Intel Core i7-3960X Operating and safety instructions

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition
Product Overview
The 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7
processor Extreme Edition is super-smart,
ultra-threaded, and absolutely uncom-
promising, making it the ultimate desktop
processor for content creators and gamers.
The Ultimate Digital
Creativity Engine
The 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7
processor Extreme Edition is the perfect
engine for power users who demand
unparalleled performance for unlimited
digital creativity. Smart features like Intel®
Turbo Boost Technology 2.01and Intel®
Hyper-Threading Technology1give additional
performance where and when you need it.
As the rst desktop platform to feature
4-channel memory, the Core i7-3960X
processor has more than twice the memory
bandwidth of the previous generation Core
i7-990X3processor. Experience the power
you need to optimize your workow and
maximize throughput with the ultimate
desktop processor.
Unleash the Ultimate
Gaming Processor
Get the edge you need to dominate your
gaming competition with the unlocked,
unleashed, and uncompromising 2nd
generation Intel Core i7 processor Extreme
Edition. With a killer combination of features
including Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0,
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, and over-
clocking. The ultra-threaded 2nd generation
Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition
is exible and devastatingly powerful.
It’s the ultimate weapon for gamers who
demand unmatched PC performance. The
only thing holding your gaming domination
back now is you.
Unrivaled Performance
and Overclocking2
The new 2nd Generation Intel Core i7
processor Extreme Edition will give you
the smoothest and most realistic desktop
content creation and gaming experience.
With Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
delivering unmatched 12-thread perfor-
mance across six cores, the most memory
channels available on any Intel desktop
processor, and the largest cache size
for super low latency and quick response
times, these processors will perform
when you need them to, in the applications
that you need them in. Add in the ability
to enable uncompromised 2 x 16 multi-
card NVIDIA* SLI* and AMD CrossFireX*
graphics congurations and you have a
platform that is unrivaled.
If you are the type that wants to optimize
performance on your system, the 2nd gen-
eration Intel Core i7 processors on socket
LGA2011 are for you. With enhanced system
tuning for processor cores, memory, and
power levels, you will have the exibility
that allows you to attain extra performance
for more complex multimedia applications
and immersive gaming. Whether you are a
novice overclocker or a seasoned veteran,
these processors will have you singing their
praises in no time at all.
PRODUCT BRIEF
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor
Extreme Edition

1Intel®Turbo Boost Technology, Intel®Hyper-Threading Technology, and Intel®Virtualization Technology require a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, enabling software and/or operating system, device drivers, and applications designed for these features.
Performance will vary depending on your conguration. Contact your vendor for more information.
2Warning: Altering clock frequency and/or voltage may (i) reduce system stability and useful life of the system and processor; (ii) cause the processor and other system components to fail; (iii) cause reductions in system performance; (iv) cause additional heat or other
damage; and (v) affect system data integrity. Intel has not tested, and does not warranty, the operation of the processor beyond its specications.
3Partial Overclocking: Partial overclocking is available on the 4 core LGA 2011 processor. Partial overclocking will allow you to adjust the core multiplier to a preset maximum.
Copyright © 2011 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. 0911/DL/HBD/PDF 326150-001US
2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Comparison
2nd Generation Intel®
Core™ i7-3960X Processor
Extreme Edition
2nd Generation Intel®
Core™ i7-3930K Processor
2nd Generation Intel®
Core™ i7-3820 Processor
Number of Processor Cores 664
Number of Simultaneous Threads with Intel®
Hyper-Threading Technology112 12 8
Intel® Smart Cache Size 15 MB 12 MB 10 MB
Processor Base Frequency 3.3 GHz 3.2 GHz 3.6 GHz
Memory Frequency 1600 MHz 1600 MHz 1600 MHz
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology12.0 2.0 2.0
Number of DDR3 Memory Channels 444
Overclocking Enabled2YES YES YES3
Intel® Express Chipset X79 X79 X79
Socket LGA2011 LGA2011 LGA2011
Features and Benets of the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ Processors
Features Benets
Six Core/12 Thread Processing1Provides six complete execution cores in a single processor package, delivering 12 computing threads to help operating systems and applications deliver
additional performance, so users can experience better multitasking and multi-threaded performance across many types of applications and workloads.
Massive PCIe Graphics Bandwidth Provides up to 40 lanes of PCIe bandwidth for PCI Express* devices, which can include graphics cards, storage controllers, and additional LAN devices. This
processor has more than 2X the PCIe lanes vs. other 2nd Generation Intel Core desktop processors.
Four Channel Integrated Memory Controller An integrated memory controller with four channels of DDR3 1600 MHz offers memory bandwidth up to 51.2 GB/s. Combined with the processor’s efcient
prefetching algorithms, this memory controller’s lower latency and higher memory bandwidth delivers amazing performance for data-intensive applications.
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology1Delivers two processing threads per physical core for a total of 12 threads for massive computational throughput, allowing highly threaded applications to get
more work done faster.
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.01Dynamically increases the processor’s frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom when operating below specied limits. Get
more performance automatically, when you need it the most.
Intel® Smart Cache This large last-level cache enables dynamic and efcient allocation of shared cache to all six cores to match the needs of various applications for ultra-efcient
data storage and manipulation.
Intel AVX Processor instructions that signicantly improve oating point performance.
Intel HD Boost Includes the full SSE4 instruction set, signicantly improving a broad range of multimedia and compute-intensive applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are
issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, allowing a new level of processing efciency with SSE4-optimized applications.