Intel has just announced their latest 9th Generation Core and Core-X processors which will be aiming for the mainstream and high-end desktop PC market. The new processors are designed to become the most advanced gaming and enthusiast grade products for their respective market.
Intel's 9th Gen Coffee Lake-Refresh With 8 Core, Core i9-9900K Flagship & 9th Generation Basin Falls-Refresh With 18 Core, Core i9-9980XE Flagship Officially Announced
The Intel 9th Generation Core family will be the first we will be talking about as it targets the wider mainstream market. The processor lineup will first introduce to us the latest unlocked SKUs which include the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and the Core i5-9600K.
The 9th generation will be compatible with the existing 300 series and the new Z390 boards. Following are some key features of the lineup:
- First performance Intel Core i9 desktop S-series processor
- Up to 8 cores
- Intel Z390 chipset compatible
- Solder Thermal Interface Material (STIM)
- Integrated USB 3.1 gen 2 and Integrated Intel Wireless-AC
- Up to 16 threads, 5.0 GHz, 16 MB cache, and 40 platform PCIe lanes (16 CPU + 24 PCH)
- Compatible with all Intel 300 series chipsets
- Intel Optane memory and Intel Optane SSD support
- Thunderbolt 3 support
Intel Core i9-9900K, Intel’s First 8 Core and 16 Thread Mainstream CPU With 4.7 GHz All 8 Core Boost Frequency For $488 US
The Intel Core i9-9900K is the flagship SKU of the 9th Generation Core family. This will be the first mainstream desktop Core i9 part and also the first Intel chip to boast 8 cores and 16 threads. In terms of cache, the chip will feature 16 MB of L3 and will come with an Intel UHD 620 graphics chip.
The clock speeds are something to check out here, we are going to get a 3.6 GHz base clock out of the box and a 5.0 GHz boost clock in single and dual core operations. 4 core boost is rated at 4.8 GHz while 6/8 core boost is rated at 4.7 GHz. This is the highest frequency we have seen on an 8 core part across all cores. All of this is done under a 95W package so we can expect some hefty cooling solutions to go along with this chip.
Intel Core i7-9700K, Intel’s First 8 Core, Core i7 Mainstream Desktop CPU With Up To 4.6 GHz Clocks Across All Cores at $374 US
Coming to the top Core i7 part, we get 8 cores and 8 threads. This the complete opposite of what we have been hearing as previous rumors identified the chip as a 6 core and 12 thread part. The chip will have 12 MB of L3 cache and as you might tell, it has fewer threads than the Core i7-8700K but comes with a higher core count. So, maybe, we will get the same or even better performance from the chip.
In terms of clock speeds, the chip has a base clock of 3.6 GHz and boosts up to 4.9 GHz in single, 4.8 GHz in dual-core, 4.7 GHz in four core and 4.6 GHz in 6/8 core operations. The TDP for this part is maintained at the same 95W.
Intel Core i5-9600K, 6 Cores, and 6 Threads With Higher Clocks Than 8th Generation i5 ‘K” SKU, $262 US Official Price
The Intel Core i5-9600K is a 6 core and 6 thread part with 9 MB of L3 cache. This makes it very similar to the Core i5-8600K. The difference is that it features higher clock speeds of 3.7 GHz base, 4.6 GHz boost (1 core), 4.5 GHz (2 core), 4.4 GHz (4 core) and 4.3 GHz (6 core). All of this is done at the same TDP of 95W.
Intel 9th Generation Core Family CPU Official Specifications:
| Processor Name | Process | Cores / Threads | Base Clock | Boost Clock | Cache | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9-9900KS | 14nm++ | 8 / 16 | 3.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz (8 Cores) | 16 MB | 127W | $513 US |
| Core i9-9900K | 14nm++ | 8 / 16 | 3.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 16 MB | 95W | $488 US |
| Core i9-9900KF | 14nm++ | 8 / 16 | 3.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 16 MB | 95W | $488 US |
| Core i7-9700K | 14nm++ | 8 / 8 | 3.6 GHz | 4.9 GHz | 12 MB | 95W | $374 US |
| Core i7-9700KF | 14nm++ | 8 / 8 | 3.6 GHz | 4.9 GHz | 12 MB | 95W | $374 US |
| Core i5-9600K | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 3.7 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 9 MB | 95W | $262 US |
| Core i5-9600KF | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 3.7 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 9 MB | 95W | $262 US |
| Core i5-9600 | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 3.1 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 9 MB | 65W | TBD |
| Core i5-9500 | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 3.0 GHz | 4.3 GHz | 9 MB | 65W | TBD |
| Core i5-9400 | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 2.9 GHz | 4.1 GHz | 9 MB | 65W | $182 |
| Core i5-9400T | 14nm++ | 6 / 6 | 1.8 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 9 MB | 35W | TBD |
| Core i3-9350KF | 14nm++ | 4/4 | 4.0 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 8 MB | 91W | TBD |
| Core i3-9100 | 14nm++ | 4 / 4 | TBD | 4.2 GHz | 6 MB | 65W | TBD |
| Core i3-9000 | 14nm++ | 4 / 4 | 3.7 GHz | N/A | 6 MB | 65W | TBD |
| Core i3-9000T | 14nm++ | 4 / 4 | 3.2 GHz | N/A | 6 MB | 35W | TBD |
Intel’s 9th Gen Core-X Family Announced– Core i9-9980XE Flagship With Enhanced 18 Cores, Solder TIM Across Entire Lineup, 68 PCIe Platform Lanes and More
