
Intel Core i7-940	4	2.93GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$559
Intel Core i7-920	4	2.66GHz	8MB	2400MHz	130W	$278

Pricing on the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition right now is $1039.99, but hey, they give you free shipping. This price is hard to swallow during a deep recession, but while some are struggling to get by others are doing well. If you can afford an Intel Core i7-975 processor and like what you see then by all means get one. It might just be the Spurfect (give credit to Perez Hilton) processor!

Legit Bottom Line: The Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Processor is the fastest desktop processor to ever grace our test bench!