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The Hexa Core CPU Intel Core i7-3960X is a positively preposterous processor. For in excess of $1,252, you get a chip in that's not substantially quicker hat Intel's own Core i7-980X of two years ago. Not at stock clock, at least. Admittedly, the 3960X does overclock very nicely indeed and in doing so opens up a gap from ye olde 980X.

This is the Intel Core i7-3930K and it's not the same chip. Not precisely anyway. Yes, it's based on the same, quite colossal 2.27 billion transistor chip, known as Sandy Bridge E, which means it shares most of the same specs. That starts with six cores in Intel's latest Sandy Bridge-generation idiom. Next up we have a new memory controller no fewer than four channels.

Intel's previous high-end processors sported a triple channel memory controller. Even that looke like overkill for a desktop processor. Four channels is getting silly and merely serves to underline the real reason this new Core i7 exists - it's a thinly disguised server chip. Whatever the merits of the quad channel controller, it forces the use of a new socket, the monumental LGA 2011. If nothing else, you are getting a satisfyingly massive chip for you money. What's more, thanks to the 'K' on the end of 3930, this lower priced alternative to the 3960X gets the full unlocked treatment and also benefits from the newly introduced chip strap, the better to make overclocking a bit more flexible.

At this stage, you may be wondering what on earth the difference is. The answer is twofold. First, it's clocked infinitesimally lower: 3.2GHz instead of 3.6GHz, along with a commensurate climb down in he maximum Turbo speed to 3.8GHz. The other bit is less L3 cache memory to the tune of 3MB. The 3930K makes do with 12MB.

Hexa Core CPU Intel Core i7-3930K Price

Frankly, both of these compromises in the name of cost saving fall into the 'who cares' category. In terms of desktop computing, neither is going to make a blind bit of difference to experience you PC delivers. That's reflected in benchmarks that are barely any slower. Even better, the 3930K overclocks almost as well as the 3960X. Again gap is just 100MHz - 4.9GHz on air.

So, here's the best bit. The 3930K costs over $470 less. Okay, $784 is still big asking price. But the difference in price alone is enough to buy a half decent desktop PC or a cheap laptop. The point, then, is that this cheaper Sandy Bridge E chip gives you everything the top processor delivers for a lot less money so there's absolutely no reason to spend the extra. We're not completely convinced even this truly means the Intel Core i7-3930K is good value for money. But it's still a very fast processor and the chip we'd buy if we had a big budget.

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