I9 processor: models, uses and why they are valid for gaming

It has not been as long since the release of the Intel Core i9 as processors that were directed, from the beginning, to the servers. Between 2018 and 2019, various i9 processors have been coming out for socket 1191, which meant a change of idea by Intel: the Core i9 would also be focused on enthusiasts.

We know that many of you do not decide between Core i9 and Core i7 in the enthusiastic ranges, so we have thought to tell you why the i9 processor is a good option for desktop computers.

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Sockets for i9 processor

Before starting with the models, it would be useful to know that we see the Core i9 distributed between the LGA 2066 sockets and the famous LGA 1151 with its first i9-9900k. As you will see, the former are focused on servers, while the latter are an option for enthusiasts.

In this post we are going to focus on the i9 processor of the LGA 1151 socket , which is the one focused on desktop computers.

Models

We are located in the 9th generation of Intel processors, specifically in the Coffee Lake-S family. We are facing a family of processors that have the latest Intel technologies, such as, among others:

Intel vPro (except 9900KF and KS). TXT (except 9900KS). TSX-NI. Hyper-threading. SGX.

That said, all the processors you are going to see have 8 cores and 16 threads, so we have saved it in the table. In addition, they also have the same DDR4 speeds , supporting a maximum of 128GB at a maximum speed of 2666 MHz. Here you have the i9 processor models

Model	Frequency	Turbo	L2 cache	L3 cache	TDP	Socket	I / O bus	Price	Departure date
Core i9-9900	3.1 GHz	5.0 GHz	8 × 256 Kb	16 MB	65 W	LGA 1151	DMI 3.0	480 € approx	April 2019
Core i9-9900K	3.6 GHz	5.0 GHz	8 × 256 Kb	16 MB	95 W	LGA 1151	DMI 3.0	€ 490 approx	October 2018
Core i9-9900KF	3.6 GHz	5.0 GHz	8 × 256 Kb	16 MB	95 W	LGA 1151	DMI 3.0	460 € approx	January 2019
Core i9-9900KS	4 GHz	5.0 GHz	8 × 256 Kb	16 MB	127 W	LGA 1151	DMI 3.0	€ 600 approx	October 2019
Core i9-9900T (low voltage)	2.1 GHz	4.4 GHz	8 × 256 Kb	16 MB	35 W	LGA 1151	DMI 3.0	500 € approx	April 2019

For those who want to overclock, it will be useful to know that the models unlocked for this purpose are the "K", the "KF" and the "KS". Therefore, the "T" and the basic i9 are the only ones that cannot be squeezed to the maximum, although we believe that there is no problem because they handle extremely high frequencies as standard.

As for which processor is worth buying for gaming , we opted for the 9900K, 9900KF and 9900KS.

Chipset

Both Intel and we recommend the Z390 chipset to take advantage of all the technology that the i9 processor offers us. We recognize that the Z390 motherboards on LGA 1151 are going to be somewhat expensive, but we don't think it's a problem for anyone who can spend between € 460 and € 600 on a Core i9 processor.

Applications

As they are processors with 8 cores and 16 threads, their uses are varied because their benefits make them versatile chips. Next, we will describe what uses the Core i9 offer us.

Servers

Although we have focused the post on the LGA 1151, they are also CPUs that can serve us to have our own dedicated server. The main reason is found in the 8 cores and the 16 threads that we have. With them we can opt for strong workloads that require multitasking or multicore efficiency.

On the other hand, it should be mentioned that the frequencies of each core are very high, so it will allow us to work at very high performance. We will have no problems when transferring large files, downloading, uploading, or even creating a virtual server for a video game.

Professional

Due to its characteristics, it seems very logical to buy equipment powered by these processors because they are perfect for rendering, editing or recording with heavy software. We would understand that for such a professional use the Intel Xeon W was chosen because we would have 28 cores and 56 threads. In our opinion, we would leave these chips for companies that operate on a large scale.

Intel Core i7 has been equipped throughout life in many technology offices, so we do not see the impossibility of having Core i9 on the same computers.

Gaming

This is a section that increasingly demands more processors, so performance is very important. With the data in hand we can affirm that the i9 processor is a great processor for gaming. However, it is necessary to go deeper into it because it is not only worth the gross power.

If we pass the i9 through the benchmarks, we will see that they are ahead of the AMD Ryzen 3900X and 3800X. This shows us a preliminary of what can happen in video games. At the time, we went through the 3DMark Time Spy.

It is clear that the performance of the i9-9900K is the best of all. That said, let's go to more specific benchmarks on video games to check the behavior of the Intel i9 processor.

As you can see, in some video games we see a difference of more than 15 fps or 20 fps. On the other hand, in many situations we see the Ryzen ahead, as in others very even. There are more tests in video games of the i9 9900-K and the Ryzen 7 3800X in which we see more even results .

Conclusions

First off, the i9 processor is the most powerful CPU found in desktop computers. We like its versatility, multitasking performance, and video game performance . It is a clear answer to AMD Ryzen, but it has not been able to obtain the results that they had long hoped for because the difference is not wide.

Secondly, we are in the enthusiastic range, which means that we enter a sector made up of the i7-9700K, Ryzen 7 3800X, Ryzen 9 3900X and the i9-9900K and i9-9900KS. This translates into a sector that starts from approximately € 400. Obviously, from there upwards, you have to value every euro invested too much.

Third, the price of the Core i9 starts from € 490, while its competition starts from € 390 or € 400. We are getting almost € 100 more difference between one processor and another. Here we open two thoughts or ideas:

Importance of value for money. If we care about this relationship, we will not opt for a Core i9 for gaming because it does not offer a performance that justifies those almost € 100 difference compared to a Ryzen 7 3800X. There is no difference that over 10 fps pass between one processor and another, being the 3800X superior in many occasions. We want the maximum possible power for the desktop. With this in mind we would recommend the Core i9 because, despite the fact that it is more expensive. It is a processor that offers up to 5 fps of difference from a 3900X or a 3800X, so we would equip the best current processor for gaming.

We recommend reading the best processors on the market

With all said, if you want to know my personal opinion, I would opt for the Ryzen 7 processors for having a performance that stands up to a Core i9 costing almost € 100 less. Of course, I have to praise the Core i9 for the brilliant results it offers. What team are you from? AMD or Intel?

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