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Intel Core i9-9820X X-series

Intel Core i9-9820X X-series

Intel Core i9-9820X X-Series: Comprehensive Review of the 2025 Processor

Relevance, Performance, and Target Applications in Modern Systems

Key Specifications: Architecture, Manufacturing Process, and Key Features

The Intel Core i9-9820X processor, released in the late 2010s, remains a niche solution for enthusiasts and professionals even in 2025. Its Skylake-X architecture, built on a 14nm process, demonstrates an outdated but still functional foundation.

- Cores and Threads: 10 cores and 20 threads — a strong point for multi-threaded tasks.

- Base and Turbo Frequency: 3.3 GHz (base) / 4.2 GHz (Turbo Boost Max 3.0).

- Cache: 16.5 MB L3.

- TDP: 165W — requires serious cooling.

- Performance: In Geekbench 6 — 1351 (Single-Core) and 8592 (Multi-Core). For comparison, modern processors in 2025 easily exceed 2000+ points in single-threaded tests, but for older Skylake-X projects, it remains relevant.

- Features: Support for PCIe 3.0 (44 lanes), Hyper-Threading technology, Intel Optane.

Practical example: In 2023, a user built a system with the i9-9820X for rendering in Blender. Despite high power consumption, the processor handled tasks faster than 8-core Ryzen 5000 series, but lagged behind new Intel Core 14th generation.

Compatible Motherboards: Sockets, Chipsets, and Selection Nuances

The i9-9820X uses the LGA 2066 socket and the X299 series chipsets. In 2025, such motherboards are hard to find new, but they are still available on the secondary market or as leftovers in stores.

- Recommended Boards:

- ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme (price in 2025: $250–350) — overclocking support, 4 M.2 slots.

- Gigabyte X299 AORUS Master ($200–300) — stable VRM, good cooling.

- Features:

- Support for quad-channel DDR4 memory.

- Many PCIe lanes for multiple GPUs or NVMe drivers.

- Lack of PCIe 4.0/5.0 — the main downside for modern graphics cards and SSDs.

Tip: When purchasing an X299 motherboard, check the BIOS version — updates may improve memory compatibility and stability.

Supported Memory Types

The i9-9820X exclusively works with DDR4.

- Official support: DDR4-2666 MHz.

- Overclocking: Modules up to 3600 MHz are stable on many boards (e.g., G.Skill Trident Z).

- Configurations: Quad-channel mode — at least 4 modules. For optimal performance, use sets of 4x8 GB or 8x16 GB.

Important: DDR5 is not supported, limiting future system upgrades.

Power Supply Recommendations

With a TDP of 165W and being power-hungry when overclocked, the i9-9820X requires a quality PSU:

- Power:

- For a system with one graphics card (e.g., RTX 4070 Ti) — at least 750W.

- For multi-GPU setups or overclocking — 850–1000W.

- Certifications: 80 Plus Gold or Platinum (Corsair RM850x, Seasonic PRIME GX-1000).

- Cable management: Semi-modular or modular PSUs simplify assembly.

Example: In 2024, a user with an i9-9820X and RTX 4080 experienced restarts due to a 650W PSU. After upgrading to 850W, the issues disappeared.

Pros and Cons of Intel Core i9-9820X

Pros:

- High multi-threaded performance for rendering and encoding.

- Overclocking potential (up to 4.5 GHz with good cooling).

- Support for quad-channel memory and multiple PCIe devices.

Cons:

- Outdated 14nm manufacturing process → high heat and power consumption.

- No PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DDR5.

- Price in 2025 ($400–500 for new) competes with more modern processors.

Use Case Scenarios: Gaming, Work Tasks, Multimedia

- Work Tasks:

- Rendering: In Blender and Cinema4D, the i9-9820X is comparable to the Ryzen 9 5900X but falls behind the Ryzen 9 7900X.

- Video Encoding: In HandBrake, the conversion time for a 4K video is 22 minutes (compared to 18 minutes for i5-14600K).

- Gaming:

- At 1080p with RTX 4070: 120–144 FPS in CS2, but in CPU-dependent games (e.g., Microsoft Flight Simulator), there can be dips due to weak single-core performance.

- For 4K gaming with high-end GPUs, the processor will not be a bottleneck.

- Multimedia: Streaming + gaming — 20 threads can handle the load.

Comparison with Competitors

- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X ($450–500):

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

- Geekbench 6: 2200 (SC) / 15000 (MC).

- Advantages: DDR5, PCIe 5.0, better power consumption.

- Intel Core i7-14700K ($400):

- 20 cores (8P+12E), 5.6 GHz, 125W.

- Geekbench 6: 2600 (SC) / 18000 (MC).

- Conclusion: i9-9820X only wins on used market prices.

Practical Assembly Tips

1. Cooling:

- Ensure AIO cooling (e.g., NZXT Kraken X63) or a top-tier air cooler (Noctua NH-D15).

2. Case: Good ventilation (Lian Li Lancool III, Fractal Design Meshify 2).

3. Memory: 4x8 GB DDR4-3200 CL16 — optimal choice.

4. Storage: Use NVMe PCIe 3.0 (Samsung 970 Evo Plus) — PCIe 4.0 is not supported.

Warning: Don't skimp on thermal paste! Arctic MX-6 will lower temperatures by 3–5°C.

Final Conclusion: Who Should Consider the i9-9820X in 2025?

This processor is worth considering in three cases:

1. Upgrading an older X299 system: If you already have a compatible board and DDR4.

2. Budget workstation: For editing or rendering when Ryzen 7000/Intel 13th generation are not affordable.

3. Enthusiast overclockers: Those who enjoy experimenting with overclocking on a "retro" platform.

Conclusion: The Intel Core i9-9820X is a niche but still viable option for specific tasks. However, for new builds, it's better to choose modern platforms with DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

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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.
i9-9820X
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).
10
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
20
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.
4.10 GHz
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.
4.20 GHz
Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
?
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.
Yes
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
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
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.
92°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.
44
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.
4
Bus Speed
8 GT/s
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
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.
No

Miscellaneous

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
2
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.
16.5 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
1351
Geekbench 6
Multi Core Score
8592
Geekbench 5
Single Core Score
1056
Geekbench 5
Multi Core Score
9895

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core
Core i5-10400F
1432 +6%
Core i7-7700
1384 +2.4%
Core i9-9820X X-series
1351
Core i7-7820HK
1306 -3.3%
Core i5-10500T
1266 -6.3%
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Core i9-11900KB
9622 +12%
Xeon W-11955M
9081 +5.7%
Core i9-9820X X-series
8592
Core i7-10700K
8152 -5.1%
Ryzen 3 8300G
7702 -10.4%
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Xeon Gold 6448H
1098 +4%
Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX
1075 +1.8%
Core i9-9820X X-series
1056
Xeon Platinum 8362
1033 -2.2%
Xeon Gold 6208U
1011 -4.3%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
Core i7-13650HX
11475 +16%
Core i5-13400F
10633 +7.5%
Core i9-9820X X-series
9895
Core i7-6950X
9253 -6.5%
Xeon Gold 6138T
8674 -12.3%