A year ago, Intel unveiled the company’s first ever 10-core CPU, the $1,723 Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition. Intel unveiled the fancy CPU at Computex 2016 and this year, at Computex 2017, the company has returned to unveil a new family of processors. The new Core X line of processors launches even more powerful variants of the Core i5 and Core i7 variants and, for the first time ever, also launched the new Core i9 line.
“The Intel® Core™ X-series processor family introduces a series of firsts that reflect the extreme performance we are delivering. This family includes Intel’s first teraflop desktop CPUs, a prime example of just how much raw compute these processors can handle. We’re also introducing the entirely new Intel® Core™ i9 processor, representing the highest performance for advanced gaming, VR and content creation. At the top of the lineup is the new Intel® Core™ i9 Extreme Edition processor – the first consumer desktop CPU with 18 cores and 36 threads.”
– Gregory Bryant, Vice President of Intel.
The Core i9 Extreme Edition processor is the most extreme processor released by Intel and the possibilities offered by its performance are nearly limitless. However, the $1,999 price tag only justifies a purchase if you’re an avid gamer or a content creator using intensive tools. Intel boasts that with the Core X i9, gamers can play their favourite game, while they also stream, record and encode their gameplay, and share on social media – all while surrounded by multiple screens for a 12K experience with up to four discrete graphics cards.
However, if you don’t want to totally obliterate your wallet, you can start at the slightly more affordable end of the Core X spectrum with the Core i5-7640X. The Core i5-7640X comes in at $242, which offers 4-cores and 4-threads. Meanwhile, the Core i7 X-Series has a price range from $339 (4-core / 8-thread) to $599 (10-core / 20-thread) with a $389 model in-between (6-core/12-thread). As for the Core i9? Intel will be offering four models (not counting the i9 Extreme mentioned earlier) ranging from $999 for a 12-core / 24-thread processor to a $1,699, 16-core / 32-thread chip.
Source: Intel
