Tuesday, June 20th 2017
Intel Core i7 and Core i9 "Skylake-X," Core i5 and Core i7 "Kaby Lake-X" Sell
Intel announced retail availability of its new Core X-series HEDT (high-end desktop) processors in the LGA2066 package, designed for motherboards based on the Intel X299 Express chipset. These include the 4-core/4-thread Core i5-7640X and 4-core/8-thread Core i7-7740X based on the "Kaby Lake-X" silicon; and 6-core/12-thread Core i7-7800X, 8-core/16-thread Core i7-7820X, and 10-core/20-thread Core i9-7900X chips based on the "Skylake-X" silicon. Compatible socket LGA2066 motherboards based on the X299 chipset began selling, too.
The Core i5-7640X features 4.00 GHz clocks with 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost, and 6 MB of L3 cache. The i7-7740X tops that with 4.30 GHz core and 4.50 GHz Turbo Boost out of the box, 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading. Both these chips feature just dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, meaning that you'll be able to use just four out of eight DIMM slots in most LGA2066 motherboards. The i5-7640X is priced at USD $242, while the i7-7740X goes for $339. These are the same prices at which you can buy the LGA1151 Core i5-7600K and i7-7700K, respectively, so an attempt is being made to transition all PC enthusiasts over to the HEDT platform.
The Core i7-7800X 6-core/12-thread chip ships with clock speeds of 3.50 GHz, and 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost; and 8.25 MB of L3 cache. You get a full quad-channel DDR4 memory controller; but like the "Kaby Lake-X" chips, this chip too has a limited PCI-Express budget of 28 lanes, so you can't run two graphics cards at full x16 bandwidth (wasn't that the whole point of the HEDT platform?). The i7-7800X is priced at $389, just $50 more than the i7-7740X, which seems like a bargain for the two extra cores and a whopping 0.25 MB of more L3 cache.
The Core i7-7820X 8-core/16-thread part is clocked at 3.60 GHz with 4.30 GHz Turbo Boost; featuring 11 MB of L3 cache, a quad-channel DDR4 memory controller; yet the same limited 28-lane PCIe root complex. It is priced at $599. Back in my day, a $279 Core i7-920 paired with any X58 motherboard to give you full x16 lanes to two graphics cards, and enabled 3-way and 4-way multi-GPU configurations. If that's what you want, then get ready to pay top-dollar for the Core i9-7900X.
The Core i9-7900X at $999 is your price of admission for the 44-lane PCIe root complex of the "Skylake-X" silicon. This 10-core/20-thread processor is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 4.30 GHz Turbo Boost, and 13.75 MB of L3 cache. Both the i9-7900X and i7-7820X feature Intel's new Turbo Boost Max 3.0 feature, which adds a further 200 MHz to the max Turbo Boost frequency, if your cooling is satisfactory. All chips being launched today feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, which make overclocking a breeze. All "Skylake-X" chips feature TDP ratings of 140W.
The Core i5-7640X features 4.00 GHz clocks with 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost, and 6 MB of L3 cache. The i7-7740X tops that with 4.30 GHz core and 4.50 GHz Turbo Boost out of the box, 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading. Both these chips feature just dual-channel DDR4 memory controller, meaning that you'll be able to use just four out of eight DIMM slots in most LGA2066 motherboards. The i5-7640X is priced at USD $242, while the i7-7740X goes for $339. These are the same prices at which you can buy the LGA1151 Core i5-7600K and i7-7700K, respectively, so an attempt is being made to transition all PC enthusiasts over to the HEDT platform.
The Core i7-7820X 8-core/16-thread part is clocked at 3.60 GHz with 4.30 GHz Turbo Boost; featuring 11 MB of L3 cache, a quad-channel DDR4 memory controller; yet the same limited 28-lane PCIe root complex. It is priced at $599. Back in my day, a $279 Core i7-920 paired with any X58 motherboard to give you full x16 lanes to two graphics cards, and enabled 3-way and 4-way multi-GPU configurations. If that's what you want, then get ready to pay top-dollar for the Core i9-7900X.
The Core i9-7900X at $999 is your price of admission for the 44-lane PCIe root complex of the "Skylake-X" silicon. This 10-core/20-thread processor is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 4.30 GHz Turbo Boost, and 13.75 MB of L3 cache. Both the i9-7900X and i7-7820X feature Intel's new Turbo Boost Max 3.0 feature, which adds a further 200 MHz to the max Turbo Boost frequency, if your cooling is satisfactory. All chips being launched today feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, which make overclocking a breeze. All "Skylake-X" chips feature TDP ratings of 140W.
35 Comments on Intel Core i7 and Core i9 "Skylake-X," Core i5 and Core i7 "Kaby Lake-X" Sell
The i5/i7 bears no difference to a 1151 part...
This is "HEDT"?
HECK NO!
Intel is normally quite ok at getting their SKUs and product positioning right, but this time they've really bodged it up.
Oh well, better luck next time Intel. Must be tough having some competition again.
:shadedshu:
Good chips but very erratic performance. Read another review on the 7740 and it comes out looking worse than 7700.
Saving grace? Really good overclocking, unlike Ryzen.
it better have huge gain over 7700k when it comes to gaming.
Anyway, currently happy enough with Ryzen but if I hadn't bought Ryzen, I would now probably spend the extra on a i7 7820 (once the Intel platform has matured and isnt so buggy :laugh:)
www.anandtech.com/show/11550/the-intel-skylakex-review-core-i9-7900x-i7-7820x-and-i7-7800x-tested/17www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/75590-intel-kaby-lake-x-i7-7740x-review-19.html
As to other people complaining about all lanes not being available on all CPU's, what am I missing? This has been part of the HEDT CPU practice for awhile now. Higher level CPU's get full lane access, lower-level get reduced access. So maybe I'm not understanding the current complaints.
cheaper :P
and cheaper mobos
whats the point of getting the
Intel Core i7 7740X
it uses a shite load more power dosn't have anything new over 1151