Tablets of 2012: The New iPad, Current and Upcoming Alternatives

It's no secret that tablet makers are having a hard time competing with Apple in this still nascent market. In fact, the iPad is selling so well that it surpassed the number of PCs shipped by any individual PC manufacturer over the last quarter of 2011 -- a telling statistic that gives some weight to all that post-PC talk.

Granted, Android tablets have managed to cut into Apple's market share, but there hasn't yet been a single device that could match the iPad on sales or popularity, or even come close. We were counting on 'Ice Cream Sandwich' to drive Android tablet sales, but almost five months into the OS' launch and very few tablets have received the update.

Amazon's Kindle Fire, which costs half of Apple's iPad 2, is the closest Android-based contender with an estimated 6 million units shipped in Q4. Meanwhile, other alternative platforms have crashed and burned.

In spite of this grim picture, there are good options out there that for one reason or another haven't received as much attention from buyers. We've compiled a comparative table with what we consider are the best tablets either currently available or announced so far. We've also included metascores from our Product Finder engine and review links to help you dig deeper and narrow down your next purchase.

Click on the arrow to the right to expand and view the full comparison chart (11 tablets)

	Apple iPad (3rd gen)	Asus Transformer Prime	Toshiba Excite 10 LE	Amazon Kindle Fire	Samsung Galaxy 10.1
Price	$500-$830	$500-$700	$529-$600	$200	$400-$700
Availability	March 16	Now	Now	Now	Now
Metascore		88		72	83
Review/Info	More info	More info	More info	Review	Review
Processor	1GHz dual-core Apple A5X	1.3GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3	1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430	1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430	1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2
Display	9.7-inch	10.1-inch	10.1-inch	7-inch	10.1-inch
Resolution	2048 x 1536	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	1024 x 600	1280 x 800
RAM	1GB	1GB	1GB	512MB	1GB
Front camera	VGA	1.2MP	2MP	none	2MP
Rear camera	5MP	8MP	5MP	none	3MP
Storage	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	32GB, 64GB	16GB, 32GB	8GB	16GB, 32GB
microSD	No	Yes	Yes	No	($20 adapter)
USB	No	($150 dock)	Yes	No	($20 adapter)
HDMI	($40 adapter)	Yes	Yes	No	($40 adapter)
Wireless connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G/4G	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1	Wi-Fi, Bluetotth 2.1	Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, 3G/4G
GPS	(on 3G/4G models)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Operating System	iOS 5.1	Android 4.0	Android 3.2	Custom Android fork	Android 3.1
App Marketplace	iTunes	Google Play	Google Play	Amazon Appstore for Android	Google Play
Weight	652-662g	585g	508g	414g	567-570g

At $400, the iPad 2 remains one of the best tablet options out there and its soon-to-be released successor will help Apple secure its reign for a while longer. The third-generation, "new" iPad hits store shelves on March 16 at the usual $500 starting price, packing a faster dual-core A5X SoC and a groundbreaking 9.7-inch display boasting of a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution.

The new iPad also gets upgraded cameras, optional 4G LTE radios compatible with Verizon or AT&T in the U.S., while maintaining the 10 hours of battery life promise. A solid upgrade overall.

Competing in the same price range from the Android camp is the Excite 10 LE, which is probably the sleekest looking tablet we've seen. Toshiba did away with the full-sized ports and a removable battery to achieve a 7.7mm thickness, but it still offers microUSB, microHDMI and a microSD card slot. The 10.1-inch slate has a 1.2-GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor running Android 3.2, with an update to ICS planned for this Spring.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9 are holding the fort at the $400 price point, reduced from around $500 to compete with the flood of Android tablets out there. Both models are scheduled to receive an update to ICS sometime during Q2 2012, when the new Galaxy Note is also supposed to arrive. Otherwise the Sony Tablet S, which has received high marks for its unconventional yet ergonomic design, is also available for ~$400.

Asus' Transformer Prime is only available in 32GB and 64GB varieties starting at around $500 (used to be a hundred more bucks only a week ago). The Taiwanese firm is pitching this as a premium tablet, with plenty of power courtesy of Nvidia's Tegra 3 chip and some neat add-ons like a keyboard dock -- if you're willing to part with another $150. The Transformer Prime has received plenty of praise but that enthusiasm hasn't been backed up by huge sales volume.

