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Intel unveils the rest of the Core i9 X-series family

The top of the line i9 CPUs sure look powerful, but their prices might not prove too appealing, especially when AMD has considerably cheaper alternatives. (Source: Intel)
The top of the line i9 CPUs sure look powerful, but their prices might not prove too appealing, especially when AMD has considerably cheaper alternatives. (Source: Intel)
The top of the line 18-core / 36 thread i9-7980XE is priced at US$1,999, then follows the 16-core / 32-thread i9-7960X, priced at US$1,699. The 14-core / 28 threads i9-7940X is priced at US$1,399. These 3 CPUs will be launched on September 25, while the 12-core / 24-thread i9-7920X priced at US$1,199 will be released on August 28.

AMD’s top Threadripper CPUs are almost here, but it looks like Intel has a counterattack planned, as it just announced the rest of the i9 X-series. Details on most of the i9 CPUs have been circulating around for a while now, as Intel likes to include little spoilers in their monthly price sheets, but now we get the official “set in stone” specs for all the models.

First of all, full specs for the i9-7920X reveal that the Turbo Boost frequency is 4.4 GHz, so it might not prove to be faster than AMD’s Threadripper 1920X after all. Even if it does perform better, AMD’s direct contender is US$400 cheaper, so Intel’s 12-core is probably not worth it.

The top of the line Extreme Edition i9-7980XE is priced at US$1,999, integrates 18 cores and 36 threads and has a TDP rating of 165W. Base clock speed are set at 2.6 GHz, while the Turbo Boost frequency goes up to 4.2 GHz. It also features 24.75 MB of L3 cache and 44 PCI-E 3.0 lanes.

The second most powerful CPU is the i9-7960X, with an MSRP of US$1,699. It packs 16 cores / 32 threads with a base clock of 2.8 GHz, a Turbo frequency of 4.2 GHz and 22MB of L3 cache. The TDP is kept at 165W and, as with all i9 CPUs, offers support for 44 PCI-E 3.0 lanes.    

Finally, the i9-7940X features 14-cores / 28-threads and has an MSRP of US$1,399. The L3 cache is limited to 19.25MB, while base clocks are set at 3.1 GHz and the boost ones top at 4.3 GHz.

The official announcement informs that the 12-core CPU will launch on August 28, with 14, 16 and 18-core processors will be released September 25.

Intel has also released an official CPU chart. (Source: Intel)
Intel has also released an official CPU chart. (Source: Intel)

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Bogdan Solca, 2017-08- 8 (Update: 2017-08- 8)