3960X

3960X, officially the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, is Intel's flagship desktop processor released in late 2011 as part of the Sandy Bridge-E family. It targets enthusiasts and workstation systems built on the LGA 2011 socket and Intel X79 chipset. As a member of the Extreme Edition line, it shipped with an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

Specifications: The chip has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a maximum Turbo Boost frequency of 3.9 GHz. It carries 15 MB of L3 cache and supports quad-channel DDR3 memory. It uses a 32‑nm process and has a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 130 watts. PCIe connectivity is provided by 40 lanes.

Platform and features: It requires an X79 motherboard with the LGA 2011 socket. The platform supports up to four memory channels and broad PCIe expansion for GPUs and storage. The processor is unlocked, enabling manual overclocking on compatible boards.

Release and reception: The 3960X was released at or near $990–$999, positioned as the upper-end option in the consumer/workstation segment. It competed in a market segment dominated by high-end desktops and faced competition from AMD’s contemporary offerings.

Legacy: The 3960X was followed by subsequent Extreme Edition parts for the same platform, with the lineup later expanding to newer generations. Its place in history is as a high-end desktop flagship for Intel's Sandy Bridge-E era, noted for strong multi-thread performance in professional workloads.