Regardless of that, Asus plans to keep pushing out powerful tablets in the coming months. The upcoming Transformer Infinity will up the ante with a high-resolution 1920 x 1200 pixel 10.1-inch Full HD display and optional 4G, while the Padfone will essentially combine a smartphone and tablet in one package.

Lastly, we have the Kindle Fire. Amazon is one of the few players that bet on a low-cost tablet coupled with a host of tightly integrated services. It's far from the most powerful device out there, but as we've learned already, tablets are about the whole experience and specs are only part of the picture. This strategy -- together with Amazon's sales platform and expertise -- has resulted in the best-selling non-iPad tablet. No doubt, Amazon will follow with a second generation Kindle Fire sometime this year, but nothing concrete has been revealed thus far.

Apple iPad (3rd-Gen): The TechSpot Review

As was widely anticipated, Apple unveiled the third-generation iPad last March 7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Analysts speculated that we would see the iPad 3 or perhaps the iPad HD but Cupertino defied all in attendance by simply calling it "the new iPad."

It's an overly simplistic yet strikingly bold decision that perhaps only a company as confident and charismatic (or maybe cocky) as Apple could pull off. I personally thought it was a lazy choice when I first heard it, but now that it's had some time to sink in, and considering some of the terrible product names already on the market (the majority of HTC smartphones, for example), it's more like a breath of fresh air. Steve Jobs himself would be proud, assuming he wasn't directly responsible for coming up with the name before his untimely passing last year.

Much like the iPhone 4S announcement roughly five months ago, Apple introduced a tablet that's best described on paper as an evolutionary update in the product line. The new iPad is nearly identical to the iPad 2 aesthetically and with both units off you'd be hard pressed to spot any visual differences in passing.

There's a 9.7-inch display, home button and camera on the front, a 30-pin connector on the bottom, power and headphone jack on top, orientation lock switch and volume rocker on the right and an aluminum back, speaker port and camera on the rear. Apple accessories like the Smart Cover are compatible with the new iPad should you want to protect the screen from dust and scratches.

A closer inspection reveals that the new iPad is 0.03 inches (0.6mm) thicker and is 0.11 lbs (51g) heavier than the iPad 2. This would generally go against Apple's mantra but it's a reality for the new iPad, and there are compelling reasons to support the increased girth.

Apple has packed a 70% larger battery inside the new iPad (42.5-watt-hour versus 25-watt-hour in the iPad 2) that's required to maintain the same 10 hours of battery life while surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos or listening to music and 9 hours of runtime when utilizing a cellular data network.

Three new features of the latest iPad are guilty of chugging more power than previous generations.

The new dual-core A5X SoC isn't much different from the dual-core A5 CPU-wise, but the quad-core PowerVR SGX 543MP4 graphics subsystem (the same chip used in the Sony PlayStation Vita) surely requires more energy. During their media event, Apple claimed that the GPU is twice as fast as the one found in the iPad 2 and four times faster than Nvidia's Tegra 3. This didn't sit well with Nvidia executives, who deemed the claims lifeless without benchmarks to back them up.

4G LTE connectivity has had a storied past as a battery hog and perhaps is one of the reasons we haven't yet seen Apple implement it in an iPhone. Users in the US have two options when it comes to 4G LTE connectivity: AT&T or Verizon Wireless. There's no doubt the tablet will be blazing fast over 4G with theoretical speeds rated at 73Mbps but with two antenna tuned to 12 different bands, there will be plenty of other networks to access should you be out of range of a 4G network. Apple has also paired cellular models with personal hotspot capabilities, carrier permitting of course.

We believe the new Retina display is the main culprit when it comes to battery usage. The rumor mill nailed this feature to a tee. The display on Apple's latest slate operates at 2,048 x 1,536 pixels -- higher than nearly every computer monitor under 30" and current-generation HDTVs. There are more than 3.1 million pixels in the display -- over 1 million more than the iPad 2. It's the most prominent new feature on the iPad and with good reason. Simply put, it's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

The rear camera also received an upgrade. Now referred to as the iSight camera, the 5MP shooter features a larger f/2.4 aperture, backside illumination sensor with a 5-element lens, IR filter and ISP built into the SoC. This puts the camera on par with the one found in the iPhone 4S (although with fewer MP) which is one of the best phone cameras on the market. Oh, and it shoots 1080p HD video with image stabilization as well. The front-facing VGA-quality camera remains unchanged.

