Intel is launching an update to its portfolio of high-end desktop processors aimed at gamers and “creators” The company has been facing growing competition from AMD in recent years, and so it should be no surprise that Intel’s latest high-performance chips focus on delivering more CPU cores, faster clock speeds, and more bandwidth than any of its previous chips.

That includes a new line of 9th-gen Intel Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 processors for desktop PCs, and a new Xeon W-3175X processor with 28 CPU cores, and support for frequencies up to 4.3 GHz. It’ll ship in December.

Intel’s new X-series chips also support up to 18 CPU cores and 36 threads, with the first of these new processors coming in November.

And the new 9th-gen Intel Core desktop chips come in Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 processors with up to a Core i9-9900K chip aimed at gamers. They go up for pre-order today and should begin shipping October 19th.

Gaming PC makers including Acer, Asus, Dell (Alienware), HP, and Lenovo will be offering gaming desktops with 9th-gen Core chips in the coming weeks.

Intel showed off a demo during its launch event for its upcoming 9th-gen Core chips featuring a PC with a Core i9-9900K processor playing two games simultaneously (with at least one running in a virtual machine with its own operating system) and live streaming them both at the same time.

Here’s a run-down of the first three 9th-gen chips, all of which are 95 watt processors:

  • Core i9-9900K (8-cores/16-threads/3.6 GHz base clock/5 GHz boost clock) for $488.
  • Core i7-9700K (8-cores/8-threads/3.6 GHz base clock/4.9 GHz boost clock) for $373
  • Core i5-9600K (6-cores/6-threads/3.7 GHz-base clock/4.6 GHz boost clock) for $262

In addition to supporting more cores and higher speeds than their predecessors, the new 9th-gen Core chips also include hardware updates to protect users from Meltdown Variant 3 and L1 Terminal Fault vulnerabilities. But like the last few generations of Intel chips, the new 9th-gen Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 processors are manufactured using a 14nm process.

Intel says the new X-series chips also support up to 68 PCIe Gen3 lanes and quad-channel DDR4 support.

During Intel’s press event, the company pointed out that the new X-series chips aren’t just aimed at folks who want to play bleeding edge games, but also at developers who are creating those games and need the power to render complex imagery and effects.

Video and photo editing can also leverage the new chip technologies.

New chips include:

  • Core i9-9980X (18-cores/36 -threads/3 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $1979
  • Core i9-9960X (16-cores/32 threads/3.1 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $1684
  • Core i9-9940X (14-cores/28-threads/3.3 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $1387
  • Core i9-9920X (12-cores/24-threads/3.5 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $1189
  • Core i9-9900X (10-cores/20-threads/3.5 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $989
  • Core i9-9820X (10-cores/20-threads/3.3 GHz base/4.2 GHz boost) for $889
  • Core i7-9800X (8-cores/16-threads/3.8 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost) for $589

All seven of those chips are 165 watt processors, while the new Xeon W-3175X is a rather power-hungry processor, with a 265 watt TDP.

You can find more information about Intel’s new chips at AnandTech, which has detailed overviews of Xeon W-3175X, the 9th-gen Core processors and the “Basin Falls” Skylake-X Refresh chips.

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10 replies on “Intel launches 9th-gen Core desktop processors (plus new X-series chips and a 28-core Xeon processor)”

  1. That cheapest X chip is more than I paid for my whole Ryzen computer. Wow.

    I’ll tell you we’ve never been happier in our household since we’ve banned Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter and nVidia. We’re now going out of our way to make sure these companies never extract another dollar from our wallets. It’s been a lot of fun….especially learning linux. Since Proton…even Steam is great.

    I’ve literally never been happier.

  2. 8700k = 12 threads / 6 cores
    9700k = 8 threads / 8 cores
    ….urrrhm, okay.

    I’d still prefer a 9700k over the 8700k, but this move is definitely going to annoy some people.
    I think its safe to say that 9900k = 9700k, the difference is the binning process. Anything that can’t sustain 5.1GHz, gets cut down to 4.9Hz and has hyperthreading removed.

    I’m not even complaining, I just think these are barely going to be sidegrades for people with the 6900k/5960x or even those stupid enough to buy last year’s 7820x. Let alone compared to AMD’s 3.9GHz r7-1700 and 4.3GHz r7-2700x offerings… who will see a 7nm cousin (r7-3700 or r7-3800x, 4.7GHz?) come in the next 6 months. I should also mention AMD’s prices would be more competitive, and their motherboard market would also offer more value, so this seems like a defensive move by Intel (they just need to churn out 1,000 units and send them to reviewers and do a soft/paper launch before AMD makes an announcement).

  3. “Core i9-9900K (8-cores/16-threads/3.6 GHz base clock/5 GHz boost clock) for $4488”
    You mean $488

  4. So basically what used to be i7 is now i9? Didn’t i7 cpus have 2 threads per core before?

  5. I’m looking forward to seeing the 10nm desktop cpu performance. Until then I really have no interest in their 14nm products.

  6. If you were wondering what AMD’s raison d’etre was,
    now you know. A vibrant AMD is necessary, if only to
    kick Intel’s butt.

    1. All right, I just checked and answered my own question. This thing will run at 255 watts. Add to that the unlocked voltage multiplier and multiple gaming cards support (crossfire or SLI) and there is absolutely no chance to see those in anything other than a liquid cooled rig.

      1. Apple may use the 9600K and 9700K in the 27-inch iMacs as it currently uses the older Kaby Lake variants (7600K and 7700K), but I wouldn’t hold my breath for much more than that – not unless they drastically redesign the enclosure for better cooling and ventilation.

  7. A paper launch worked super well this time last year…
    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=intel+paper+launch

    If you track headlines, this paper launch was actually scheduled for August with availability starting in October. Now the paper launch happened in October with chips “available” (double scare quotes) “”in”” November.

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