Core i9

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Intel’s Core i9 processor is what happens when Intel begins to worry that it might not have the baddest chip on the block. If you’re desperate to know how it performs against AMD’s Threadripper, you’re in luck—as of Sept. 25, we’ve tested the 18-core Core i9-7980X and the 16-core Core i9-7960XE! Read on for the speeds, feeds, prices, and reviews of the new Core i9 chips, as well as all the details we have on the underlying technologies. In addition to the new Core i9 specs, we now know how the Core i9 performs as part of our review, and the price and availability of X299 motherboards. We’ll update this post with new information and testing as we receive it.

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We put the both the 18-core Core i9-7980X and 16-core Core i9-7960X to the test, and the results are in: The i9-7980X is top dog, unquestionably. Yes, AMD Ryzen Threadripper fans can be content that those chips cost about $1,000 less, but in both multiple- and single-threaded performance, the i9-7980X comes out on top. One point the review emphasized is to consider to what purpose you’re putting these chips. The Core i9’s massive core count makes it ideal for “multitasking” ( such as playing, recording, and streaming a game) or content creation. Otherwise, Threadripper offers a much more competitive solution. And, if you haven’t guessed it already, that rounds out the Core i9 product family; all are now currently shipping. That includes the Core i9-7920X, which was slightly delayed. Now, however, you can buy the Core i9-7920X at Amazon for $1304.96—about $200 or so over the shipping price.

Basic specs: Clock speed, core count, prices, ship date, power

The processor specs that matter most concern performance. The raw clock speed determines how fast any one thread can be acted upon, while the core and thread counts control how many threads or tasks can be calculated in parallel. The Core i9 series excels in these metrics. But you’ll pay a hefty premium for that talent. Finally, Intel has announced all of the clock speeds of the Core i9 family. They’re all unlocked, too—ready and waiting to be overclocked. Here’s a summary of the core counts and prices of the Core i9 chips we do know, including clock speeds where available.

Core i9 Extreme Edition

Core i9-7980XE: (2.6GHz, 4.4GHz burst) 18 cores/36 threads, $1,999 

Core i9 

Core i9-7960X: (2.8GHz, 4.4GHz burst) 16 cores/32 threads, $1,699

Core i9-7940X: (3.1GHz, 4.4GHz burst) 14 cores/28 threads, $1,399

Core i9-7920X: (3.1GHz, 4.4GHz burst) 12 cores/24 threads, $1,199

Core i9-7900X: (3.3GHz, 4.5GHz burst) 10 cores/20 threads, $999