Microchip manufacturer, Intel, has launched its newest processor - The Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition  is  known by its codename Broadwell-E. The processor is geared towards hardcore PC gamers, enthusiasts, and virtual reality content creators.

Among the many selling points of the new Core i7 Extreme Edition is its 10-core setup. Many analysts would agree that the PC market is not growing in the same degree as it once was, but the market of enthusiasts is still going strong.  Intel tapped into this massive consumer potential and was able to ship more than $1 billion worth of "unlocked" processors to date.

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An unlocked processor allows enthusiasts to overclock the  processor; this means that they can tweak the chip for it to run well beyond its advertised specifications. While anyone with an unlocked processor can theoretically perform this, only hardcore gamers, enthusiasts and professionals usually do this since a slight error in overclocking can cause irreversible damage to the processor.

The new Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition was launched on May 30 at the Computex trade show held in Taiwan.

"While Intel has brought many important platform improvements over the past few years, this time Intel has brought double-digit improvements to the chip itself, independent of platform," Moor Insights & Strategy analysts Patrick Moorhead told  Venture Beat,

Intel claims that the new Core i7 Extreme Edition works well with virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The chip is also capable of up processing up to 20 threads at the same time, and since it is based on Intel's 14nm Tri-gate transistors, it will fit with an existing X99 board, according to Ars Technica.

As part of Intel's marketing drive to promote the new processor, the company is holding a contest for whoever can build the best desktop computer using the Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition. The contest will kick off on June 1.

TagsIntel, Intel i7, Intel Core i7, Core i7 Extreme Edition