Intel is adding two more members to its small i7 aresenal, but at the same time ,there is speculation that they will also be discontinuing two current chips after just 6 months.

Intel’s processor lineup marketting strategy has always been a bit confusing and sometimes frusterating to consumers. Producing and releasing the highest and most mainstream speed chips first, then filling in the gaps months later with CPU’s only fractionally better, so it should come as no surprise that the current i7 lineup is getting a bit of a refresh as well as a new flagship unit.  This time however, reports indicate that Intel doesn’t want to just add to the lineup – giving consumers a few more choices – but wants to flat out eliminate and replace it. The upcoming Core i7 950 and i7 975 Extreme Edition CPU’s are poised to replace the current 940 and 965  EE processors. Various web sources have rumoured that Intel intends to completely phase out the latter by September 2009, less than one year since their release. 

More details emerged yesterday, with online retailer “PC’s for Everyone”  premetively listing both processors before the NDA – Details Below. Whether or not the information or pricing is %100 accurate is unkown, but it seems in line with most of the speculative web chatter. The ETA for release is listed on the website, is May 31st 2009.  

This isn’t all bad news for consumers however. With the new additions, a buyer could reasonably expect the prices for the current lineup to take a dip  as retailers attempt to clear out their remaining inventory before EOL (end of life) .

Core i7 970 Extreme Edition Specs (Intel part #: BX80601975)

Main Specifications

Product Line: Core i7

Socket: LGA1366 Socket

Clock Speed: 3.33 GHz

QuickPath: 6.4 GT/s

L2 Cache: 256 KB

Price: $1,129.00 USD

Detailed Specifications (Same for both CPU’s)

L3 Cache: 8 MB Shared

L2 Cache: 4 x 256 KB

L1 Cache: 4 x 64 KB

Threads: 8

Manufacturing Process: 45 nm

Thermal Design Power: 130W

Thermal Specification: 67.9°C

Core Voltage: 0.8 – 1.375V

Intel VT: Yes