Intel has announced availability of its Core X-series processor family, which will compete with AMD's Threadripper high-end desktop (HEDT) CPUs.

The devices, which will be marketed as Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 models have a higher than usual TDP, enabling Intel to boost their base clock speed, as well as what Intel calls Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, pushing clock speeds on at least one of the multiple cores to 4.5GHz, in the case of the $999 Core i9-7900X.

That 10-core, 10-thread device, will compete against AMD's top-of-the-range Threadripper 1950X, which boasts 16-cores and 32-threads for the same price, which AMD has released this month.

The first of the new microprocessors out of the traps will be the 12-core, 24-thread Core i9-7920X, available from 29 August, with the 14-core Core i9-7940X and the top-of-the-range 18-core, 36-thread Core i9-7980XE available from 25 September.

The four and ten core microprocessors - the Core i5-7640X, the Core i7-7740X and the Core i9-7900X - are already available.

V3.co.uk