Intel Core i9-10980XE 18 Core Cascade Lake-X CPU Benchmarks Leak

The first benchmarks of Intel’s flagship Cascade Lake-X processor, the Core i9-10980XE have just been leaked. The processor which would feature the same core count as its predecessor, the Core i9-9980XE, seems to feature a good uplift in performance with faster clock speeds and also comes with aggressive prices.

Intel Core i9-10980XE Flagship 18 Core ‘Cascade Lake-X’ CPU Benchmarks Leak – Up To 4.7 GHz Boost Clocks

We know that Intel is readying a new 10th Generation X-series lineup which would feature their Cascade Lake-X processors. The lineup leaked out yesterday, featuring the 10 core Core i9-10900X, 12 core Core i9-10920X, 14 core Core i9-10940X, and 18 core Core i9-10980XE SKUs. There might be more variants during the final launch but these are the ones that were unveiled in the leak.

Yesterday, we got to see the benchmarks of the 10 core, Core i9-10900X. Today, we are getting the first benchmarks of the flagship Core i9-10980XE from Momomo_Us. The Intel Core i9-10980XE has 18 cores and 36 threads which seem to feature a boost clock of up to 4.70 GHz. The frequencies on Geekbench aren’t reported correctly but the processor does come with 24.75 MB of L3 cache (24.8 MB as rounded by Geekbench) and 18 MB of L2 cache. The processor was tested on an X299 board which confirms that socket compatibility will be retained for the third generation of X-series CPUs.

Intel Core i9 ‘Cascade Lake’ X-Series HEDT CPU Lineup:

CPU Name	Cores / Threads	Base Clock	Boost Clock	L3 Cache	TDP	Price
Intel Core i9-10980XE	18/36	TBD	TBD	24.75 MB	TBD	TBD
Intel Core i9-10960X	16/32	TBD	TBD	22.00 MB	TBD	TBD
Intel Core i9-10940X	14/28	TBD	TBD	19.25 MB	TBD	TBD
Intel Core i9-10920X	12/24	TBD	TBD	16.50 MB	TBD	TBD
Intel Core i9-10900X	10/20	TBD	TBD	13.75 MB	TBD	TBD

In terms of performance, the chip score 5381 points in single-core and 51514 points in multi-core tests. This is a respectable score considering the chip performance significantly better than not only its predecessor, the Core i9-7980XE but also the 16 core AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X. In benchmark results compiled by HotHardware, we can see a better image of the performance but do note one thing that certain Geekbench versions aren’t fully optimized for higher-core count parts and as such, we see the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX and 2970WX even below the 1950X.

Intel Core i9-10980XE 18 Core and Core i9-10900X CPUs compared against Skylake-X and AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs in Geekbench. (Image Credits: HotHardware)

These scores also align with what we have seen before for the 18 core and 10 core parts which leaked a while ago but without their proper name identifier. At Computex 2019, we saw various new and refreshed LGA 2066 socketed motherboards that had been designed to accommodate the upcoming Core-X processors. These motherboards had aggressive power delivery systems and more cooling heatsinks than the current ones suggesting that Intel will definitely be turning up the wattage on the high side to get those max clocks out of the Core-X line.

Intel HEDT Processor Families:

Intel HEDT Family	Gulftown	Sandy Bridge-E	Ivy Bridge-E	Haswell-E	Broadwell-E	Skylake-X	Skylake-X	Skylake-X	Cascade Lake-X
Process Node	32nm	32nm	22nm	22nm	14nm	14nm+	14nm+	14nm+	14nm++
Flagship SKU	Core i7-980X	Core i7-3960X	Core i7-4960X	Core i7-5960X	Core i7-6950X	Core i9-7980XE	Core i9-9980XE	Xeon W-3175X	TBD
Max Cores/Threads	6/12	6/12	6/12	8/16	10/20	18/36	18/36	28/56	18/36
Clock Speeds	3.33/3,60 GHz	3.30/3.90 GHz	3.60/4.00 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	2.60/4.20 GHz	3.00/4.50 GHz	3.10/4.30 GHz	TBD
Max Cache	12 MB L3	15 MB L3	15 MB L3	20 MB L3	25 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	38.5 MB L3	24.75 MB L3
Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU)	32 Gen2	40 Gen2	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3
Chipset Compatiblity	X58 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X99 Chipset	X99 Chipset	X299	X299	C612E	X299
Socket Compatiblity	LGA 1366	LGA 2011	LGA 2011	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 3647	LGA 2066
Memory Compatiblity	DDR3-1066	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1866	DDR4-2133	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2800	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2933
Max TDP	130W	130W	130W	140W	140W	165W	165W	255W	165W?
Launch	Q1 2010	Q4 2011	Q3 2013	Q3 2014	Q2 2016	Q3 2017	Q4 2018	Q4 2018	2H 2019
Launch Price	$999 US	$999 US	$999 US	$1059 US	$1700 US	$1999 US	$1979 US	~$4000 US	TBD

Now the one thing that remains to be seen is the prices of the new X-series parts. Intel has claimed a 2x performance per dollar increase over Skylake-X processors which if true should mean we can get the Core i9-10980XE around $1000 US range. Similarly, Intel is aggressively targeting AMD’s 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper processors since 3rd Gen Threadripper CPUs haven’t been launched yet.

With the combination of aggressive prices and performance that truly outclasses Threadripper line of processors, Intel might finally have a decent HEDT lineup in their hands. Intel announced that X-series (Cascade Lake-X) CPUs launch next month in October so we would definitely have more info on them prior to launch.

Which Intel Cascade Lake-X HEDT CPU are you looking forward to the most?

Products mentioned in this post

Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX
USD 1561

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