Intel Core i9-10900K vs Intel Core i9-10980XE

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-10900K CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i9-10980XE
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10980XE

CPU comparison

Intel Core i9-10900K or Intel Core i9-10980XE - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i9-10900K has 10 cores with 20 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.30 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-10900K was released in Q2/2020.

The Intel Core i9-10980XE has 18 cores with 36 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.80 GHz. The CPU supports up to 256 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-10980XE was released in Q4/2019.
Intel Core i9 (81) Family Intel Core i9 (81)
Intel Core i 10000 (43) CPU group Intel Core i 10000X (4)
10 Generation 10
Comet Lake S Architecture Cascade Lake
Desktop Segment Desktop
Intel Core i9-9900K Predecessor Intel Core i9-9980XE
Intel Core i9-11900K Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-10900K has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 20 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-10900K is 3.70 GHz (5.30 GHz) while the Intel Core i9-10980XE has 18 CPU cores and 36 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-10980XE is at 3.00 GHz (4.80 GHz).

Intel Core i9-10900K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10980XE
10 Cores 18
20 Threads 36
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.70 GHz Frequency 3.00 GHz
5.30 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.80 GHz
4.90 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.30 GHz

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Intel Core i9-10900K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10980XE
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The Intel Core i9-10900K or Intel Core i9-10980XE has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
0.35 GHz GPU frequency --
1.20 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
9.5 GPU Generation --
14 nm Technology
3 Max. displays
24 Compute units --
192 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory --
12 DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i9-10900K can use up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 46.9 GB/s. The Intel Core i9-10980XE supports up to 256 GB of memory in 4 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 93.8 GB/s.

Intel Core i9-10900K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10980XE
DDR4-2933 Memory DDR4-2933
128 GB Max. Memory 256 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
46.9 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 93.8 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
20.00 MB L3 Cache 24.75 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
16 PCIe lanes 48
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 47.3 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i9-10900K is 125 W, while the Intel Core i9-10980XE has a TDP of 165 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i9-10900K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10980XE
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 165 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
95 W TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. 86 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-10900K is manufactured in 14 nm and has 20.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i9-10980XE is manufactured in 14 nm and has a 24.75 MB cache.

Intel Core i9-10900K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10980XE
14 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
LGA 1200 Socket LGA 2066
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q2/2020 Release date Q4/2019
490 $ Release price 979 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i9-10900K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.4 stars (14 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i9-10980XE to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.1 stars (18 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-10900K (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE (85%)
Multi core performance in 8 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-10900K (76%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE (95%)

Price-performance ratio

Geekbench 6 multi-core score divided by the processor's release price. Higher is better.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
Geekbench 6 MT: 8,990 / 490 $
18.35
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
Geekbench 6 MT: 11,836 / 979 $
12.09

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
1382 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
1191 (86%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
15945 (66%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
24309 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
1743 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
1573 (90%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
8990 (76%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
11836 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
1417 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
1174 (83%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
11344 (72%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
15841 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
645 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
480 (74%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
6419 (73%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
8848 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
23706 (72%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
33095 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
126 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
74.9 (59%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 3.70 GHz
7347 (75%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 3.00 GHz
9733 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
232 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
211 (91%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
2668 (70%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
3800 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
80 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
936 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.20 GHz
461 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 4.90 GHz
240 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.30 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K
10C 20T @ 5.30 GHz
580 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10980XE Intel Core i9-10980XE
18C 36T @ 4.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10980XE
Unknown Unknown

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