Intel Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition Processor Review

Intel Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition

Are you tired of dreary performance when rendering video, creating high-resolution assets, creating digital content such as games, and much more? Then you’ve come to the right place. When it comes to heavy-duty computational workloads, more cores are the way to go. We’ve already seen an incredible performance from the big CPUs of 2017, such as the Intel Core i9-7900X 10c 20t CPU, and the equally amazing AMD Ryzen Threadripper 16c 32t CPU. Now we’re going even bigger, with an almost unbelievable 18 cores and a whopping 36 threads from the Intel i9-7980XE.

Let’s not beat around the bush, this is a truly terrifying piece of hardware, and in another galaxy compared to what most consumers want, or even need. It’s in a different budget too, and you won’t get much change from the best part of £2000… ouch. However, for content creators like myself, who render 4K videos, stream games, and much more, time is money. If I can shave minutes, hours, sometimes even days from my workload, that’s time and money in the bank that lets me get on with other jobs. So while some may say this CPU is too expensive, there are plenty out there that will see a financial benefit to the big investment.

Of course, performance is key, and since we’re about to put this beast of a CPU on our X299 test bench, the big questions now hang in the air. Is it the fastest? Is it worth that much money? Should you buy one? Well then, let’s find out!

Intel Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition Specs

• Cores: 18
• Threads: 36
• Base Clock: 2.6 GHz
• Max Turbo: 4.2 GHz
• Cache: 24.75 MB
• Intel TB Max 3.0: 4.4 GHz
• Max Memory Size: 128 GB
• Memory Types: DDR4 2666
• PCIe Lanes: 44
• TDP: 165W

Maximize Performance

Whether you are working on your latest feature film or the next episode of a YouTube series, the unlocked Intel Core X-series processors are designed to scale to your performance needs by using the two fastest cores at higher frequencies and up to 18 cores when extreme mega tasking is required. Experience extreme performance, immersive 4K visuals, high speed storage and memory, and the latest technological advancements – all designed to get you from planning to final product faster than ever.

Overclock with Confidence

The Intel Core X-series processor family is unlocked to provide additional headroom. New features include the ability to overclock each core individually, AVX ratio controls for more stability, and VccU voltage control for extreme scenarios. Combined with tools like Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) and Extreme Memory Profile (Intel XMP), you have a powerful kit for maximizing performance.