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Intel Core i9-9980XE Extreme Edition

Intel Core i9-9980XE Extreme Edition in 2025: Is it Worth Considering?

Relevant analysis for enthusiasts and professionals

1. Key Specifications: An Outdated Giant

The Intel Core i9-9980XE processor, released in 2018, still attracts attention due to its unique configuration.

- Architecture and Process Technology: Based on the Skylake-X microarchitecture (14 nm), which continues to show resilience in niche tasks even in 2025. The 14 nm process seems archaic compared to modern 5-7 nm chips, but Intel's engineering solutions of that time provided a solid margin for durability.

- Cores and Threads: 18 cores and 36 threads represent heavy artillery for parallel computing. The base frequency is 3.0 GHz, with Turbo Boost Max 3.0 reaching up to 4.5 GHz (for 1-2 cores).

- Cache and PCIe: 24.75 MB of L3 cache and support for PCIe 3.0 (44 lanes). In the era of PCIe 5.0, this limits the speed of storage devices and graphics cards, but it remains sufficient for many work tasks.

- Key Features: Supports Intel Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB), an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, and a quad-channel memory controller.

Practical Example: In 2024, a user on Overclockers.ru successfully overclocked the i9-9980XE to 4.2 GHz on all cores using a Corsair H150i AIO cooler, resulting in a 15% reduction in 3D model rendering time.

2. Compatible Motherboards: A Hunt for Rarities

The processor utilizes the LGA 2066 socket, which ties it to the Intel X299 chipset.

- Current Motherboard Models in 2025: New boards are rare, but auctions and leftovers might yield ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme (around $350-450), MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon AC ($250-300), or Gigabyte X299 AORUS Master ($300-400).

- Selection Tips: Look for boards with reinforced VRM (such as 12-phase power) for stable overclocking. Check for support for Wi-Fi 6 and USB 3.2 Gen 2—some X299 models already include these features.

- Compatibility Issues: The motherboard's BIOS must be updated to a version that supports the 9th Gen Core X-series.

Tip: If you aren't ready for the "hunt" for motherboards, consider switching to modern platforms (like LGA 1700 or AM5), where the i9-9980XE falls short in compatibility.

3. Memory: DDR4 as a Legacy

The processor supports quad-channel DDR4 with an official frequency of up to 2666 MHz (overclocking can reach 3600-4000 MHz).

- Recommended Capacity: 64-128 GB (8x16 GB modules)—optimal for rendering or virtualization.

- Limitations: In 2025, DDR4 lags behind DDR5 in bandwidth (up to 51.2 GB/s compared to 64 GB/s for DDR5-6400), but remains cheaper. A 128 GB DDR4-3200 kit costs around $300-400, while a similar DDR5 kit starts at $600.

Example: A editing studio in 2023 used the i9-9980XE with 128 GB DDR4-3600 for work in DaVinci Resolve—latency during 8K processing was minimal.

4. Power Supply: Don't Skimp on Energy

With a TDP of 165 W and a peak consumption of up to 300 W (when overclocked), requirements for the PSU are strict:

- Minimum: 750 W (for a system with an NVIDIA RTX 4070 level graphics card).

- Recommendations: Use units with 80 Plus Gold/Platinum certification (like Corsair RM850x, Seasonic PRIME GX-850). Avoid cheap models—unstable power can damage the CPU.

- Note: If you plan to upgrade to an RTX 5080 or similar, opt for a PSU of at least 1000 W.

5. Pros and Cons: Who is it Suitable For?

Pros:

- High multi-threaded performance for rendering, encoding, simulations.

- Overclocking potential (up to a 20% increase with good cooling).

- Compatibility with Windows 11 and Linux (drivers are current).

Cons:

- High power consumption (in 2025, this can be costly: 1 year of 24/7 use will cost around $200 at a rate of $0.15 per kWh).

- No support for PCIe 4.0/5.0, DDR5, or AI accelerators.

- New price (if found)—$600-800, which is close to modern AMD Ryzen 9 7950X ($550) with better efficiency.

6. Use Cases: Where It Still Shines

- Work Tasks:

- 3D rendering in Blender, Cinema 4D.

- Code compilation (e.g., Unreal Engine 5).

- Virtualization (18 cores shared among several VMs).

- Gaming:

- Not the best choice: high latency in games dependent on frequency (e.g., CS2, Valorant). However, can handle streaming (OBS + game) well with 18 cores.

- Multimedia:

- Video processing in Premiere Pro or After Effects is feasible, but export will be slower compared to Intel Core i7-14700K with Quick Sync.

7. Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX (2018): 24 cores, 48 threads, but worse IPC. On the second-hand market—$400-500. Better in multi-threading but lags in gaming.

- Modern Alternatives (2025): Intel Core i9-14900K (24 cores, 5.8 GHz, DDR5)—$580. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16 cores, 3D V-Cache)—$650. Both are more energy-efficient.

Conclusion: The i9-9980XE is only beneficial if you have access to a free or inexpensive X299 motherboard.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling: Use an AIO cooler with a 360 mm radiator (Arctic Liquid Freezer II) or a high-end air cooler (Noctua NH-D15).

2. Memory: Enable the XMP profile in BIOS for overclocking.

3. Additional PCIe Devices: Don’t overload PCIe 3.0—e.g., NVMe SSDs and GPUs sharing the lane can slow down the disk.

4. Power Supply: Connect both 8-pin CPU connectors on the motherboard.

Real Case: A 2024 build: i9-9980XE + RTX 3090 + 128 GB DDR4 + 2x NVMe SSD. The user complained about FPS drops in Cyberpunk 2077 due to the PCIe 3.0 x16 bottleneck for the GPU.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the i9-9980XE Suitable for in 2025?

This processor is worth considering in only two cases:

1. Upgrading an Old System: If you already have an X299 motherboard and DDR4—installing the i9-9980XE will boost performance without the need to change platforms.

2. Budget Workstation: On the second-hand market, a bundle (CPU + motherboard + 64 GB DDR4) can be found for $800-1000, which is cheaper than new Threadripper options.

Not Suitable For: Gamers, enthusiasts of new technologies, those who value quietness and energy efficiency.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i9-9980XE in 2025 is a niche tool for professionals locked into the X299 platform or enthusiasts building a “budget monster.” In other cases, invest in modern processors.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 2018

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i9-9980XE

Code Name

SkyLake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

3.00 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.40 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom. Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 frequency is the clock frequency of the CPU when running in this mode.

4.50 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA2066

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

165 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

84°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2666

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

85 GB/s

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2 | Intel® AVX-512

Number of AVX-512 FMA Units

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

24.75 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes