Coming soon to a Mac near you? Probably. Intel (http://www.intel.com) previewed platforms featuring the latest Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processor and announced the latest release of Intel Graphics Performance Analyzers (Intel GPA) that will aid developers in optimizing game performance.

In addition, Intel introduced a number of initiatives designed to spur innovation in the computer game developer community, and in support of the company’s Visual Adrenaline and Intel Atom Developer programs. The company is previewing its latest computer platform, the Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processor, codenamed “Gulftown,” the first 32nm, six-core processor with 12 computing threads.

Intel says its Intel GPA helps computer game developers analyze and optimize game performance on Intel Architecture-based platforms. Intel GPA provides application analysis and customization that allows developers to pinpoint performance bottlenecks and optimize games for desktop computers and laptops using Intel processors, chipsets and Intel HD Graphics.

With Intel GPA version 3.0, developers can purportedly ensure their titles run on the full spectrum of Intel Core processors (e.g., Intel Core i3, Intel CoreTM i5 with Intel HD Graphics, Intel CoreTM i7, and Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition) and chipsets with a new platform-focused toolset. The updated toolkit now includes support for DirectX 10.1 and 64-bit game executables.

— Dennis Sellers