Intel unveils Core i9-9980XE: 18C/36T at 4.5GHz for $1979

Intel has hosted its event in New York City to unveil their new 9th generation Core range of processors, with the introduction of the new 9th Gen Core and Core X-series CPUs.

The new flagship Core i9-9980XE is a beast, offering 18C/36T of CPU power with a base CPU clock of 3GHz and boost of up to 4.5GHz. There's a whopping 24.75MB of L3 cache on it, with a huge 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes and 165W TDP. Intel is pricing the new Core i9-9980XE at $1979, and it'll be available in the coming months. The company unveiled a full stack of Core X-series processors, ranging from 18C/36T down to an 8C/16T processor.

Under the flagship Core i9-9980XE we have five more Core i9 processors with the 9960X, 9940X, 9920X, 9900X, and 9820X. The last CPU in the Core X-series of processors is the Core i7-9800X. There's a lot of Xs here, especially when you consider its the Core i9-9980XE X-series CPU. X marks the spot, I guess.

All of the new Core X-series processors will work on current X299 motherboards as long as you have the correct BIOS update. This is a big deal, as it means you won't need to update your motherboard if you're upgrading from the current Core i9-7980XE. Just make sure your motherboard has the right BIOS update to take the new Core X-series and you're good to go right up to 28C/56T at up to 4.5GHz with the new Core i9-9980XE.

Having up to 68 PCIe 3.0 lanes will offer power users some seriously flexible systems, with 4-way GPUs able to each have 16 lanes each. The ability to throw multiple 10GbE PCIe cards becomes a reality, as does Thunderbolt 3 and other PCIe-based expansions.