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Intel isn't planning to launch its Sandy Bridge-E series of processors until later this year, but if you absolutely, positively, really want to get your hands on one, come hell or high water, there's a chance you can grab one. That is, if you're willing to part with around $1,400 (with shipping) in exchange for a CPU that won't fit in any of your motherboards.
The overpriced processor is up for grabs on Ebay and is advertised as an "ES Model Q19D" chip. The 'ES' stands for Engineering Sample, which are pre-production chips Intel uses for compatibility checks and/or to demonstrate a technology. ES chips are typically loaned out to OEMs and hardware reviewers, and not made available to the general public. You can read more about Engineering Samples here.
As advertised, this one sports 8 cores (16 with Hyperthreading) clocked at 1.6GHz, 20MB of shared cache, 6.4GT/s, and a 130W TDP. And because it's an Engineering Sample, it's most likely an unlocked chip. It's an LGA2011 part, meaning you can't actually use it until Sandy Bridge-E motherboards make it to market.
Based on recent leaked roadmaps, Intel will launch its Sandy Bridge-E platform in the fourth quarter of this year
Image Credit: Ebay (abeeftec_computer)
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