Review: Intel Core i9-7900X (14nm Skylake-X)

Conclusion

Wouldn't it be nice if the world's leading chip giants launched new processor series that worked perfectly and made implicit sense?

That's the hope, but having witnessed AMD's Ryzen arrive with teething issues ranging from memory support to hesitant in-game performance, it is frustrating to find that Intel's Core X-Series isn't immune to certain missteps, either.

X299 motherboards don't appear to be quite ready, there are question marks surrounding the Skylake-X processors due later this year, and at the lower end of the Core X spectrum, Kaby Lake-X is nothing short of puzzling.

Plenty of reason for discord among enthusiast users, yet look past the confusion and you may see cause for optimism. The world's first Core i9 processor, the 7900X, is ultimately a 10-core powerhouse offering excellent IPC performance and outstanding multi-core prowess in a single $999 chip armed with plenty of overclocking headroom. Said ingredients make it an automatic choice for power users seeking the ultimate PC experience, and the chip's benchmarking potential makes for a fitting debut of the Core i9 brand.

Bottom line: the price tag remains a stumbling block and software optimisations are needed, but anyone willing to splash a thousand bucks on a new CPU need look no further than the Intel Core i9-7900X. Over to you, Threadripper.

Intel Core i9-7900X

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The Intel Core i9-7900X is available to order from Scan Computers.

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