Intel launches Core X-series desktop processors, including new Core i9 chips
Looking to step up its performance in the CPU world and give a befitting reply to AMD’s 16-core/32-thread Ryzen Threadripper, Intel, the leading chip-maker in America, recently unveiled its newest range of extremely powerful ‘Core X-series’ desktop processors, a Core i9 family and an 18-core desktop chip at the Computex 2017 in Taipei.
Speaking on the launch, Gregory Bryant, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group said in a blog post, “The Intel Core X-series processor family introduces a series of firsts that reflect the extreme performance we are delivering. This family includes Intel’s first teraflop desktop CPUs, a prime example of just how much raw compute these processors can handle.”
The company said the new CPUs are its “most scalable, accessible, and powerful desktop platform ever” and are targeted at gamers and content creators who require huge amounts of power in their PCs and need to do multiple tasks at the same time.
“We’re also introducing the entirely new Intel Core i9 processor, representing the highest performance for advanced gaming, VR, and content creation,” said Intel.
About the Core i9, these Intel chips feature base clock speed of 3.3GHz, reaching up to 4.3GHz dual-core speed with Turbo Boost 2.0 and 4.5GHz with Turbo Boost 3.0, which implies that there’s plenty of room for overclocking.
Intel said the Core i9 Extreme Edition processor, the i9-7980XE, is the first consumer desktop CPU with teraflop performance and 18 cores.
“At the top of the line-up is the new Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition processor – the first consumer desktop CPU with 18 cores and 36 threads.”
Other than 18-core Core i9 Extreme Edition, the i9 series also includes chips in 10, 12, 14 and 16-core variants. The company also claims the i9 series offers 15% more performance for single threaded workloads and 10% more for multi-threaded workloads compared to the current generation of Core processors.
“Along with this family of processors, we’re introducing the new Intel x299 chipset, which adds even more I/O and overclocking capabilities. And, we are announcing updates to Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0,” Intel added.
As Intel notes, the new Core X-series CPUs are based on Intel’s Sky Lake processors, while the four-core CPU is based on Kaby Lake design. All the chips from the Core-X family will be using Intel’s new X299 chipset, which uses a new LGA 2066 socket. Also, Turbo Boost 3.0 has been upgraded to improve both single and dual-core speeds by directing critical workloads to two top performing cores.
Also, unveiled at the Computex 2017 were the other members of the Core X-Series family, the quad-core i5-7640X and i7 models in 4, 6 and 8-core models.
The Core i9-7900X is a 10-core/20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a Turbo peak of 4.5 GHz using the new Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0. Thanks to an updated cache configuration, it sports 13.75MB of cache and includes 44 lanes of PCIe 3.0, an increase of 4 lanes over Broadwell-E, quad-channel DDR4 memory up to 2666 MHz and a 140 watt TDP (thermal design power).
While the Intel Core i9-7900X 10-core processor will retail for $999, the high-end 18-core extreme edition Intel Core i9-7980XE is the most expensive at $1,999. Other Core i9 processors that include the 16, 14, and 12-core variants will cost $1,699, $1,399, and $1,119 respectively.
Further, the entry level Intel Core i5-7640X (4-cores and 4-threads) costs $242 and the Core i7 X-Series that come in 4, 6 and 8-core variants costs $339, $389 and $599 respectively. No shipping dates have been announced by Intel yet.
