According to Hardmac, the next Mac Pro (which really needs an architecture refresh) will carry a 32nm, six-core processor with 12MB of L3 cache known as the Core i7-980X – apparently it won’t be i9-branded. But the really nuts news? The high end, double power Mac Pro could have a whopping 12 cores inside. [Hardmac via AppleInsider]
It may not be due out until early next year, but an engineering sample of Intel’s monster Core i9 processor (the kind we saw benchmarked) ended up on eBay. The 2.4GHz Xeon Westmere Gulftown chip’s auction ended, unfortunately, so all you nerd millionaires can forget about snagging the expensive escapee. More »
On paper, the Core i9 might not sound that exciting: It’s a lot like the Core i7, except built with a 32nm fabrication process and two extra cores, for a total of six. Early benchmarks, though, say it flies. Sometimes. More »
