Intel Core i9 Skylake X Lineup Detailed - 7 Processors with Up to 18 Cores

Intel’s Skylake X lineup has just leaked on the web, showcasing the company’s fastest high-end desktop (HEDT) CPU to date.

The Skylake X will be part of Intel Core X series, which also features Core i7 Kaby Lake X family. Both Skylake X and Kaby Lake X CPU families will be supported by Intel’s new X299 platform.

The Skylake X will compete directly with AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper which features up to 16-core processors. Intel is reportedly readying to respond with a monster 18-core chip that will be available to consumers on the LGA 2066 socket.

Skylake X Lineup Leaked – Tackles AMD Threadripper With 18 Cores, 36 Threads

Previous leaks suggested the 12-core i9-7920X could be the fastest Skylake X CPU. Turns out it isn’t, but it’s the Core i9-7980XE (Extreme Edition) which is far more powerful than the 7920X.

Intel Core X includes a total of 9 processors (via VideoCardz), 7 of which are based on the Skylake architecture. The entire Core i9 Skylake X lineup is detailed below.

Intel Core i9-7980XE

18 Core/36 Thread,
24.75 MB L3, 18 MB L2,
44 PCIe Lanes,
165W TDP,
Clock: N/A

The Core i9-7980XE will be an insanely threaded monster of a chip that will feature multitudes of cache, 42.75 MB in total. The leak doesn’t reveal clock speeds but the 165W TDP rating indicates it’s going to be clocked really high with full overclocking potential.

Featuring the most higher core count for any HEDT platform, i9-7980XE will definitely come at a hefty price.

Intel Core i9-7960X

16 Core/32 Thread,
22 MB L3, 16 MB L2
44 PCIe Lanes,
165W TDP,
Clock: N/A

The Intel Core i9-7960X will compete head-to-head with AMD’s flagship Ryzen Threadripper chip, the 1998X. The new clock boosting technologies on Skylake X will definitely give Intel an edge in terms of performance but it needs to launch the chips at competitive prices for maximum effect.

Intel Core i9-7940X

14 Core/28 Thread,
19.25 MB L3, 14 MB L2
44 PCIe Lanes,
165W TDP,
Clock: N/A

The i9-7940X will further ramp up the competition against Ryzen Threadripper, as it promises to blow away anything that you have ever seen so far.

Intel Core i9-7920X

12 Core/24 Thread,
16.5 MB L3, 12 MB L2
44 PCIe Lanes,
140W TDP,
Clock: N/A

The Core i9-7920X may no longer be the flagship of the Skylake X but it’s still a juggernaut with clock speeds as high as 4.0GHz. Furthermore, the total cache on the chip is part of Intel’s re-balanced cache hierarchy system that not only ensures to save space but also deliver faster performance.

The i9-7920X is expected to hit the stores in August, a month after the release of the initial Skylake X lineup. The chip might be priced close to $1500.

Intel Core i9-7900X

10 Core/20 Thread,
13.75 MB L3, 10 MB L2
44 PCIe Lanes,
140W TDP,
Clock: 3.3GHz base, 4.5GHz boost with Turbo 3.0

The Intel Core i9-7900X will replace the current deca-core i7-6950X. Based on a new Skylake architecture, the 7900X would offer notable improvements over the current models, such as better overclocking capabilities and more PCIe lanes. The chip is expected to cost around $999.

Intel Core i9-7820X

8 Core/16 Thread,
11 MB L3, 8 MB L2
28 PCIe Lanes,
140W TDP,
Clock: 3.6GHz base, 4.5GHz boost with Turbo 2.0

The successor to the popular Core i7-6900K, the i9-7820X will take on AMD’s Ryzen 7 1800X. The chip will be offered as a cost-optimized Skylake X variant, but it could still cost more than 1800X’s $499.

Intel Core i9-7800X

6 Core/12 Thread,
8.25 MB L3, 6 MB L2
28 PCIe Lanes,
140W TDP,
Clock: 3.5GHz base, 4.5GHz boost with Turbo 2.0

This will be the most affordable option in the Skylake X family. The i9-7800X will directly tackle the 6 core Ryzen 5 1600X which costs $249. Intel’s 6-core part will, however, come at a higher price tag, possibly close to $400.

Intel X299 HEDT Platform Key Features Revealed

Intel’s X299 chipset will be the latest Platform Controller Hub (PCH) to support the company’s enthusiast line of processors. The platform will be centered around the LGA 2066 socket and offer up to 44 PCIe Gen3.0 lanes.

The X299 will include suppport for up to quad channel memory with speeds up to DDR4-2667 MHz (native). The Kaby Lake X family will only feature dual channel RAM but will stick to the native speeds of 2667 MHz.

Intel X299 HEDT Platform - Supports Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X — Credit: DrMola

Apparently, X299 will support only single DIMM per channel rather rather than 2 DIMMs as does the current X99 chipset. That seems to be an error on the slide showcased by Intel, otherwise there is no point in having eight DIMM slots on the board.

Aside from that, Intel X299 will offer full overclocking support. We just hope that the CPUs run cooler compared to the Kaby Lake S parts where Intel had to ask users to stop overclocking to avoid temperature spikes.