Intel Core i9 10980XE Linux Performance Benchmarks

Intel today is rolling out the Core i9 10980XE as their new Cascade Lake X-Series processor that features 18 cores / 36 threads with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.6GHz and TBM 3.0 frequency of 4.8GHz. Following a last minute change, Intel moved up the embargo lift time of the Core i9 10980XE so here are the results we can share with you right now.

The Intel Core i9 10980XE Cascade Lake processor features the same core / thread count as the previous Core i9 9980XE and i9 7980XE but now with a 3.0GHz base frequency, 4.6GHz peak turbo frequency, 4.8GHz Turbo Boost Max 3.0 frequency, DDR4-2933 quad channel memory support rather than DDR4-2666, and the L1TF/Meltdown hardware mitigations in place. The cache size remains the same at 24.75MB and the processor having a 165 Watt TDP.

Besides this X-Series upgrade to Cascade Lake and the technical improvements, the biggest change is much more aggressive pricing out of these Intel HEDT processors. While previous top-end X-Series processors have retailed for $1800~1900 USD, in order to be competitive with AMD Ryzen Threadripper, the Core i9 10980XE is launching at just $979 USD. Basically the processor pricing is halved in order to fend off Threadripper.

Yes, AMD is launching today their new Threadripper 3960X/3970X processors too. Originally the embargo launch time was the same for the Core i9 10980XE and Threadripper, but a few days ago Intel decided to move up the embargo lift time... So right now we can share the i9-10980XE performance numbers but you will need to wait a few hours for our AMD Linux review before you can see how this Intel 18-core CPU compares to the 24-core Threadripper 3960X and Threadripper 3970X.