Custom system builder Puget Systems has acquired a sample of the still-not-announced, limited edition Intel Core i9-9990XE processor. Matt Bach, the company's Senior Labs Technician, praised the processor's performance but noted that the chip runs hotter than the other X-series offerings.
As previously noted, the Intel Core i9-9990XE is expected to be made available to a handful of OEMs online. According to reports, the processor is to be auctioned online once every quarter. Therefore, the Intel Core i9-9990XE doesn't carry a fixed price tag like your ordinary processor. Official information behind the auction process has been kept on the down low.
Intel Core i9-9900XE Specs Comparison
If the Intel Core i9-9900K and the Intel Core i9-9940X had a love child, the Intel Core i9-9990XE would be it. The Intel Core i9-9990XE is a Skylake processor, which means it's manufactured with Intel's 14nm process node. The processor is said to have 14 cores, 28 threads and 19.25MB of L3 cache at its disposal.
According to Puget Systems' specification sheet, the Intel Core i9-9990XE has a 4GHz base clock, 5.1GHz maximum turbo boost clock and 5GHz all-core boost clock. Running 5GHz on 14 cores is a pretty impressive feat.
Below is a chart comparing i9-9900XE specs listed by Puget Systems and confirmed specs for other 9th generation Intel processors.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Cores /Threads | Base / Boost (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | PCIe 3.0 | DRAM | TDP | MSRP/RCP | Price Per Core |
| Core i9-9990XE | 14 / 28 | 4.0 / 5.1 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 255W | ? | ? |
| Core i9-9980XE | 18 / 36 | 3.0 / 4.5 | 24.75 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1979 | $110 |
| Core i9-9960X | 16 / 32 | 3.1 / 4.5 | 22 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1684 | $105 |
| Core i9-9940X | 14 / 28 | 3.3 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1387 | $99 |
| Core i9-9920X | 12 / 24 | 3.5 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $1189 | $99 |
| Core i9-9900X | 10 / 20 | 3.5 / 4.5 | 19.25 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $989 | $98.9 |
| Core i9-9820X | 10 / 20 | 3.3 / 4.2 | 16.5 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $889 | $88.9 |
| Core i9-9800X | 8 / 16 | 3.8 / 4.5 | 16.5 | 44 | Quad DDR4-2666 | 165W | $589 | $73.65 |
Intel Core i9-9900XE Cooling
Like its other X-series siblings, the Intel Core i9-9990XE comes with support for quad-channel DDR4-2666 memory modules and up to 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes. Despite being just a 14-core part, the processor currently tops the TDP (thermal design power) charts with a 255W rating.
Matt Bach said via Twitter that the company's conventional air coolers weren't able to tame the beast. However, he said he was able to keep the processor's temperature below 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) under full load with the help of a Corsair H80i liquid cooler armed with a pair of Everflow cooling fans in a push/pull configuration.
Bach said Puget Systems will have benchmarks of the Intel Core i9-9990XE up in the next week or two.
