Intel Skulltrail 3: 8 vs 4 Core Performance

If you want to build a completely new system around the Skulltrail platform, you should be prepared to invest at least $5,500. Components for the Skulltrail system will be bundled with other parts or sold separately. They should be available in retail cha

Total Cost Of The Skulltrail SystemAt Least $5,500

According to Intel, pricing for the Core 2 Extreme QX9775 and the D5400XS Skulltrail motherboard has not yet been disclosed. Nonetheless, we have attempted to compile a list of parts and prices based on our experiences in order to gauge what kind of a price range we can expect Intel's hot-rod system to fall into.

The Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (socket 775), which is identical to the QX9775 in both feature-set and clock speed, currently costs around $1,650 apiece. This leads us to conclude that Intel will not set the price for QX9775 any lower than this.

High-end motherboards by MSI (MS HydroGenX38) or ASUS (P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP) based on Intel's X48 chipset cost around $400. Since Intel's D5400 XS Skulltrail board features a workstation chipset with two CPU sockets and an additional two Nvidia PCI-Express chips, we expect it to cost no less than $625.

Below is the (theoretical) price list with components that would typically be found in a system of this caliber.