Intel Core i7-970

The Intel Core i7-970 is a high-end hexa-core processor designed to be the 'budget' version of Intel's flagship processor at the time of release (July 2010), the Intel Core i7-980X. Sporting a somewhat reduced clock speed compared to the 980X (3.2GHz as opposed to 3.33GHz), the 970 also lacks the 980X's unlocked CPU multiplier, somewhat limiting its overclocking potential.

However, the i7-970 still sports the same 32nm architecture, 12MB L3 cache and hyper-threading technology as the i7-980X.

The Core i7-970's 32nm architecture is smaller and more efficient than the 45nm quad-core CPUs in the i7 line, allowing it to be compatible with the same LGA1366 CPU socket despite having 6 cores; 32nm architecture also allows the i7-970 to run at a lower operating temperature than equivalent 45nm processors. Additionally, the Core i7-970's 12MB L3 cache allows it to process tasks much more efficiently while its hyper-threading technology optimizes overall processor use by allowing each core to perform two simultaneous functions when dealing with threaded applications.