Intel Core i9-9980XE

Still, if you are looking to build an all-around workstation for mixed single and multi-core optimized applications, the Intel Core i9-9980XE might be your best bet—if your budget allows. By not sacrificing single-threaded performance for multi-thread prowess, the 9980XE is a compelling part by from a performance perspective, just not at it's given price point.
- As reviewed by PCPer on Nov 2018
18
Cores
36
Threads
3 GHz
Base Clock
4.5 GHz
Boost Clock
Socket LGA 2066
Socket
165 W
TDP
No iGPU
Graphics
$1,799
Price
Release date:Nov 13, 2018Price at Launch:$1,979
Cores:18Threads:36
Base Clock:3 GHzBoost Clock:4.5 GHz
Type:DesktopMultithreading:Yes
L2 Cache:18 MBL3 Cache:24.75 MB
Box Cooler:NoTDP:165 W
Socket:Socket LGA 2066Memory Support:DDR4-2666
Codename:Skylake-XProcess Size:14nm
Integrated Graphics:NoNPU:No
PCIe Support:PCIe 3.0, 44 Lanes

Price History

Intel Core i9-9980XE pricing

Price Date
Current $1,799 Dec 12, 2025
Highest* $1,799 Jul 23, 2025
Lowest* $675 Jul 5, 2025
Average $1,090
* Prices are based on listings from Newegg and other major retailers over the past 12+ months.
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Reviews and Ratings

83

Average Score

Based on 10 reviews

8.2

User Score

Based on 78 reviews

Reviewers Liked

  • Balanced performance in single- and multi-threaded workloads
  • Mostly cooler running processor

Reviewers Didn't Like

  • Too expensive compared to the competition
  • The most expensive HEDT chip on the market
70

Intel Core i9-9980XE Extreme Edition claims to be a 9th Generation CPU, however it is clearly a repackaged Core i9-7980XE with different voltage and speed curves that has been topped off with a soldered heat spreader. When we compare the two CPUs on...

By Kitguru.net on
80

At the end of the day, the Core i9-9980XE is the undisputed champion of the HEDT processor world that puts Intel on top again. However, you should take a long, hard look at whether the best performance is worth paying $1,979 (about £1,520, AU$2,800)...

By TechRadar on
91

With its new STIM, the 9980XE's extra thermal headroom allows it to reach frequencies its predecessor couldn't by a decent margin.

By TweakTown on
80

Intel 9th Generation Core X Series Processors -- Find Them At AmazonIntel's 9th Generation Core X series' updated 14nm++ manufacturing process, solder thermal interface material, and increased base and Turbo Boost frequencies have all paid dividends....

By HotHardware on
80

Intel's Core i9-9980XE offers flagship-class performance to a wide range of workloads thanks to 18 cores and aggressive Turbo Boost frequencies. You'll pay dearly for the privilege of owning one, though. Expect to budget extra for a high-end...

By Tom's Hardware on

We recently updated our Linux testing suite a wee bit, making minor changes, but at the expense of dropping all single-threaded benchmarks – by accident. We hadn't thought much about every single set of results being hugely optimized for core counts,...

By Techgage on

How Much Does it Cost?I have seen the prices of this CPU vary wildly from multiple retailers. However, the average seems to be around £2100, such as this one on Amazon at £2082.49. That's a freaking crapload of money, and I refuse to sugar coat that...

By eTeknix on

Regardless of what your budget is, there's a CPU that can meet your needs without emptying your bank account. Faster and more efficient CPUs are released every year, so there's no reason to pay for more than what you really need. But if you're an avid...

By Benchmark Reviews on

As we said in our introduction, in the past the concept of a new flagship Intel processor was always so much better than anything that had come before and anything that was available from AMD in their wilderness years that it topped all of our graphs,...

By Overclock3D on

As well as topping several of our graphs despite being up against the best that AMD has to offer and offering small but tangible gains over the Core i9-7980XE, Intel still has that all-round great performance which many of AMD's CPUs still can't match,...

By Bit-tech.net on

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...

By HEXUS.net on

So there you have it; another incremental update for Intel but in some situations it could be more than that. Naturally pricing will come up again and again since –while Intel does seem to be reacting to AMD’s offerings- the i9-9980XE’s cost of $2,000 is stratospherically high and it also seems a bit tone-deaf to Threadripper’s positioning. But even with that taken into account, there’s still a ready and willing market for what the 9980XE has to offer.

By HardwareCanucks on

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