Intel Core i7-3970X 3.5 GHz Processor BX80619I73970X

I snagged this when Amazon had a "price error" for $699 so of course I'm going to give this 5 stars when it came out to be around $140 more then a 3930k/4930k. Compared to my old 3930k this CPU boosts up to 4.0 GHz (instead of 3.8 GHz) at stock speeds, has a TDP rating of 150W (instead of 130W), and comes in the legendary black box from Intel instead of the blue they are using now on EE boxes. Paired with a Rampage IV Extreme it isn't difficult to clock this processor to speeds of 4.8-5.1 GHz so long as your cooling can handle the heat produced. If you could get this CPU for the price I paid (I noticed a few days after I bought it they raised the price) I would recommend it in a heart beat, but for the regular price of the Extreme Edition CPU's it isn't worth the extra $300 or so unless you never plan on overclocking then the extra 200 MHz could make a difference in your applications.I bought the Intel tuning plan warranty ($35) so I'm not worried about pushing upwards of 1.5V into this thing and the IMC to it's limits. From what I can tell the IMC (internal memory controller) is a lot better then my 3930k was, not counting mine maxed at 4.7 GHz on the cores and 2133 Mhz memory while this hasn't hiccuped at all going to 5.0 with HyperThreading enabled and 2400 on my Samsung memory. Though IMC's and CPU's in general will vary by nature so no 2 CPU's are identical in how far they can go under certain voltages or conditions.In short I'm glad I searched Amazon randomly that day for this CPU, I hope they lower the price again so others can get this.

Amazing, reliable, chjp. Perfect for overclocking. I plugged it into the asus rampage iv extreme with 32 GB or corsair dominator platinum memory at 2400mhz

This chip is touted as almost magical. However, it doesn't rally perform better than a stand i7 chip. Save your money and get a 300 chip.

I do design drafting at home using AutoCAD and Solid Works.Over the years these programs got bigger and bigger.To be able to keep up with this I decided to build my own PCs (more bang for the buck).This is my first Intel built. My old ones were all AMD's (less expensive).I like to get these black or extreme editions so I can play around with overclocking.So far I have no complaints everything seems to be working just fine.My PC Built 2013ASUS P9X79 DELUXE LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel MotherboardIntel Core i7 Extreme Edition i7-3970X 3.5GHz 5.0GT/s 15MB LGA2011 Processor without Fan, Retail BX80619I73970XG.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3 2400 MHz PC3-19200 240-Pin Desktop Memory Model: F3-19200CL10Q2-64GBZHD2 Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive MZ-7PD256BWNVIDIA Quadro K5000 4GB GDDR5 Graphics card (PNY Part #: VCQK5000-PB)NZXT Technologies KRAKEN X60 Premium 280MM Ultra Performance Liquid CPU Cooler RL-KRX60-01 BlackPioneer Electronics USA 15x SATA Internal BD/DVD/CD Burner with 4 MB Buffer BDR-208DBKCooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1200W 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply with Modular Cables (RSC00-80GAD3-US)NZXT Technologies Switch 810 Matte Black Full Tower Chassis with USB 3.0Windows 8 Professional System Builder OEM DVD 64-BitThermaltake Max 5 Duo SATA HDD Rack - storageLogitech Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 for PCs, Tablets, Smartphones - Black (920-004292)Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX for PC and Mac3D connexion SpaceExplorer 3D Navigation Device with USB Interface ( 3DX-700026 ) I will1 Dell 3007WFP 30"Monitor1 Dell U3011 30"Monitor

Was latest greatest at time of purchase. I speak much. I have darkness. Its jesus inside. With him the technology will be able. Weakness is to say not to burn two candles cut the single into two and light both ends to so shine light. 4 pedastals 4 wicks a burnen like send ....the 4 angels to the four corners of the earth sound their trumpets of

good cpu, improved my 3d mark 11 alitlle bit than 4770k, and also has 6 physical cores. which is very nice

This is a good solid processor. I've been screwing with it for a weeks now and it doesn't miss a beat. I do cool it with liquid though...I'm not that crazy. Currently I run it about 30% over manufacturer specs with ample cooling. I love it. Paired with the right video cards (in SLI mode), there isn't a game out there that can touch it.

I bought one of these and it was the first thing that came out of my entire pc build. Everything came but this was broken, but it passed 30 days and now amazon is being annoying. let me return this or at least give me the 80% refund.