It has been a long time since Intel has released anything exciting for their users. Their latest processor was core i7 which was released nearly a decade ago. With many improvements along the way Intel finally accepted it was as perfect as it’s going to get. Finally Intel is back with its Core X-series processors, at least for its desktop users. This includes the Core X-i5, Core X-i7 and the lastest member to the family the Core X-i9 and Core X-i9 EXTREME.
What do We get in this line up?
Customers will have a choice from 4 cores to 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 cores. Almost all models will have Intel’s Hyper-Threading, thereby doubling the thread count.
The nine processors, at the bottom of the pack is Core i5-7640X and the Core i7-7740X with 4 cores clocked at 4.0 GHZ and 4.3Ghz. The are priced at $242 and $339 respectively.
The i7-7740X has 6 cores and 12 threads with HT. It is clocked at 3.5GHz and Turbo boast of 4.0Ghz priced at $389. Core i7-7820X has 8 cores and 16 threads with HT. It has 3.6GHz base clock speed and Turbo Boosts up to 4.3GHz priced at $599.
On the high end side, Core i9-7900X has 10 cores and 20 threads with HT. It has 3.3GHz base clock speed with 4.3GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 clock speed and 4.5GHz Turbo Boost 3.0 clock speed. It is priced at $999.
At the top there is the Core i9-7980XE with the jaw droping 18 cores and 36 thread count which will be priced at a whooping $1999.
Whats in store for us Commoners?
Core X series is not the only thing Intel announced. The 8th generation Core CPUs will be shipping with the new devices in the second half of this year. Intel next generation chips will perform up to 30% better than the ones out today. It’s a signification improvement. Like the 6th and 7th generation Core processors, the 8th generation models will also be built on 14nm process with slight refinement. The 8th gen architecture is code named ‘Coffee Lake’.
Verdict
Most PC owners today won’t be able to take full advantage of an 18-core, 36-thread of the X-Series. But that’s not really the point.Is it? Core X exists less for the present than it does for the future. It’s for the high end desktop market. Don’t get disappointed as Intel has though of us, mere commoners as they are soon to ship 8th gen Intel processors. Its a win win for all.
