Intel

 

Intel Core i9

Intel Core i9 is a line of Intel CPUs introduced in May 2017. Core i9 CPUs feature as few as six and as many as eighteen cores, with two threads per core when hyperthreading is enabled. Its frequencies range from 2.9 to 3.6 GHz, and up to 5.0 GHz when using Intel Turbo Boost.

Intel Core i9: Everything we know about Intel’s hypercharged PC processor

Intel's Core i9 is possibly the most powerful family of consumer PC chips ever made.

Core i9

Core i9A family of 64-bit x86 CPUs with up to 18 cores from Intel. Introduced in 2017, the Core i9 became the top model in the Core "i" series. Also part of the Intel Core X-series brand, the first i9 CPU (7900x) is based on 14 nm process technology and the Skylake-X microarchitecture. It features four channels of DDR4 RAM and 44 lanes of PCI Express (compared with 28 in the i7). Designed for high-performance computing and gaming, the 3.3 GHz i9 chip can be overclocked to 4.5 GHz.

The Intel® Core i9 is one of the most powerful Intel processors on the mainstream market. It's faster and smarter than existing CPUs because of its expanded multi-threading capacity and better power efficiency.

Intel Core i7 vs. Core i9: What's the Difference?

Looking to upgrade your PC or buy a laptop, but not sure which family of Intel powerhouse CPU is right for you? Here's your essential breakdown.

Whether you're upgrading an aging desktop PC or just want to stay on the cutting edge of what's out there in laptops, Intel's lineup of Core i7 and Core i9 processors is loaded with powerful workhorse options. Most can handle almost any task you throw their way in a snap. But Intel offers lots of them, and they mostly sound the same.

When you are buying or building a PC, you need to know the truly important differences between these two chip stacks—the layer of nuance that goes beyond Intel's simple i7-versus-i9 marketing-speak. Which class of CPU is the right pick for your next machine? Let's dig into the details of each to find out. (Also, check out our Core i5-versus-i7 comparison for more on how those one-step-down families of chip stack up.)

Intel Core i7 and Core i9: A Short History

The original Intel Core i7 stack of high-end desktop CPUs dates almost all the way back to the introduction of the Core line itself, hitting the stage during the company's launch of second-generation desktop chips back in 2008.

Since its inception, the Core i7 line has represented anything from Intel's best midrange value picks to, for a time, its highest-end consumer chips. In mainstream CPUs, the Core i7 offerings of late have straddled the line between low-end content creation and high-end gaming performance, though that latter crown would eventually be taken by a new contender at the tip-top of the top end: the various Core i9 lines.