Some people expected Apple to include support for Siri, but given the fact that it requires an Internet connection to talk to Apple's servers, it didn't make the cut this time around. Instead, we get dictation support. You can click the microphone icon on the keyboard, speak into the device and the iPad will translate what you said on-screen. Apple touts this as a great way to send texts, emails and search the web with only your voice.

This review is based on testing the Wi-Fi only 16GB white model and where applicable, we'll compare it with a Wi-Fi only 32GB iPad 2.

Asus Transformer Pad TF300 Review

Targeting the iPad 2, Asus' Eee Pad Transformer launched with much fanfare last year as it bridged the gap between tablets and netbooks by serving as both form factors via its TF101 docking station. The Eee Pad tablet sported a 10.1-inch (1280x800) IPS multitouch screen with a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC. Additionally, the device was loaded with 1GB of RAM and 16GB to 32GB of flash storage.

By itself, the Eee Pad Transformer was a competitive Android tablet, but much of its appeal stemmed from the aforementioned docking station which enabled additional usage scenarios, especially those requiring a hardware keyboard or other peripherals. The TF101 supplied a keyboard and touchpad, increased the device's battery life by 6.5 hours and offered greater connectivity via two USB 2.0 ports and a card reader.

At the time, we thought the Eee Pad Transformer was a great bargain. The 16GB version (with a docking station) cost only $505. This value was slightly diminished later in 2011 when Asus unveiled its $620 Eee Pad Transformer Prime with the new 1.3GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3, 32GB to 64GB of storage and although it shipped with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, it has since received an update to 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Although the Transformer Prime's price increase was technically justifiable, it pushed the upper budgets of some shoppers. Addressing that issue, Asus has released a more affordable version called the Transformer Pad TF300T, featuring the same Tegra 3 SoC yet costing only $520 with a docking station ($385 without). You're probably wondering whether the savings are worthwhile, and that's precisely what we hope to discover...

Inside the Transformer Pad TF300

Unlike the Tegra 2, which has numerous different models, the Tegra 3 (codenamed "Kal-El") has only one -- at least for now anyway. As with its predecessor, the Tegra 3 uses the 40nm design process and is based on the ARMv7 CPU instruction set. However, whereas the fastest Tegra 2 model had two cores clocked at 1.2GHz, the Tegra 3 has four running at 1.4GHz and can be overclocked to 1.5GHz when using a single core.

The Transformer Pad TF300 comes with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage and a microSD slot for optional storage expansion, as well as a 2-in-1 audio jack (Headphone/Mic-in) and Micro HDMI port. Asus includes two cameras, 1.2MP in front and 8MP in back. The rear camera's photo quality is great for a tablet and we found it to be worlds better than the original Eee Pad Transformer. Video is also much improved.

The TF300 has a 10.1-inch LED Backlight WXGA (1280x800) ISP screen with scratch-resistant glass, a 178° viewing angle, and 10-finger multitouch support. The only difference between the Transformer Pad TF300 and the pricier Transformer Prime is that the Prime has a Super IPS+ panel that is brighter for outdoor use.

Wireless connectivity includes 802.11b/g/n@2.4GHz and Bluetooth 3.0+EDR -- the latter of which will be appreciated by folks who plan to use a mouse with the system. The TF300 uses a 22Wh Li-polymer battery that is said to provide 10 hours of operating time. This is a slight downgrade from the 25Wh Li-polymer battery in the Prime, which offers 12 hours of run time according to Asus.

The TF300T dock also features its own 16.5Wh Li-polymer battery that extends uptime by another 5 hours for a total run-time of 17 hours. Asus says these claims are based on a battery life tested using the power saving mode while playing a 720p video with the brightness set to 60nits.

When testing, we found that both batteries would often run out of juice after about 15.5 hours, which is a great effort. Without the docking station, the Eee Pad Transformer is good for at least 9.5 hours, which makes Asus' estimation fairly accurate.

The docking station also provides a full QWERTY keyboard and trackpad, which turns the Transformer Pad TF300 into a netbook-like computer. There is only one USB 2.0 port on the dock, which is an important addition as Asus excluded USB on the pad itself. A second card reader (MMC/SD/SDHC) is also included on the dock, allowing you to expand storage even further. It's worth noting that the USB ports support flash drives using NTFS.

