Intel i9

Finally the Intel Core Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X processors have been announced, a new generation of Intel HEDT chips for the new LGA 2066 platform that comes to happen the previous LGA 2011-3 and its Intel Haswell-E and Intel processors Broadwell-E. One of the most interesting models is the Intel Core i9-7900X with a 10-core and 20-wire configuration that will offer sensational performance in all kinds of tasks thanks to its high operating frequencies.

Do you want to know more about the first Intel Core i9 on the market? Don't miss our review! Heat a bowl with popcorn, let's get started!

Technical characteristics Intel Core i9-7900X

New in Skylake-X

Intel Skylake-X marks the arrival of the first 18-core desktop processor, the Core i7-7980X consisting of its 18 cores with Skylake architecture and HT technology to handle up to 36 threads of execution. Its ten cores operate at a maximum frequency of 4.5 Ghz and are accompanied by 18 MB of L2 cache and a still unknown L3 cache for unattainable performance. Thanks to its 14nm Tri-Gate manufacturing process, its TDP remains at 140W, showing enormous energy efficiency.

Processor name	i9-7980XE	i9-7960X	i9-7940X	i9-7920X	i9-7900X	i7-7820X	i7-7800X	i7-7740X	i5-7640X
Process	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +	14nm +
Architecture	SKL-X	SKL-X	SKL-X	SKL-X	SKL-X	SKL-X	SKL-X	KBL-X	KBL-X
Cores / Threads	18/36	16/32	14/28	12/24	10/20	8/16	6/12	4/8	4/4
Base Clock	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz	3.5 GHz	4.3 GHz	4.0 GHz
(Turbo Boost 2.0)	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	4.3 GHz	4.3 GHz	4.0 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.2 GHz
(Turbo Boost Max 3.0)	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.5 GHz	N / A	N / A	N / A
L3 Cache	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	13.75 MB	11 MB	8.25 MB	6 MB	6 MB
L2 Cache	18 MB	16 MB	14 MB	12 MB	10 MB	8 MB	6 MB	4 MB	4 MB
Memory	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Quad DDR4	Dual DDR4	Dual DDR4
PCIe Lanes	44	44	44	44	44	28	28	16	16
Socket	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2066
TDP	165W	165W	165W	140W	140W	140W	140W	112W	112W
Price	$ 1999 US	$ 1699 US	$ 1399 US	$ 1189 US	$ 999 US	$ 599 US	$ 389 US	$ 369	$ 242

This new generation of processors represents an improvement in performance per clock cycle of up to 10% in multicore tasks compared to previous generations and an improvement of up to 15% in single-core. The great performance of Intel Skylake-X will allow you to perform multimedia content creation jobs and extreme multi-tasking with great speed and fluidity. Editing 4K or virtual reality multimedia content will now be much easier thanks to the enormous processing power of Intel Broadwell-E and especially its greatest exponent, the Intel Core i7 6950X.

Its 44 PCI-Express lines represent a slight increase compared to the 40 of Broadwell-E and will allow you to design a 4-way SLI and 4-way crossfire configuration to which you will be able to extract their full potential so that your video games run smoother than ever. You will also be able to mount numerous NVMe protocol compatible solid state storage (SSD) devices that take advantage of the potential of the PCI-Express bus to connect directly to the CPU and achieve much higher performance.

Unboxing and design

The Intel Core i9-7900X uses Intel's new packaging for its most powerful processors, a black box in which we see the brand's logo along with the most important characteristics of the processor in question. In our case, being an engineering sample we simply have a plastic blister that protects the processor so that it reaches the end user in perfect condition.

It is a 10-core, 20-wire processor with 13.75 MB of L3 cache and operating frequencies that start at 3.3 GHz in base mode until reaching 4.5 GHz in Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 mode. What is Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 ? It is a technology inherited from Intel Broadwell-E and improved that is capable of detecting the two best processor cores so that they are used in applications that only use one or two cores, with which higher frequencies can be achieved and therefore a better final performance. For example, applications like Adobe Photoshop can really benefit.

Intel's advanced 14nm manufacturing process enables a chip with as many cores to achieve very high operating frequencies, so far no 10-core processor on the market has been able to overcome the 4 GHz barrier. Intel's previous top of the range, the Intel Core i7-6950X starts at 3 GHz and only reaches 3.5 GHz maximum frequency, which results in lower performance in applications that use few cores and look greatly surpassed by a simpler model such as the Intel Core i7-7700K that reaches 4.5 GHz. The new Core i9-7900X solves this problem and becomes a true all- rounder.

As is so characteristic of the Intel HEDT series, the Core i9-7900X does not include integrated graphics, so it will be necessary to use a dedicated graphics card from AMD or Nvidia. The TDP of the processor remains at 140W, which is quite an achievement given its large number of cores and the high frequencies it achieves during operation.

