AnandTech has seen a secret document that reveals Intel’s obscure plans to auction the unannounced Core i9-9990XE 14-core processor between a very selected number of OEMs.
The Intel Core i9-9990XE purportedly comes with 14 cores and 28 threads. The chip is still based around Intel’s Skylake microarchitecture and produced under the chipmaker’s 14nm node. According to AnandTech’s information, the Core i9-9990XE has a 4GHz base clock, 5GHz boost clock, and a 255W TDP (thermal design power) rating. In other words, the Core i9-9990XE is nothing more than a highly-binned and overclocked Core i9-9940X.
| Cores / Threads |
Base / Boost (GHz) |
L3 Cache (MB) |
PCIe 3.0 |
DRAM |
TDP |
MSRP/RCP |
Price Per Core |
|
| Core i9-9990XE | 14 / 28 | 4.0 / 5.0 | ? | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 |
255W | ? | ? |
| Core i9-9980XE | 18 / 36 | 3.0 / 4.5 | 24.75 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1979 | $110 |
| Core i9-9960X | 16 / 32 | 3.1 / 4.5 | 22 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1684 | $105 |
| Core i9-9940X | 14 / 28 | 3.3 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1387 | $99 |
| Core i9-9920X | 12 / 24 | 3.5 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1189 | $99 |
| Core i9-9900X | 10 / 20 | 3.5 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $989 | $98.9 |
| Core i9-9820X | 10 / 20 | 3.3 / 4.2 | 16.5 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $889 | $88.9 |
| Core i9-9800X | 8 / 16 | 3.8 / 4.5 | 16.5 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $589 | $73.65 |
Although the Core i9-9990XE’s specifications don’t seem far-fetched, there are a couple of inconsistencies about the processor. For a start, the model name defies the normal naming convention. Intel is accustomed to using a higher product number to denote a higher-end chip, which usually comes with more cores, higher clock speeds or both. The Core i9-9980XE 18-core processor, which was recently released, is the current flagship part for the Skylake-X family. It doesn’t make sense to market the Core i9-9990XE as such if the processor comes with fewer cores. But then again, Intel has done a lot of unconventional things in the past.
AnandTech also reported that the Core i9-9990XE would not have a fixed price. Instead, the processor’s price will vary hugely depending on how much the system integrator is willing to fork over. Intel will reportedly hold the online auctions once every quarter, and apparently, the first auction will take place on the third week of 2019 at an undisclosed website address.