Intel i9 series feature up to 12 Cores

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware
Intel i9 series feature up to 12 Cores. The most powerful CPU called i9-7920X will launch in August, while the rest will be available in June.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Be prepared to sell a Kidney to purchase one.  LOL 
  • Reply 2 of 14
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    160W TDP
    There goes any chance of these being in the next Mac Pro…
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 4 of 14
    jSnivelyjSnively Posts: 429administrator
    AMD just announced what they're literally calling threadripper CPUs. 16 Core for summer of this year. Amazing what happens when suddenly there's some competition in the market.
  • Reply 5 of 14
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    True. Competition is great for all consumers and manufacturers/developers. That is why it would be also good if others could build Macs besides Apple.
  • Reply 6 of 14
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    STOP THE PRESS:

    AMD’s Threadripper will face more powerful competition that we first thought. A 18-core processor called Core i9-7980XE will be Intel’s flagship model of Core-X series.
  • Reply 7 of 14
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    appex said:
    A 18-core processor called Core i9-7980XE will be Intel’s flagship model of Core-X series.
    Oh boy, are we headed back to the Pentium 4 days? Will 150W TDP chips on the high end become the norm again?
  • Reply 8 of 14
    They are guessing 165W for the "Extreme" i9s, based on the motherboard specs. But most of Skylake-X is 140W, including the first i9 to be announced in detail, the 10-core i9-7900X at $999. The same is likely true of the 12-core i9-7920X at $1199.

    I imagine AI will do an article on Intel once the dust settles, so this post is a kind of warm-up for that:

    Apple has never [?] felt the need to go into this "enthusiast" space (choosing Xeon instead for professional content creators), but it seems like there might be an opening here. I tend to agree with whoever it was who argued these are unlikely/impractical for an iMac, even for the upcoming "pro" iMac configurations.

    So you have to wonder about the possibility of redefining the "Mac" -- the original Macintosh was an all-in-one, but that space has been taken by the iMac. And the iMac was one of Jobs' finest hours, right up there with the original. [I would rate the transition to OS X as his greatest triumph, as it laid the foundation for iOS -- the iPhone would not exist without it.] I don't really see Apple dropping that "i" anytime soon.

    But Apple is facing a decision when it comes to Xeon in the Mac Pro. We still don't know much about the lower end of the Skylake-SP Xeon "scalable processor" range, but what we do know about the upper end ["Gold" and "Platinum"] points toward a dual-socket Mac Pro. It appears the next iteration will be Cascade Lake-SP Xeon in 2018, a good bet for the new design.

    Plus, Apple is going to be building displays again. So is it crazy to think Apple might use this "HEDT" [LGA 2066] platform in a Mac? You'd have a Mac and a Mac Pro. Each would be in a distinct space, even though both would really be aimed at professional users.
  • Reply 9 of 14
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Waiting on reviews of these high core count CPUs that'll show the Kaby Lake i9-7740X (4 cores) being the best option for gamers. ;)

    The Core i9-7820X, 8-cores, might be th best all around option as the >10 core options will likely have lower base and turbo clocks. 

    Those processors with >10 cores are only for the computational math folks. Does any prosumer video software take advantage of that many cores? They may say that they can, but what's the optimum core count? And, the cache architecture is changing from large shared cache to a smaller pool of shared cached combined with larger private caches. That will effect some code too. 
  • Reply 10 of 14
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Plus, Apple is going to be building displays again. So is it crazy to think Apple might use this "HEDT" [LGA 2066] platform in a Mac? You'd have a Mac and a Mac Pro. Each would be in a distinct space, even though both would really be aimed at professional users.

    I think it would be crazy for Apple to use this X299 platform (single socket, up to 160 W CPUs, up to 18 cores, 4 memory channels, 44 PCIe lanes) in iMacs. 

    Definitely think the customers who who want this type of computing power does not want it to come in an AIO form factor. Just sounds crazy. 

    It it would be better if Apple got rid of the 21.5" iMac, drive the 27" iMac down to $1000 to $1800 price tiers, and have a headless, internally modular desktop that can both be single and two sockets, that can span $2000 to $4000 price tiers.

    Maybe there could be iMac 4K 21.5" models at $1000  and $1300 while the iMac 5K is at $1500 and $1800. That $1800 high end price tier is important as that leaves room for say a 6-core single socket desktop at $2000. 
  • Reply 11 of 14
    tht said:
    Plus, Apple is going to be building displays again. So is it crazy to think Apple might use this "HEDT" [LGA 2066] platform in a Mac? You'd have a Mac and a Mac Pro. Each would be in a distinct space, even though both would really be aimed at professional users.