As for memory, the i9-7900X features a Quad Chanel controller with support for DDR4 up to a maximum of 4000 MHz under overclock, thereby ensuring that performance will not be affected by lack of memory bandwidth. Regarding the quantity, it supports a maximum of 128 GB. Also worth mentioning is its 44 PCI-Express lanes to be able to use systems with up to four graphics cards and several NVMe SSDs without losing performance.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel Core i9-7900X
Base plate:	Asus X299 ROG Strix
RAM:	Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4
Heatsink	Corsair H100i V2.
HDD	Samsumg 850 EVO.
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX1080 Ti 11GB
Power supply	Corsair AX860i.

To check the stability of the Intel Core i9-7900X processor in stock and overclocked. The motherboard we have stressed with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling. It is curious that both the BIOS and the CPU-Z application read the provider as Intel Core i7 instead of Intel Core i9, so it seems that at the last moment it was renamed to Intel Core i9 to have a higher number of sales. Marketing?

The graphics we have used is an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti, without further delay, let's see the results obtained in our tests with the following resolutions 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1440 and 3840 x 2160 pixels.

Benchmarks (Synthetic tests)

• Cinebench R15 (CPU Score).Aida64.3DMARK Fire Strike.PCMark 8.VRMark.

Game testing

Overclocking

It is impressive how this processor scales. With 4.2 GHz in all its cores we have improved the 2130B from cinebench to 2241 cb with 3200 MHz memories. We will see what effect it can have, when we install the 3600 MHz memories that will come soon.

On the memories we have left set at 3200 MHz applying the XMP 2.0 profile. The results we have hardly noticed, with only an improvement of +20 cb and in games we have not appreciated it. So we recommend you mount DDR4 at 2666 MHz for now.

Consumption and temperature

It was a surprise to find fantastic temperatures with compact Corsair H100i V2 cooling on the Intel Core i9-7900X. At rest we have about 26º C while at maximum load we have an average of 56º C. While with overclocking we have gone up to 36ºC at rest and up to 72ºC at FULL.

Regarding consumption, we have obtained about 70W at rest and at full power a total of 385W. While overclocked it goes up to 108W and at full power close to 397W.

Final words and conclusion about Intel Core i9-7900X

The Intel Core i9-7900X is currently one of the best processors on the market. It is an all-terrain processor that allows you to play smoothly, work at maximum power at frequencies of 4 GHz and great stability with any application.

Given its great processing potential and speed thanks to Intel Turbo MAX 3.0. We see it as a great combination with Intel Optane and VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU) technology that will offer tremendous potential for database caching and data processing.

Many of you may be wondering if this processor is suitable for gaming. The answer is clear, yes! and it has nothing to envy (except slight FPS) regarding processors such as the Intel Core i7-7700K. As expected the performance difference in 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K) resolution is clearly reduced. In short, if your PC is only for gaming… better choose a processor that is more suitable for it: LGA 1151 or the six-core i7-7800X from this same generation.

Regarding consumption and temperatures, we have had one of lime and the other of sand. The consumption comes within reason with a really good sleep, but with a consumption that shoots up (the whole system), but it is totally logical given its high TDP. While the temperatures are good with stock speeds, but when we overclock: 4.2 GHz they are quite decent… but when we want to reach 4.4 GHz, they leave us at more than 90ºC. We already know this from previous generations of the mainstream series. Surely many end users choose to Delid and there we will see how many temperatures they can lower.

They will arrive in Spain from next week and from today you can book it in the main online stores in Spain. Its price is estimated at $ 999, which in Spain with taxes will rise a little more. Now we want to know your opinion, what do you think of the new Intel Core i9-7900X ? Do you think it's worth it? Or do you prefer to wait for the new i9 or does your pocket only give you for the 4-core versions?

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ THEY HAVE IMPROVED A + 15% POWER REGARDING THE PREVIOUS GENERATION.	- IT COULD IMPROVE THE SEAL OF THE PROCESSOR, TO HAVE BETTER TEMPERATURES WITH OVERCLOCKING.
+ INCORPORATES INTEL BOOST 3.0 MAX THAT IMPROVES THE FREQUENCIES.	- PRICE THAT IS NOT AT THE REACH OF ANY POCKET.
+ COMPENSATED PROCESSOR TO WORK IN HIGH PERFORMANCE AND PLAY IN 4K + VIRTUAL REALITY.
+ GOOD CONSUMPTION.
+ ALLOWS TO OVERCLOCK UP TO 4.2 GHz WITH JUST 1.25v.

The Professional Review team awards him the platinum medal :

Intel Core i9-7900X

YIELD YIELD - 92%

MULTI-THREAD PERFORMANCE - 100%

OVERCLOCK - 88%

PRICE - 74%

89%

The Intel Core i9-7900X is one of the most promising processors for the X299 platform, as it incorporates a good performance ratio, high frequencies and great processing capacity. From our point of view, only suitable for enthusiastic users, demanding players but who are also content creators. It also allows you to overclock, and is that the i9-7900X can reach 4200 MHz without much difficulty. Taking all its characteristics into account, it is a 100% recommended processor, but to purchase it involves a good outlay.