Intel over the weekend, leaked its upcoming Core i7-6950X processor in the change-log of its latest Management Engine software, on the company's Support website. In its CPU support list, the entry for "Intel Core i7-6950X Processor Extreme Edition" stands out. It also leaks two key specifications - 25 MB of L3 cache, and a clock speed of up to 3.50 GHz. The Core i7-6800 and i7-6900 series are a family of six-, eight-, and ten-core processors based on the 14 nm "Broadwell-E" silicon, and built in the LGA2011v3 package, compatible with existing Intel X99 Express chipset motherboards, with BIOS updates.
It's being speculated that the i7-6950X will be the first client-platform CPU with 10 cores. Intel could position this product at a new price-point that's above even the $999 it traditionally reserved for its high-end client chips. At $999, the company could offer an 8-core Core i7-6900K; followed by 6-core Core i7-6850K and i7-6800K at the traditional $600 and $400 price points, respectively. Intel could launch these chips some time within Q2-2016.