    I think it would be crazy for Apple to use this X299 platform (single socket, up to 160 W CPUs, up to 18 cores, 4 memory channels, 44 PCIe lanes) in iMacs. 

    Definitely think the customers who who want this type of computing power does not want it to come in an AIO form factor. Just sounds crazy. 

    It it would be better if Apple got rid of the 21.5" iMac, drive the 27" iMac down to $1000 to $1800 price tiers, and have a headless, internally modular desktop that can both be single and two sockets, that can span $2000 to $4000 price tiers.

    Maybe there could be iMac 4K 21.5" models at $1000  and $1300 while the iMac 5K is at $1500 and $1800. That $1800 high end price tier is important as that leaves room for say a 6-core single socket desktop at $2000. 
    Um, that's what I said -- agreeing with you about the iMac but considering X299 for a "Mac" -- positioned between the iMac and the Mac Pro. That's what I was asking about. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I don't think these processors are intended for multiple-socket configurations. So your high-end, 2S Mac Pro would use the LGA 3647 platform and Xeon. Doubtful that it would have the same form factor as an X299 "Mac." But both would be headless and go with the new Apple display(s).
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 12 of 14
    tht said:
    Those processors with >10 cores are only for the computational math folks. Does any prosumer video software take advantage of that many cores? They may say that they can, but what's the optimum core count? And, the cache architecture is changing from large shared cache to a smaller pool of shared cached combined with larger private caches. That will effect some code too. 
    I don't know, but I think a lot of code changes are coming. Those who understand it (not me) might even see some hints of it at WWDC this year. The whole "persistent memory" thing in Xeon servers due next year ["Cascade Lake"] seems like a big change: http://pmem.io
    edited May 2017
  • Reply 13 of 14
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    tht said:
    Plus, Apple is going to be building displays again. So is it crazy to think Apple might use this "HEDT" [LGA 2066] platform in a Mac? You'd have a Mac and a Mac Pro. Each would be in a distinct space, even though both would really be aimed at professional users.

    I think it would be crazy for Apple to use this X299 platform (single socket, up to 160 W CPUs, up to 18 cores, 4 memory channels, 44 PCIe lanes) in iMacs. 

    Definitely think the customers who who want this type of computing power does not want it to come in an AIO form factor. Just sounds crazy. 

    It it would be better if Apple got rid of the 21.5" iMac, drive the 27" iMac down to $1000 to $1800 price tiers, and have a headless, internally modular desktop that can both be single and two sockets, that can span $2000 to $4000 price tiers.

    Maybe there could be iMac 4K 21.5" models at $1000  and $1300 while the iMac 5K is at $1500 and $1800. That $1800 high end price tier is important as that leaves room for say a 6-core single socket desktop at $2000. 
    Um, that's what I said -- agreeing with you about the iMac but considering X299 for a "Mac" -- positioned between the iMac and the Mac Pro. That's what I was asking about. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I don't think these processors are intended for multiple-socket configurations. So your high-end, 2S Mac Pro would use the LGA 3647 platform and Xeon. Doubtful that it would have the same form factor as the X299 "Mac." But both would be headless and go with the new Apple display(s).
    Sorry for the confusion, but I don't think Apple would have two high end desktop lines. It'll be one high end desktop that can offer both 1-socket and 2-socket configurations. In the past, they went with 2-socket Xeons and didn't install the second socket for for single socket configurations. And I think they could use single socket Xeons in 2-socket boards as they used the same socket.

    Maybe like the 2013 Mac Pro, they think 1-socket is enough though, so the new Mac Pro will just be a single socket machine with PCIe slots and expansion bays. Just no way they would offer 2 different high end desktop models, even though they may have different price tiers. The iMac makes it difficult to have lineup of AIO and headless desktops without overlap in the price tiers. Best case I think is to make the iMac less powerful so as to leave the $1500 to $2000 price tiers for single socket headless desktop, but the iMac Pro rumor basically says they are going the opposite direction. Can't believe they want to offer an iMac Pro in the first place.
  • Reply 14 of 14
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    Here they are:

    Intel's Upcoming Coffee Lake Processors Up to 30% Faster Than Kaby Lake Chips Coming to Mac Notebooks
    Intel today also unveiled its Core X-series processor family for desktop computers, ranging from quad-core options to the high-end Core i9 Extreme Edition with 18 cores. The processors, codenamed "Basin Falls," are "coming soon." More details and tech specs are listed in this fact sheet and slideshow.
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