Intel just unleashed its Core i9 9980XE processor, an 18-core CPU that can be seated onto socket 2066 and yes, it can be used on existing X299 motherboards. The processor gets a suggested retail price of 1979 US dollars.
Core i9 9980XE is Skylake-X family and thus a refresh processor that holds faster base and turbo clock frequencies. The base clock for the 9980XE is 3 GHz, which is substantially higher than its predecessor (400 MHz). The maximum single-core turbo clock speed is listed to be 4.5 GHz, 100 MHz higher than the 7980XE. The all-core turbo of the 9980XE is unknown but from what we are reading seems to be 3.8 GHz.
| Processor | Core i9 7980XE Boxed | Core i9 9980XE Boxed |
|---|---|---|
| CPU core | Skylake-X | Skylake-X |
| Socket | 2066 | 2066 |
| Clock frequency | 2.6 GHz | 3.0 GHz |
| All cores turbo clock frequency | 3.4 GHz | ~3.8 GHz |
| Max. turbo clock frequency | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| Number of cores | 18 cores | 18 cores |
| Number of threads | 36 | 36 |
| HyperThreading / SMT | Yes | Yes |
| Thermal design power | 165 W | 165 W |
| Production process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Number of PCIe lanes | 44 | 44 |
The Core i9 9980XE with 18 cores and 36 threads will sell for 1979 dollars, excl VAT. We hope to review the proc soon, but that is totally at the liberty of Intel, of course.
