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

by Parm Mann on 16 June 2017, 15:30

Tags: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadiqj

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Test Methodology

Intel Core i9-7900X Specification


AMD Comparison Processor Configurations

CPU
Ryzen 7 1800X
Ryzen 7 1700X
Ryzen 7 1700
Ryzen 5 1600X
Ryzen 5 1600
Ryzen 5 1500X
Ryzen 5 1400
CPU Base Clock
3.6GHz
3.4GHz
3.0GHz
3.6GHz
3.2GHz
3.5GHz
3.2GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
4.0GHz
3.8GHz
3.7GHz
4.0GHz
3.6GHz
3.7GHz
3.4GHz
CPU Cache
20MB
20MB
20MB
19MB
19MB
18MB
18MB
CPU Cores / Threads
8 / 16
8 / 16
8 / 16
6 / 12
6 / 12
4 / 8
4 / 8
CPU TDP
95W
95W
65W
95W
65W
65W
65W
Integrated Graphics
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
IGP Base Clock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
IGP Turbo Clock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Socket
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
Lithography
14nm
Motherboard
Asus Crosshair VI Hero
BIOS
5704 (1002 for Ryzen 5)
Memory
Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4
Memory Config
4x8GB
Memory Timings
16-17-17-36-1T
Memory Speed
2,666MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW (378.66)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

Intel Comparison Processor Configurations

CPU
Core i9-7900X
Core i7-6950X
Core i7-6900K
Core i7-7700K
Core i5-7600K
Core i5-7350K
CPU Base Clock
3.3GHz
3.0GHz
3.2GHz
4.2GHz
3.8GHz
4.2GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
4.5GHz
3.5GHz
3.7GHz
4.5GHz
4.2GHz
-
CPU Cache
13.75MB
25MB
20MB
8MB
6MB
4MB
CPU Cores / Threads
10 / 20
10 / 20
8 / 16
4 / 8
4 / 4
2 / 4
CPU TDP
140W
140W
140W
91W
91W
60W
Integrated Graphics
-
-
-
HD 630
HD 630
HD 630
IGP Base Clock
-
-
-
350MHz
350MHz
350MHz
IGP Turbo Clock
-
-
-
1,150MHz
1,150MHz
1,150MHz
Socket
LGA 2066
LGA 2011v3
LGA 2011v3
LGA 1151
LGA 1151
LGA 1151
Lithography
14nm
Motherboard
X299
Asus X99 Strix Gaming
Asus Z270E Gaming
BIOS
TBC
1401
0801
Memory
Corsair Dominator 32GB DDR4
Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR4
Crucial Ballistix 32GB DDR4
Memory Config
4x8GB
4x8GB
2x16GB
Memory Timings
14-16-16-36-2T
15-15-15-36-1T
16-16-16-39-1T
Memory Speed
2,666MHz
2,400MHz
2,400MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW (378.66)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

Benchmark Suite

CPU Benchmarks
HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places
Cinebench Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores
HandBrake Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores (64-bit)
Memory Benchmarks
AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency
Gaming Benchmarks (GeForce GTX 1080)
3DMark Time Spy Graphics benchmark run using the Fire Strike Extreme and Time Spy tests
VRMark Virtual reality benchmark run using the Orange Room test
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided 2,560x1,440, ultra settings
Hitman 2,560x1,440, ultra settings
Total War: Warhammer 2,560x1,440, ultra settings
Miscellaneous Benchmarks
Power Consumption To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record system-wide mains power draw when idle, when encoding video via HandBrake and while playing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Notes

Though we've been able to spend a few days with a Core i9-7900X, getting hold of supporting X299 motherboards hasn't been entirely easy. A variety of boards were on show at Computex 2017, but an accelerated launch schedule appears to have caught manufacturers off guard. Review samples are being held back while software wrinkles are ironed out, and our test motherboard received a major BIOS update just days ago. Please note that neither the CPU nor motherboard were sourced from Intel.