Intel's first Core X-series CPUs go up for pre-order next week

Intel formally introduced its X-series processors at Computex late last month, which include both Skylake-X as well as the Kaby Lake-X architecture in variants featuring from 4 to as many as 18 cores. Today, the company is following up with more details regarding price and availability.
According to a press release, 4-core, 6-core, 8-core, and 10-core chips will be available for preorder on June 19 with shipments commencing the following week on June 26. Availability for the rest of the family will soon follow, with the 12-core Intel Core i9-7920X X-series processor expected to start shipping in August, and the Intel Core i9-7940X X-series processor, Intel Core i9-7960X X-series processor and 18-core Intel Core i9-7980X Extreme Edition processors, expected to start shipping in October.
“Intel’s heritage in gaming has been built around technical innovation that brings to life amazing experiences – and it’s also an area where we want to keeping pushing the limits of what’s possible with our technology,” said Gregory Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel Corporation. “From giving the world its first look at our upcoming Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition processor to accelerating esports and the future of VR esports, we’re excited to be part of one of the strongest PC gaming showcases at E3 in recent years.”
All the Core X CPUs use the new X299 chipset (socket 2066), which boasts up to eight SATA 3.0 ports, up to ten USB 3.0 ports, and, when using CPUs with 10 cores or more, 44 PCIe 3.0 lanes. Be sure to check our breakdown of the upcoming lineup and how it’s positioned to compete with AMD’s Threadripper series.
The initial lineup coming out this month includes two Kaby Lake-X processors — Core i5-7640X and Core i7-7740X — and three Skylake-X chips — Core i7-7800X, Core i7-7820X and Core i9-7900X.
$242: Core i5-7640X: 4C/4T, 4GHz-4.2GHz, 6MB cache, 16 PCIe lanes
$339: Core i7-7740X: 4C/8T, 4.3GHz-4.5GHz, 8MB cache, 16 PCIe lanes
$389: Core i7-7800X: 6C/12T, 3.5GHz-4GHz, 8.25MB cache, 28 PCIe lanes
$599: Core i7-7820X: 8C/16T, 4.3GHz-4.5GHz, 11MB cache, 28 PCIe lanes
$999: Core i9-7900X: 10C/20T, 4.3GHz-4.5GHz, 13.75MB cache, 44 PCIe lanes