Up to this point, Intel's Core i9 7900X at $1,000 was the highest performer with its 3.3GHz clock, 4.3GHz boost and 4.5 GHz boost via Turbo Max 3.0.

The new Core i9 7980X has a base clock of 2.6GHz, and goes to 4.2 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0. if you take the Turbo Boost 3.0 into account you can get some of these eighteen cores up to 4.4 GHz. The total amount of L3 cache stops at 24.75 MB, quite an odd number. The CPU has 165W TDP, four channel DDR4 2666 memory support and fits in an LGA 2066 socket.

The runner up, called Core i9 7960X, has a 2.8GHz base clock, 4.2 with Turbo 2.0, 4.4GHZ with Turbo boost Max 3.0 and comes with sixteen cores and thirty-two threads. It sums up to 22MB memory and a total of 44 PCIe lanes. Intel wants $1,699 for this one, making AMD's Threadripper, once again, more affordable. This one also has 165W TDP.

Core i9 7940X is a fourteen core with twenty-eight threads, 19.25MB L3 cache, 3.1GHz basic clock, 4.3 turbo 2 and 4.4 GHz turbo 3.0 clock and the same 165W TDP. It will sell for $1,399.

The twelve-core, Core i9 7920X is clocked at 2.9GHz, turbos to 2.9GHz and Turbo Max 3.0s to 4.4GHz, all within 140W TDP. It comes with 16.5 MB L3, 44 PCIe lanes and a $1,199 price tag.

The last ten core, Core i9 7900X has twenty threads, 3.3GHz basic clock, 4.3 GHz turbo and 4.5 GHz Turbo Max 3. It comes with 13.75MB L3 cache, the same old 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes, socket 2066 four channel DDR4 2666 and a $999 price tag.

Of course, the announcement comes just three days before AMD starts selling its Threadripper 1950X based sixteen core processors. Intel wanted to spoil the party but AMD’s 1950X with sixteen core and thirty two thread is selling for $999 half the $1,999 that Intel wants for eighteen core, Core i9-7980EX.

If you go sixteen versus sixteen, AMD’s 1950X is still $700 cheaper.

Intel has shared that it plans to release the Core i9-7920X on August 28. The Core i9-7940X, Core i9-7960X, and Core i9-7980XE will show up starting September 25, so this is more like a paper launch than a real announcement, at least for the ltater four.

AMD will ship preorders of Threadripper 1950X on August 10.