The docking station can be attached to the pad using a 40-pin connector. When connected to the power outlet, the tablet battery is charged through the docking station.

The Transformer Pad TF300 also carries various sensors including a G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass, and GPS.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review

As the current Google flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus by Samsung is the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The version for Verizon's LTE network in the U.S. is slightly thicker than the European model, but it also gets a larger battery and, of course, the 15Mbps 4G downloads on Verizon's network, otherwise they're functionally the same.

The super large, super high-resolution display on the Galaxy Nexus is a dream to look at, and the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system gives users something very new and interesting to work with. It's a good combination.

Unfortunately the phone does seem to carry a flaw from scratch, though. Reception, especially on 4G, can be a problem. Not everybody seems to experience this, only showing itself in weaker signal areas. Apart from that, the Galaxy Nexus is every bit the hero smartphone that Google needs it to be to move Android to the next stage of its evolution.

Hardware

The Samsung-built Google Galaxy Nexus shows off an interesting design without being groundbreaking. It features a subtly curved front glass panel that protects the 720p resolution (720 x 1280) Super AMOLED HD touchscreen display. There are few exterior controls on the phone: a volume control on the left edge and a power switch on the right. The phone feels to be solidly constructed and its 146.2g (5.2oz) weight gives it a nice amount of heft.

The Galaxy Nexus' 136mm x 68mm x 10.0mm (5.4in x 2.7in x .4in) dimensions can make it a bit of a handful, though. It's longer and significantly thicker than the Motorola Droid Razr, but fits in the hand a bit better since it is narrower, even when the Razr has a smaller screen. There are no dedicated touch sensitive controls on the phone, which is a feature of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it still takes a pretty long reach to get to the upper edge of the display when using the phone one-handed.

The display is absolutely brilliant. It is sharp, bright, and colorful, and its 4.65-inch diagonal size is amongst the largest in the smartphone world. It is my favorite smartphone display on the market today, even though it uses the much-derided Pentile sub-pixel arrangement. Without magnification, I don't think a normal person will notice the difference and that is what matters in the end.

Removing the Galaxy Nexus' somewhat thin rear cover reveals the micro-SIM card and slot required for LTE service on Verizon as well as the battery. There's no microSD memory card slot on the phone, as was the case on the Nexus S, but the Galaxy Nexus does come equipped with 32GB of internal storage. Also found on the back are the 5 megapixel camera and flash. A secondary 1.3 megapixel camera can be found on the front of the phone, and there is also a large, hidden notification light resting beneath the display near the bottom edge of the phone.

Usability

With the arrival of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google's OS finally appears to be growing out of its somewhat awkward childhood years and approaching maturity. While Ice Cream Sandwich uses many of the UI themes first introduced in Android 3.x Honeycomb (for tablets), they have been refined and now make better sense. Google has even introduced a new font for the operating system called Roboto. But while Android is a visually changed OS, it still offers the same basic functionality that it always has.

The Galaxy Nexus offers 5 home screens that you can configure. Users still swipe left and right to switch between them, and they can be configured with shortcuts and widgets as before - though all of these features are now accessed from the Widgets tab of the main menu where one previously only found apps. Since there are no hardware keys beneath the display, the main navigation controls are now drawn on the bottom of the touchscreen, which allows them to be more visually appealing and adjusted at times, as needed.

Home and back functions remain, but search and menu are gone. Search is replaced by in-app functionality and the search bar found on every home screen panel. Menu is replaced by an on-screen control made up of three vertically aligned dots that can appear at the top of an app, the bottom of an app, or to the right of the third, and new, main control at the bottom of the screen.

That new control is the task switcher, which is inherited from Android Honeycomb. Tapping on that control brings up a visual history of applications that are running or have recently been used on the phone. One scrolls up and down through the list, switches to an app with a tap, or removes it from the list with a swipe left or right. I was unimpressed by it on a tablet, but love it on a smartphone.

The swipe-to-remove gesture can also be used in the updated notification area at the top of the screen, making it now possible to remove individual or all notifications as desired - something all prior versions of Android lacked. A convenient link to the phone's Settings app is also found there.

Android still has no proper ringer profile support, but now it allows to toggle between normal, vibrate, and truly silent ringer settings using the volume control. A tap on the on-screen volume will do the trick, as will pressing up or down repeatedly on the volume key on the side of the phone. The Android keyboard has been updated, and features a much larger space key. Voice input on the keyboard, when enabled, is fantastic. It inputs words in near real-time as you speak them when you have a fast enough data connection.

