Intel unveils new 10-core 'Extreme Edition' processors

published 31 May 2016

Intel has just announced an 'Extreme' edition of its Core i7 Broadwell processor family, with a whopping 10 cores.

The new Core i7-69XX and 68XX models will be available in 6-core, 8-core and 10-core configurations, and will have up to 35 per cent faster multi-threaded performance than the previous generation.

They will all have a base clock speed of at least 3GHz, with Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 pushing them to at least 3.5GHz. They will also be fully unlocked and overclockable, with per-core overclocking, AVX ratio offset and VccU voltage control.

Intel is now going after content creators and streamers in a major way. The new chips are aimed at so-called 'mega-tasking' operations, and are designed for users who want to perform multiple CPU-intensive tasks at once.

Game streaming, where players use services like Twitch to broadcast live footage of their play sessions to viewers on the internet, is a major use-case the company is highlighting.

The new chips are able to maintain a consistent 60FPS framerate and stream the footage at 1080p, all while encoding the video stream 25 per cent faster than the previous generation.

Non-streaming gamers will also see hefty benefits, as the new processors consistently hit framerates of 85FPS and above - well over the current standard of 60FPS.

Regular content creation is also being targeted, with speed and performance boosts of around 25 per cent for 4K video editing, 360-degree video creation and VR rendering.

Intel has evidently decided to capitalise on the booming YouTube economy as epitomised by stars like PewDiePie, who makes a six-figure income from his YouTube channel.

Adam Shepherd has been a technology journalist since 2015, covering everything from cloud storage and security, to smartphones and servers. Over the course of his career, he’s seen the spread of 5G, the growing ubiquity of wireless devices, and the start of the connected revolution. He’s also been to more trade shows and technology conferences than he cares to count.

Adam is an avid follower of the latest hardware innovations, and he is never happier than when tinkering with complex network configurations, or exploring a new Linux distro. He was also previously a co-host on the ITPro Podcast, where he was often found ranting about his love of strange gadgets, his disdain for Windows Mobile, and everything in between.

You can find Adam tweeting about enterprise technology (or more often bad jokes) @AdamShepherUK.