The newest generation of Intel® Extreme processors are on the scene, Skylake-X and Kabylake-X, offering never before seen performance in consumer-grade processors. Want to find out which of the newest generation of processors is right for your next build? This blog will serve as your handy little guide, helping you decide.
The new Intel® Extreme series covers both the i5 and i7 families and introduces the new i9 family to the Core X-series of processors. Altogether, there are currently five processors to choose from, and that number will grow to nine by the end of the year. The introduction of these processors also brings the debut of both a new socket, the LGA 2066 and a new chipset, X299. For the sake of this article, however, we will stick solely to the advantages of the processors, and save the new chipset for another time. Let’s take a look at the new lineup:
Skylake-X
Currently available to consumers:
| Processor | Number of cores/Threads | Clock Speed | Cache | TDP | PCI Lanes Supported | Memory Speed |
| I7-7800X
| 6/12 | 3.5-4.0 GHz | 8.25 MB | 140 Watts | 28 | 2400 MHz |
| I7-7820X
| 8/16 | 3.6-4.3 GHz | 11 MB | 140 Watts | 44 | 2666 MHz |
| I9-7900X
| 10/20 | 3.3-4.3 GHz | 13.75 MB | 140 Watts | 44 | 2666 MHz |
Future releases:
| Processor | Number of cores/Threads | Clock Speed | Cache | TDP | PCI Lanes Supported | Memory Speed |
| I9-7920X
| 12/24 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| I9-7940X
| 14/28 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| I9-7960X
| 16/32 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| I9-7980XE
| 18/36 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Kabylake-X
| Processor | Number of cores/Threads | Clock Speed | Cache | TDP | PCI Lanes Supported | Memory Speed |
| I7-7740X | 4/8 | 4.3-4.5 GHz
| 8 MB | 112 Watts | 16 | 2666 MHz |
| I5-7640X | 4/4 | 4.0-4.2 GHz
| 6 MB | 112 Watts | 16 | 2666 MHz |
This new generation natively supports DDR4-2666 RAM on every chip, excluding the 7800X, which supports DDR4-2400. This generation of chips also has a notably higher clock rate than its predecessors, the Broadwell-E chips, boasting a 14% increase in multithread performance, and a 15% increase in single thread performance1.
A few other notable features and upgrades over the previous generation of Intel Extreme processors include:
- Intel® Smart Cache Technology
- Support for Intel AVX-512
- Full Support for Intel Optane™ memory and SSDs
- And finally, a consumer favorite, a price cut! This generation’s 10-core processor is set to come in at almost half the price of the last generation’s 10-core processor.
There you have it! A crash course on everything that you need to know about the newest Skylake-X and Kabylake-X processors. Call AVADirect today to have a trained technician help you set up your next dream PC powered by Intel Core X-series processors!
1: Based on 10-core to 10-core comparison