According to its latest Product Change Notification (PCN) document, Intel has decided it's time to retire its Skylake-X (SKL-X) processors, which debuted just two years ago. The move comes as Intel gears up to deliver its next-gen Core X-Series processors that it announced during its Computex keynote.
The entry-level Core i7-7800X hexa-core processor tended to the needs of users at the bottom of the spectrum while the the flagship i9-7980XE 18-core part was aimed at more demanding users. Skylake-X got its shine stolen by AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 2 desktop processors, though, which came with higher core counts at much more accessible pricing.
| Model | Status | Cores / Threads | Base Clock / Boost Clock | Cache | TDP | RCP |
| Core i9-7980XE | End of Life | 18 / 36 | 2.6 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 24.75MB | 165W | $1979 - $1999 |
| Core i9-7960X | End of Life | 16 / 32 | 2.8 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 22MB | 165W | $1684 - $1699 |
| Core i9-7940X | End of Life | 14 / 28 | 3.1 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 19.25MB | 165W | $1387 - $1399 |
| Core i9-7920X | End of Life | 12 / 24 | 2.9 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 16.5MB | 140W | $1189 - $1199 |
| Core i9-7900X | End of Life | 10 / 20 | 3.3 GHz / 4.5 GHz | 13.75MB | 140W | $989 - $999 |
| Core i7-7820X | End of Life | 8 / 16 | 3.6 GHz / 4.5 GHz | 11MB | 140W | $589 - $599 |
| Core i7-7800X | End of Life | 6 / 12 | 3.5 GHz / 4.0 GHz | 8.25MB | 140W | $383 - $389 |
AMD's Ryzen processors have redefined our expectations for HEDT pricing, with the Threadripper models spurring significant price-per-core reductions across Intel's HEDT lineup. However, keeping with Intel's long-term practice, the company never responded with direct price cuts on existing models: Instead, the company released newer models with more attractive price points.
AMD's recently announced Ryzen 3000-series family that span up to 12 cores. We can expect Intel's new Core X-Series processors to come with pricing adjusted to attempt to fend off AMD's latest. But this time around Intel would likely have to adjust its HEDT lineup to take into account AMD's mainstream processors that will come with up to 12 cores for now, and a 16-core model undoubtedly coming soon.
Customers can place their last orders for what's left of the Skylake-X chips before December 27, with the final shipment going out on June 5, 2020. Intel's Skylake-X Refresh models (99xx series) have not been retired, and the next-gen Core X-Series arrives in the fall.
