Intel 10-Core Skylake-X Core i9 7900X Leak Suggests 4GHz Base Clock And 4.5GHz Turbo

We are getting close to the launch of Intel's next generation of High-End Desktop (HEDT) processors, namely Kaby Lake-X and Skylake-X, the latter of which will carry new Core i9 branding. Intel has shared scant information about its forthcoming processors, though as usual the Internet community at large has picked up the slack. In this case, a benchmarking database has seemingly revealed new details about one of Intel's Core i9 chips.

That chip in question is the Core i9-7900X. Previous leaks pegged this Skylake-X part as having 10 cores and 20 threads clocked at 3.3GHz, with the ability to reach 4.3GHz with Turbo 2.0 and 4.5GHz with Turbo 3.0. However, a new listing in SiSoft Sandra's database reports a different base clockspeed. According to the listing, the Core i9-7900X has a base clockspeed of 4.0GHz. Here is a look:


The Sandra utility incorrectly identifies the processor under Intel's current Core i7 branding, which is not surprising since we are talking about an unreleased processor and an unofficial branding. SiSoft is pretty good about updating its diagnostics and benchmarking utility on a frequent basis and we fully expect that Intel's retail processors will be properly identified when the time comes.

In the meantime, this is what we have. The information gathered above is mostly the same from what was previously leaked, save for the base clockspeed, which is apparently much faster than initially thought. Otherwise, the Sandra listing shows the same information as before, including the presence of Hyper Threading, a top 4.5GHz clockspeed with Turbo is engaged, 13.75MB of shared L3 cache, and 1MB of L2 cache per core for a total of 10MB. The listing also indicates a 175W TPD.

Intel's ability to reach such a high clockspeed on a 10-core chip bodes well for its upcoming battle with AMD in the enthusiast space. Hot on the heels of releasing Ryzen, AMD is planning a new platform and set of HEDT processors of its own that, like Intel's Skylake-X CPUs, will feature more cores and presumably additional PCIe lanes to play with. Called Threadripper, AMD's new processors will culminate in a 16-core, 32-thread CPU.

It remains to be seen if Intel will match AMD with a 16-core processor of its own. The most recent leaks have pointed to six Skylake-X processors, the top one being a Core i9-7920X with 12 cores and 24 threads.

Top (Edited) and Thumbnail Image Source: Intel Corporation