Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition

The Intel Core i7 Extreme processors are intended for overclockers, gaming events and absolute enthusiasts. The processors have up to 10 CPU cores, the minimum is 4. All CPUs master hyperthreading technology, which adds another virtual core to each physical CPU core and thus increases the processor's performance by up to 40%.

Depending on the motherboard, the LGA 2011 socket (Intel X79 Express chipset) can accommodate up to 2 processors, provide up to 8 DDR3 RAM banks per processor and up to 7 PCI-E 16x slots. 4-way SLI or Crossfire X is thus supported. The latest models support up to 40 PCIe 3.0 lines.

The latest top model of the Intel Core i7 Extreme processors was the Intel Core i7-6950X, which can address 10 CPU cores with up to 3.5 GHz. Thanks to the use of Hyper-Threading technology, the processor can process up to 20 threads simultaneously, which at the time of its introduction in 2016 was only reserved for server processors.

The latest Extreme processors can address up to 64 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM in four memory channels (quad-channel). The system requires four main memory modules to use the quad-channel mode. The memory bandwidth can thus be quadrupled compared to use with just one main memory module, which can be clearly noticeable in more computing-intensive applications.

Intel Core i7 Extreme processors are available up to the 6th generation of Intel CPUs, from 2017 Intel transferred the Extreme CPUs to the new Intel Core i9 group in order to ensure a better optical difference to the normal Intel Core i 7 processors. With the introduction of the Intel Core i 9 family, the CPUs were upgraded to up to 18 CPU cores, which caused an enormous leap in performance.

All Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs

	Processor	Generation
	Intel Core i7-6950X 10C 20T @ 3.00 GHz	6.
	Intel Core i7-6900K 8C 16T @ 3.20 GHz	6.
	Intel Core i7-6850K 6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz	6.
	Intel Core i7-6800K 6C 12T @ 3.40 GHz	6.
	Intel Core i7-5960X 8C 16T @ 3.00 GHz	5.
	Intel Core i7-5930K 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	5.
	Intel Core i7-5820K 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz	5.
	Intel Core i7-4960X 6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz	4.
	Intel Core i7-4940MX 4C 8T @ 3.10 GHz	4.
	Intel Core i7-4930MX 4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz	4.
	Intel Core i7-4930K 6C 12T @ 3.40 GHz	4.
	Intel Core i7-4820K 4C 8T @ 3.70 GHz	4.
	Intel Core i7-3970X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3960X 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3940XM 4C 8T @ 3.00 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3930K 6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3920XM 4C 8T @ 2.90 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3840QM 4C 8T @ 2.80 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3820QM 4C 8T @ 2.70 GHz	3.
	Intel Core i7-3820 4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz	3.

Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition generation list

Name	Generation	Segment	Technology	Architecture
Intel Core i 6000	6.	Desktop	14 nm	Skylake S
Intel Core i 6000X	6.	Desktop	14 nm	Broadwell E
Intel Core i 5000X	5.	Desktop	22 nm	Haswell E
Intel Core i 4000M/4000H	4.	Notebook	22 nm	Haswell H
Intel Core i 4000X	4.	Desktop	22 nm	Ivy Bridge E
Intel Core i 3000M	3.	Notebook	22 nm	Ivy Bridge H
Intel Core i 3000X	3.	Desktop	32 nm	Sandy Bridge E
Intel Core i7 900	1.	Desktop	32 nm	Gulftown
Intel Core i7 900	1.	Desktop	45 nm	Bloomfield

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