Intel is also introducing their latest Basin Falls Refresh and Skylake-X HEDT Core-X processors today. The Basin Falls refresh will be optimized models of the CPUs we got last year and include a total of seven new processors which include:
- Core i9-9980XE (18 Core Flagship)
- Core i9-9960X (16 Core)
- Core i9-9940X (14 Core)
- Core i9-9920X (12 Core)
- Core i9-9900X (10 Core)
- Core i9-9820X (10 Core)
- Core i7-9800X (6 Core)
The flagship part, the Intel Core i9-9980XE will feature a total of 18 cores, same as the Core i9-7980XE, albeit with higher clock speeds and much more power tuning involved. But we all know about the 28 core part that is aiming for launch in December 2018. While the Basin Falls Refresh would launch around October-November, the flagship Skylake-X HEDT platform based around the LGA 3647 socket won’t be available until the end of this year. Some features of the new Intel Basin Falls Refresh Lineup include:
- Up To 18 Cores, 36 Threads
- Up To 68 Platform PCIe Lanes (44 Core per CPU)
- Quad Channel DDR4 Memory Support
- Solder TIM (STIM) For Better Overclocking
Intel 9th Generation Core-X CPU Lineup Specifications
| CPU Name | Intel Core i9-9990XE | Intel Core i9-9980XE | Intel Core i9-9960X | Intel Core i9-9940X | Intel Core i9-9920X | Intel Core i9-9900X | Intel Core i9-9820X | Intel Core i9-9800X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cores/Threads | 14/28 | 18/36 | 16/32 | 14/28 | 12/24 | 10/20 | 10/20 | 8/16 |
| Base Clock | 4.0 GHz | 3.0 GHz | 3.1 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 5.0 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| Cache | TBD | 24.75 MB L3 | 22 MB L3 | 19.25 MB L3 | 19.25 MB L3 | 19.25 MB L3 | 16,5 MB L3 | 16.5 MB L3 |
| Memory Support | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2666 |
| Platform PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes | 68 PCIe Lanes |
| Solder Thermal Interface Material | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TDP | 255W | 165W | 165W | 165W | 165W | 165W | 165W | 165W |
| Price | ~$2000 US | $1979 US | $1684 US | $1387 US | $1189 US | $989 US | $898 US | $589 US |
Intel Xeon W-3175X - The First 28 Core Unlocked SKU For The Ultra-Premium Market, 4.3 GHz Boost Clock
The new ultra-enthusiast processor will be known as the Intel Xeon W-3175X with 28 core, 56 threads and boasting a base clock of 3.1 GHz and a boost clock of 4.3 GHz out of the box and will be the only Skylake-X 28 core chip available for the new LGA 3647 socketed motherboards. The same chip scored around 7300 points in Cinebench R15 which you can compare with similar high-core-count processors available right now. It will have a 255W TDP which is beyond the 250W that AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX 32 Core CPU comes with so the extra cooling is much needed here.
You can check out ASUS's ROG Dominus Extreme motherboard which is designed for the new Skylake-X 28 core CPUs over here.
Intel HEDT Processor Families:
| Intel HEDT Family | Sapphire Rapids-X? (Sapphire Rapids Expert) | Alder Lake-X? (Sapphire Rapids Mainstream) | Cascade Lake-X | Skylake-X | Skylake-X | Skylake-X | Broadwell-E | Haswell-E | Ivy Bridge-E | Sandy Bridge-E | Gulftown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | 10nm ESF | 10nm ESF | 14nm++ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm | 22nm | 22nm | 32nm | 32nm |
| Flagship SKU | TBA | TBA | Core i9-10980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Core i9-9980XE | Core i9-7980XE | Core i7-6950X | Core i7-5960X | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-3960X | Core i7-980X |
| Max Cores/Threads | 56/112? | 24/48 | 18/36 | 28/56 | 18/36 | 18/36 | 10/20 | 8/16 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/12 |
| Clock Speeds | ~4.5 GHz | ~5.0 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | 3.00/4.50 GHz | 2.60/4.20 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.60/4.00 GHz | 3.30/3.90 GHz | 3.33/3,60 GHz |
| Max Cache | 105 MB L3 | 45 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 25 MB L3 | 20 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 12 MB L3 |
| Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU) | 112 Gen 5 | 65 Gen 5 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen2 | 32 Gen2 |
| Chipset Compatiblity | W790? | W790? | X299 | C612E | X299 | X299 | X99 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X58 Chipset |
| Socket Compatiblity | LGA 4677? | LGA 4677? | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011 | LGA 1366 |
| Memory Compatiblity | DDR5-4800? | DDR5-5200? | DDR4-2933 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2800 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2133 | DDR3-1866 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1066 |
| Max TDP | ~500W | ~400W | 165W | 255W | 165W | 165W | 140W | 140W | 130W | 130W | 130W |
| Launch | Q4 2022? | Q4 2022? | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2018 | Q3 2017 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2014 | Q3 2013 | Q4 2011 | Q1 2010 |
| Launch Price | TBA | TBA | $979 US | ~$4000 US | $1979 US | $1999 US | $1700 US | $1059 US | $999 US | $999 US | $999 US |
