Intel upgrades mobile Core 2 Extreme

As promised, Intel has raised the ceiling for its mobile Core 2 Extreme processors, announcing widespread availability of the X7900 (not pictured). The processor was actually first sold several weeks ago to Apple, which has since been installing the CPU in high-end versions of its new iMac.

The 7900 has a 4MB L2 cache, and uses an 800MHz front-side bus, an upgrade originally seen in Intel's Santa Rosa platform. Like the X7800 though, the thermal design power of the new chipset is rated at 44W, which may require special cooling. Intel is now selling trays to builders at a cost of $851 per chip. [via TG Daily]