Review: Intel Core i9-9980XE

Conclusion

It used to be the case that Intel's chief consumer processor automatically gained the title of fastest in the world. That is no more.

AMD has raised the game with Ryzen Threadripper, upping the processing density to 32 cores and 64 threads, and it's innate power that Intel cannot match.

Focussing on the blue team, the Core i9-9980XE keeps the 18C36T topology of the previous-generation Core i9-7890XE, but increases performance by upping frequency across the cores.

That uptick is between 10-15 per cent, at the same power level and price, so the improvement is reasonable given the year between premium Core i9 processor introductions.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the Core i9-9980XE - it is fast in every scenario - yet comparative value is still a major stumbling block.

Priced at over £2,000 in the UK, multi-core performance is no better than the £1,300 Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX, albeit Intel's finest is better at light loads and gaming. Then there is the £850 2950X, which is close to Intel's performance at a fraction of the cost.

Point is, Intel really needs to take a hammer to its Core X pricing for it to remain competitive for the enthusiast. An impressive CPU at the wrong price.

Intel Core i9-9980XE

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The Intel Core i9-9980XE processor is available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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