NEWS · HARDWARE
PUBLISHEDNovember 25, 2019
READING3 min
Intel launches Cascade Lake-X processors for LGA2066 platform
Intel has released its new 10th-gen Core Cascade Lake-X processors for LGA 2066. Key advantages include a significantly lower price, DDR4-2933 support, and more PCIe lanes.
Intel has officially launched its updated CPUs for the LGA 2066 HEDT platform today. The new 10th-gen Core processors are compatible with virtually all existing LGA 2066 motherboards. All you need to do is update your board's UEFI (BIOS).
Intel HEDT family | Gulftown | Sandy Bridge-E | Ivy Bridge-E | Haswell-E | Broadwell-E | Skylake-X | Skylake-X | Skylake-X | Cascade Lake-X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Process node | 32nm | 32nm | 22nm | 22nm | 14nm | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm+ | 14nm++ |
Flagship chip | Core i7-980X | Core i7-3960X | Core i7-4960X | Core i7-5960X | Core i7-6950X | Core i9-7980XE | Core i9-9980XE | Xeon W-3175X | Core i9-10980XE |
Max cores/threads | 6/12 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 8/16 | 10/20 | 18/36 | 18/36 | 28/56 | 18/36 |
Core frequency | 3.33/3,60 GHz | 3.30/3.90 GHz | 3.60/4.00 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 3.00/3.50 GHz | 2.60/4.20 GHz | 3.00/4.50 GHz | 3.10/4.30 GHz | 3.00 / 4.80 GHz |
Total cache | 12 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 15 MB L3 | 20 MB L3 | 25 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 | 38.5 MB L3 | 24.75 MB L3 |
Max PCIe lanes | 32 Gen2 | 40 Gen2 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 40 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 | 44 Gen3 |
Compatible chipset | X58 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X79 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X99 Chipset | X299 | X299 | C612E | X299 |
Compatible socket | LGA 1366 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2011-3 | LGA 2066 | LGA 2066 | LGA 3647 | LGA 2066 |
Memory support | DDR3-1066 | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1866 | DDR4-2133 | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2800 | DDR4-2666 | DDR4-2933 |
TDP | 130W | 130W | 130W | 140W | 140W | 165W | 165W | 255W | 165W |
Launch date | Q1 2010 | Q4 2011 | Q3 2013 | Q3 2014 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2017 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2019 |
Launch price | $999 US | $999 US | $999 US | $1059 US | $1700 US | $1999 US | $1979 US | ~$4000 US | $979 US |
Overall, the new processors aren't drastically different from their 9th-gen Core predecessors. However, the 10th-gen Core CPUs do offer a few extremely welcome features. The first and foremost is their price.
Now, the 18-core, 36-thread flagship for the LGA 2066 platform will "only" cost you $975. For comparison, the exact same processor in the 9th-gen lineup was twice as expensive, coming in at $1979.
The second feature of the refreshed platform is out-of-the-box support for DDR4-2933 RAM. And finally, the third highlight is an increase of 4 PCI-e lanes. While that might not seem like much for the platform as a whole, frankly, every extra PCI-e lane can be useful for a workstation.
Our colleagues at WccfTech have already benchmarked the new CPUs. While they didn't have the crucial Core i9-9980X for a direct comparison, their findings are still quite interesting:
⤢ ВІДКРИТИ
⤢ ВІДКРИТИYou can find the full review and benchmarks for the Intel Core i9-10980XE processor via this link.
Looking at the benchmark results, it's clear Intel's top-tier platform isn't in its prime. For the first time, their flagship processor costs half as much as AMD's TR 3970X (which, incidentally, isn't included in these tests). Furthermore, among the chips featured in the study, the 10980XE isn't the most cost-effective option either. The Core i9-9900K and Ryzen 9 3950X lead in gaming, while the TR 2990X excels in professional applications.
The only saving grace for Intel's new processor lineup is its price. From that perspective, their chips still offer some appeal, especially for existing LGA 2066 platform owners with older 9th-gen Core CPUs.