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Intel Core i9-10940X X-series

Intel Core i9-10940X X-series: A Comprehensive Review of the Processor for Professionals (2025)

Relevance, Performance, and Assembly Recommendations

1. Key Specifications: Cascade Lake X Architecture

The Intel Core i9-10940X processor, released in late 2019, remains a niche solution for enthusiasts and professionals even in 2025. Despite its age, its Cascade Lake X architecture on a 14nm process demonstrates stability in resource-intensive tasks.

Key Parameters:

- Cores/Threads: 14/28 — ideal for parallel computations.

- Base Clock: 3.3 GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz (on 1-2 cores).

- Cache: 19.25 MB L3.

- TDP: 165 W — requires serious cooling.

- Performance: Geekbench 6 — 1478 (Single-Core), 8635 (Multi-Core).

Features:

- Support for Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 for automatic overclocking of "golden" cores.

- 72 PCIe 3.0 lanes — ability to connect multiple GPUs or NVMe drives.

- Hardware protection against Spectre/Meltdown vulnerabilities (2020 patches).

2. Compatible Motherboards: LGA 2066 Socket and X299 Chipsets

The processor uses the outdated but reliable LGA 2066 socket. Suitable chipsets include Intel X299, which are still available for purchase (new models start at $250).

Popular motherboards in 2025:

- ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore ($450) — top model with Wi-Fi 6E and 10 Gbit LAN.

- GIGABYTE X299X Designare 10G ($400) — for workstations (supports Thunderbolt 3).

- MSI X299 PRO ($300) — budget option with basic functionality.

Selection considerations:

- Check support for 4-channel DDR4 — this is critical to unlocking the CPU's potential.

- Look for boards with at least 12-phase VRM modules — the processor is "power-hungry" when overclocking.

3. Memory: DDR4-2933 and 4-channel Mode

The i9-10940X supports only DDR4 (up to 256 GB, 2933 MHz). DDR5 and newer standards are not available due to architectural limitations.

Recommendations:

- Use 4 or 8 modules to activate 4-channel mode (up to 15% boost in rendering).

- Optimal kits: Crucial Ballistix MAX DDR4-4400 (2×16 GB, $150) with manual overclocking.

4. Power Supply: Minimum 750W and Headroom

Taking into account the 165W TDP and the appetites of 2025 video cards (e.g., NVIDIA RTX 5070), choose a PSU:

- 750-850W for systems with a single GPU.

- 1000W+ for configurations with 2-3 graphics cards or mining rigs.

Top models:

- Corsair RM850x (2025) — 80+ Gold, fully modular ($140).

- Seasonic PRIME TX-1000 — 80+ Titanium, 12-year warranty ($300).

5. Pros and Cons: Who is it relevant for in 2025?

Pros:

- Multithreaded performance: Competes with Ryzen 9 7900X in rendering.

- Stability: Proven X299 platform without "growing pains."

- Overclocking potential: With good cooling, reaches 4.6 GHz on all cores.

Cons:

- Outdated manufacturing process: 14nm vs. 5nm of AMD Ryzen 8000.

- High power consumption: The electricity bill will be noticeable under 24/7 loads.

- Price: New units cost $600-700 — more expensive than Ryzen 9 7900X ($550).

6. Use Cases: Not for Gaming!

- Work tasks:

- 3D rendering in Blender, Cinema 4D.

- Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V).

- Video encoding in DaVinci Resolve.

- Multimedia:

- Audio processing in Ableton Live with dozens of plugins.

- Gaming:

- Average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p Ultra) — 75-90 with RTX 4070. Inferior to Ryzen 7 7800X3D (120+ FPS).

7. Competitors: Ryzen and Modern Xeon

- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X ($550):

- 12 cores/24 threads, 5.6 GHz, 170W.

- Geekbench 6 Multi-Core — 11200 (+30%).

- Intel Xeon W-1370P ($800):

- 8 cores/16 threads, but supports ECC memory.

- Conclusion: i9-10940X only excels in tasks requiring >12 cores.

8. Assembly Tips: Cooling and Case

- Cooler:

- NZXT Kraken X73 (360mm AIO, $180) — load temperature ≤75°C.

- Noctua NH-D15 ($110) — air cooling for moderate overclocking.

- Case:

- Minimum of 6 fans (Lian Li Lancool III, $170).

- Additional:

- Thermal paste Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut ($15).

9. Conclusion: Who is the i9-10940X suitable for in 2025?

This processor should only be considered in two cases:

1. Upgrading an old X299 system without replacing the motherboard.

2. Budget workstation — if a new unit is found on sale ($500-600).

For new builds, it would be wiser to choose AMD Ryzen 9 7900X or Intel Core i7-14700K — they offer better energy efficiency and support for PCIe 5.0. However, the i9-10940X remains an example of a "workhorse" for those who value reliability and multithreading without overspending on the latest models.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 2019

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.

i9-10940X

Code Name

Cascade Lake X

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

3.30 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.

4.60 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.

4.80 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.

86°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.

DDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

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

256 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).

94 GB/s

Bus Speed

8 GT/s DMI3

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 Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) on CPU

A new set of embedded processor technologies designed to accelerate AI deep learning use cases. It extends Intel AVX-512 with a new Vector Neural Network Instruction (VNNI) that significantly increases deep learning inference performance over previous generations.

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 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 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.

19.25 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

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1478

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

8635

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1106

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

11319

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Xeon E3-1285 v6

1582 +7%

Core i3-10300

1530 +3.5%

Core i9-10940X X-series

1478

Core i3-10100

1423 -3.7%

Ryzen 7 4750U

1377 -6.8%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Ryzen 7 5700X

9715 +12.5%

Core Ultra 5 125U

9147 +5.9%

Core i9-10940X X-series

8635

Xeon Silver 4314

8215 -4.9%

Core i3-12300

7759 -10.1%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon W-1250

1151 +4.1%

Core i7-1265U

1120 +1.3%

Core i9-10940X X-series

1106

Core i3-10305

1080 -2.4%

Core i5-6600K

1063 -3.9%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E5-2686 v3

13647 +20.6%

Core i7-13705H

12356 +9.2%

Core i9-10940X X-series

11319

EPYC 7401

10398 -8.1%

Core i7-9800X

9648 -14.8%