Intel has officially confirmed the upcoming release of an entire new family of desktop processors, powered by a new chipset and platform. The Intel Core i9 is an 18 core CPU powered by Skylake, offering an incredible 32 threads of processing.

There is no doubt that Intel feels threatened by a resurgent AMD, who, with their high end, but cheap, Ryzen CPU, have shaken up the market. The cheapest i9 CPU comes in at $999, with the most expensive one apparently going up to $1999- it is unclear if the performance gains it offers in the real world will be enough to offset the great cost differential with AMD’s offering.

However, it is clear that the next generation of CPUs and GPUs for the PC gaming market is now imminent- which is good news for everyone who has been getting frustrated at the incumbent stagnance on Intel’s part over the last few years. We’ll have more news on i9 for you soon, so stay tuned.

[Thanks PCPer]