The Intel Core i7-960 was a desktop processor with 4 cores, launched in October 2009. It is part of the Core i7 lineup, using the Bloomfield architecture with Socket 1366. Thanks to Intel Hyper-Threading the core-count is effectively doubled, to 8 threads. Core i7-960 has 8 MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.2 GHz by default, but can boost up to 3.466 GHz, depending on the workload. Intel is building the Core i7-960 on a 45 nm production process using 731 million transistors. The multiplier is locked on Core i7-960, which limits its overclocking capabilities. With a TDP of 130 W, the Core i7-960 consumes a lot of power, so good cooling is definitely needed. Intel's processor supports DDR3 memory with a triple-channel interface. For communication with other components in the machine, Core i7-960 uses a PCI-Express Gen 2 connection. This processor does not have integrated graphics, you will need a separate graphics card. Hardware virtualization is available on the Core i7-960, which greatly improves virtual machine performance.