Last May at Computex 2017, Intel’s SVP Gregory Bryant officially introduced its next generation of Intel Core X-series platform processors. The so-called 8th generation of Intel processors is said to have more than 30 percent performance improvement over its predecessor.
Two of these processors -- 7900X and 7920X -- were already released last June and August, respectively; three more processors are coming this September. But the most-awaited among these three CPUs is the 7980XE -- the first consumer desktop CPU with 18 cores and 36 threads.
Benchmark rating
Korean website CoolEnjoy.net claimed to have have a hold of 7980XE and purportedly conducted Cinebench benchmark testing. According to their test, they found out that the CPU can boost up to 4.2GHz on all 18 cores, simultaneously.
According to tech website VideoCardz.com, it was not clear whether there were motherboard specifications and/or features which could have manipulated this process. Normally, users should manually override the system in order to run all cores simultaneously.
Plus, one interesting detail is that officially, this Core I9-7980XE can only boost up to 4.4GHz on two cores running on Turbo Boost Max 3.0 technology; up to 4.2 GHz in Turbo Max 2.0. Maintaining 4.2GHz on all 18 cores could be a positive development, should this benchmark test turn out to be true.
The most powerful CPU
The flagship processor of Intel’s newest generation Core i9 based on Skylake-X architecture is also referred to as “Extreme Edition”. This 14nm+ processor is expected to bring the highest performance in terms of advanced gaming, virtual reality (VR) and content creation.
The Core i9 7980XE is expected to dethrone AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X, currently the most powerful desktop processor available in the market.
Here is the performance specification of the upcoming Intel processor:
- Processor Number: 7980XE
- # of Cores: 18
- # of Threads: 36
- Processor Base Frequency: 2.60 GHz
- Max Turbo Frequency: 4.20 GHz
- Cache: 24.75 MB
- Bus Speed: 8 GT/s DMI3
- Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency ‡: 4.40 GHz
- TDP: 165W
The 7980XE only support DDR4-2666 memory type up to a maximum of 128GB, the biggest of its kind.
As the latest Intel processor, it supports most advanced technology features like Optane™ Memory Supported, Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, Hyper-Threading Technology, Virtualization Technology (VT-x), Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d), and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology.
The Intel Core i9-7980XE is scheduled to become available in the market for $1999 next week, Sept. 25. Two other Intel processors will be released: the 14-core 7940X and the 16-core 7960X.