While there's no built-in support for social networking on the phone, Google provides an API that allows third party apps to integrate not only contacts with the phone, but to also show status updates in a contact record. The new contacts app features an oddball color scheme that doesn't match that of the rest of Ice Cream Sandwich, though. It's pretty, but inconsistent with the electric blue on black leanings of the OS as a whole.

Overall, though, I can't put into proper words just how happy and pleasantly surprised I am about how Android 4.0 operates. There's a learning curve for new users, but it's not a particularly steep one, and the rewards in the end are worth it.

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Motherboard Review

To the dismay of some early adopters, Intel updated its Cougar Point chipset lineup only four months afterSandy Bridge's January launch. Debuting at CES, the company's second-generation Core series LGA1155 processors were initially accompanied by consumer two chipsets, the H67 and P67.

Each platform presents a unique value perspective: the cheaper H67 has access to Sandy Bridge's built-in graphics, while the pricier P67 supports Intel's unlocked "K" series enthusiast processors with advanced overclocking options.

Unfortunately, neither chipset offers both features and that forced many consumers into a tight spot. Some users simply don't require a dedicated graphics card, but they might still want to milk a little extra performance out of their processor and memory. That's precisely where the Z68 steps in.

Released in May, the Z68 serves as Intel's enthusiast-level LGA1155 platform. In addition to combining the functionality of its H67 and P67 chipsets, the Z68 offers some impressive new features, including Intel's Smart Response Technology.

Smart Response Technology (SRT) is a hybrid storage solution that effectively marries the zero access time of a speedy flash drive with the massive storage capacity of an inexpensive hard drive. In doing so, users can expect to pay a modest price premium for significant speed gains.

When we first tested SRT in our Asrock Z68 Extreme 4 review last month, the results were impressive, even with a relatively cheap Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.C 1TB hard drive. Although we didn't witness massive gains across the board, SRT proved to be an efficient hybrid system.

We've seen many impressive Z68 boards since then, but none are more intriguing than what we have today: the Z68XP-UD3-iSSD. Gigabyte's latest Z68 motherboard takes Intel's SRT one step further by including it on-board.

Right out of the box, the Z68XP-UD3-iSSD features an Intel SSD 311 20GB attached via an mSATA connector. Many have complained that the Intel 20GB SLC SSD is too expensive, but we feel $240 for this motherboard/SSD combo is reasonable. How reasonable, you ask? That's precisely what we intend determine.

HP Omni 27 Quad All-In-One Review

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take a look at HP's TouchSmart 520 All-In-One, a 23-inch multi-touch system powered by a second-generation Intel Core i7 processor. The system was one of the best AIO solutions I reviewed to date, but that was before the HP Omni 27 showed up at my front door.

The Omni 27 is another all-in-one system that shares many aesthetic characteristics of the TouchSmart 520 despite being in a different class. Inside we find a third-generation Intel Core i5-3550S Ivy Bridge processor clocked at 3.0GHz, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 2TB Hitachi hard drive spinning at 7,200 RPM, Radeon HD 6550A graphics and Beats Audio. There's also an HDMI-in port so you could use this display as an HDTV to watch cable programming from a set-top box or play console games.

As is standard practice, HP includes a wireless keyboard and mouse although since this unit doesn’t include a TV tuner, there's no media remote control. Buyers will also receive a power cable and a large power brick similar to what you'd find bundled with a notebook computer. Our price as configured is $1,540.

As we alluded to earlier, the Omni 27 is very similar in design to the TouchSmart 520, using the same beefy aluminum base that additionally serves as a keyboard shelf should you need more desk space while watching a movie or playing a console game.

There's a 27-inch display tucked behind the edge-to-edge glass that admittedly looks much cleaner than what we saw on the 520. The difference here is that the Omni's 27-inch display isn't touch-sensitive, something a lot of people won't really miss in a pre-Windows 8 desktop system, or a desktop in general. The display operates at 1920x1080 which is considered the bare minimum for a screen this size. There are LCD monitors and all-in-one competitors in this size capable of 2560x1440.

