Intel Core i7-990X CPU to arrive sooner than expected

X-bit Labs reports Intel will release the Core i7-990X processor in Q4 2010, somewhat sooner than previous expectations of a Q1 2011 refresh for the Extreme line. Details about the chip are still unknown, but it will have to be clocked higher than the 3.33GHz of the current flagship Core i7-980X processor.

In the fourth quarter of the year Intel will offer replacement for its current flagship Core i7-980X processor that will offer higher performance, X-bit labs has learnt from sources with knowledge of Intel’s plans. While there are no details are known, it is more than likely that the world’s largest maker of chips will boost clock-speed of the Gulftown design up from 3.33GHz and will call the novelty “Core i7-990X”. Earlier it was reported – based on the roadmaps – that Intel will only refresh its Extreme line in Q1 2011, but apparently the company wants to update the family already in Q4 2010.

Additionally, the website also heard a couple of new six-core Core i7 chips are on the way. In Q3 2010 you can expect the 3.2GHz Core i7-970, the exact pricing of this chip is unknown but it should be less than $999. The pricing of this chip will drop in the fourth quarter due to the introduction of an even faster processor, which is currently marked as “≥i7-970”.