Core race! After the confirmation of the Ryzen Threadripper processors with 16 cores and 32 threads, all eyes turned to Intel, looking for a reaction. The Santa Clara giant decided to lift embargoes in the middle of Computex 2017, and what we discovered is the official presentation of its Core X processors, based on the Skylake-X architecture. The new list adds three extra models to the original leak, and the most powerful is the Core i9-7980XE, a monster that will bring 18 cores and 36 threads of processing.
The processor market is upside down. One leak after another appears, and no matter how exaggerated the specifications seem at first, in the vast majority of cases they turned out to be true. The Ryzen 9 chips became Threadripper, and Intel confirmed its Core i9. AMD's return to the ring with a competitive architecture changed strategies and timing. The pace established by Intel suggested a wait of at least two years before such a number of cores would be seen on the desktop, but with Ryzen unleashed, Santa Clara must give a formal response, even if that represents a relatively low volume of units.
The Core X lineup
That response came in the form of Core X processors with Skylake-X architecture, distributed across four Core i9X models and two i7X, plus a Core i9 eXtreme Edition at the top of the mountain. If we compare the official data with the previous leak, the most important changes are in their names. The 7800X and 7820X chips are actually Core i7, while the 7900X and 7920X belong to the Core i9 group. Higher up we find the Core i9-7940X, Core i9-7960X, and Core i9-7980XE. Unfortunately Intel did not share specific technical details about the chips, except for the number of cores. In total there are 14 cores for the 7940X, 16 for the 7960X, and 18 in the case of the 7980XE. All will be based on the LGA 2066 socket, and unlocked for those who decide that overclocking is necessary.
The TDP has already been confirmed at 112 and 140 watts for the rest of the models, but it is estimated that with the maximum support of 165 watts on the motherboards that will use the X299 chipset, the four higher variants of the Core X series will be at that level. Now, the big question… how much do they cost? Truth be told, the entry point to the Core X is lower than we expected. The Core i5-7640X opens the offer at $242, but the cheapest Core i9 is the 7900X (10C/20T) at $999. And for eight additional cores... you will have to pay double. At $1,999 per unit, it would be better if the Core i9-7980XE delivers what it promises.