The sound bar lines the bottom of the display and is accented with an HP logo on the left and the Omni 27 badge on the right. A Beats Audio badge is on the top left of the display while a webcam is centered at the top of the screen. The system power button can be found on the top right of the system much like we have seen on HP monitors.

Many of the I/O ports can be found on the left side of the system in a recessed bay "behind" the screen. Here we have the hard drive activity light, an SD / MS / xD card reader, two USB 3.0 ports, a microphone jack and a headphone jack sporting the Beats Audio logo. Just around the corner is the true rear panel which includes a power jack with an activity light, Ethernet jack, four USB 2.0 ports, a line out jack and a subwoofer out jack. On the right side of the system are a DVD RW drive, HDMI-in port and four buttons.

These buttons are used to control the settings of a device plugged into the HDMI port; they don't do anything when the system is in "computer" mode. Note that the volume on the computer is muted when a device is plugged into the HDMI port. There is also a Kensington lock slot on the back of the computer and we're told the system is wall-mountable.

Getting up and running with an all-in-one is hardly any different than with a notebook. Plug in the power adapter, add batteries to your wireless mouse and keyboard then press the power button. The internal Wi-Fi radio takes care of your Internet connection so really all you need is a single cable.

The Omni 27 was able to boot fully into Windows 7 64-bit in around 58 seconds, or about 10 seconds faster than the TouchSmart 520. This can be credited to the faster 7,200 RPM hard drive and perhaps the new Ivy Bridge CPU.

If you recall from my 520 review, that system was loaded with bloatware and unfortunately, the Omni 27 isn't much different. I counted 21 programs in the Add/Remove list that I considered a waste of space. It doesn't take a lot of time to delete these applications but we would love to see HP follow in the footsteps of some boutique builders and give the user a pure Windows install.

 
 

Back again is HP's Magic Canvas software, an alternative user interface for Windows 7. The problem here is that it's designed for a touch interface, something the Omni 27 lacks. Without touch, it's pretty much worthless and I can't help but get the feeling that this was an afterthought.

The Omni 27 also ships with another familiar piece of software called HP LinkUp for accessing other computers on your home network even if they aren't from HP; essentially it's a remote desktop viewer. By using LinkUp, you can quickly transfer data, run applications and work with files from another computer. All you need is a home network and the HP LinkUp Sender software on the remote system. You will also need access to a password-protected administrator account on the remote computer.

Intel Core i7-3820 Processor Review

Late last year when we reviewed the new Sandy Bridge-E processors, we mentioned a more affordable version called the Core i7-3820 was coming. Although information about the chip had been revealed, the processor has yet to hit shelves and is now expected to arrive later in February. Fortunately, sample units are being passed around ahead of general availability, so we don't have to wait to see how it stacks up.

The i7-3820 is particularly intriguing because of its sub-$300 retail price -- far less than other chips in the series. For instance, the Core i7-3960X has an MSRP of $999 and sells for more like $1,049, while the i7-3930Khas an MSRP of $583 and is fetching $599 at e-tail. Both are six-core CPUs operating over 3GHz with massive 15MB and 12MB L3 caches.

At roughly half the price of the 3930K, we expected Intel to butcher the i7-3820, and while that's partially true, the 3820 remains an impressive specimen with four cores operating at 3.6GHz, a 10MB L3 cache and HyperThreading support. Compared to the similarly priced i7-2600K, the 3820 offers additional L3 cache, support for PCI Express 3.0, quad-channel memory and a platform that will take as much as 32GB of system memory.

Although LGA2011 features some new tricks absent on LGA1155, we're disappointed in the chipset support. The X79 is rather lackluster and has nothing new to offer over Z68. Still, the raw power of SB-E is its strongest selling point and we're keen to see how the affordable variant performs and how it compares to the very popularCore i7-2600K.

Some have anticipated the i7-3820 will be in somewhat of an awkward position in terms of pricing. Although processors command a similar rate, the platform behind the i7-3820 is considerably pricier than the 2600K's. Whereas Z68 motherboards can be had for less than $100, basic X79 boards start at $200, and most cost around $230.

Additionally, the i7-3820 supports quad-channel memory meaning users will be compelled to purchase four modules rather than just two. Core i7-3820 owners might pay up to $200 more for the same performance as folks who opt for the i7-2600K, which doesn't make sense unless you need the extra PCI Express bandwidth or the larger memory capacity -- or so it appears on paper. Let's see what the tests have to say.