Intel offers up eight cores for gamers, video editors

skulltrail How many cores does a processor need before it’s officially overkill? Not eight, according to Intel.

Here comes the “Skulltrail” platform, “for those who crave more performance than what four processing cores and a single graphics card can deliver today…”

Skulltrail was actually the codename for the new platform, which has now taken on the much more intimidating and bone chilling “Intel Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform” moniker. It’ll support two quad core processors and NVIDIA’s SLI or ATI’s Crossfire graphics card setups via four PCI-express slots.

id Software’s Robert A. Duffy says that going to an eight-core rig cut a particular rendering process from four hours down to twenty minutes. How does everyone here care for those particular apples?

Better start saving up, though. Let’s say you were to purchase two QX9775 Intel Core 2 Extreme processors. They’d run you $1,500 each. Then the price for the D5400XS mobo will run you another $650 or so. Add all the other accoutrements and you’re easily up around $4,000. If you’ve got the bankroll, you can get systems starting today from builders like Falcon Northwest, Velocity Micro, Puget Systems, and several of the other usual suspects.

Intel Delivers ‘Hard-Core’ Eight-Core Platform for PC Performance Aficionados [Intel Press Release]