There are questions going on the internet about Intel’s new 10th generation CPUs as Intel announced its 10th generation lineup this week. Intel is updating their whole Core lineup and introducing more cores and threads on the higher lineup. With the internal upgrades, we also are getting a price cut in all the newer CPUs, which make it a direct competitor to the Ryzen 3000 series CPUs.
Still, there is some news that hasn’t been confirmed yet regarding the PCIe Gen 4.0 support and more. Intel seemingly is bringing their newer CPU with a core bump and new socket LGA 1200. The Comet Lake-S CPUs are a refined version of the Skylake architecture.
SkyLake Architecture CPU with Minor Improvements??
After five years, we are still getting a revision of the same 14nm processor. After the 9th Gen Coffee lake, Intel is introducing the newer 10th Gen Comet Lake-S architecture. There is nothing much of a change in the die as well. Some extra cores and security patches are done on the silicon level.
During 2016 it was hard to imagine more than eight cores in a consumer CPU. Then Ryzen introduced their newer Ryzen 1000 series CPU and changed the game. The Blue Team is forced to add more cores and pack in more performance if they look to compete with AMD. AMD and its Ryzen 3000 series CPUs are a massive success among the PC building community. It will be a fierce competition to Intel and its 10th generation CPUs.
Intel’s Core i7 and Core i9 CPU are getting a core and clock speed bump. Every CPU in the Core lineup will have hyperthreading enabled.
Core i9 – 10900K Top End Flagship CPU
| Procesor | Cores/Threads | Base/Boost GHz | TDP | L3 Cache | Memory | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9 – 10900K / KF | 10 / 20 | 3.7 / 5.3 | 125W | 20 | Dual DDR4-2933 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i9 – 10900 / F | 10 / 20 | 3.7 / 5.2 | 65W | 20 | Dual DDR4-2933 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i9 – 9900K / KF | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 5.0 | 95W | 16 | Dual DDR4-2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
The Core i9 – 10900K is the high-end flagship CPU. With the ten cores and 20 threads, the TDP has increased significantly to 125W and will draw up to 250W. The hefty CPU needs a liquid cooler to cool it down, but the company hasn’t recommended any cooler yet.
The base clock of the Core i9 – 10900K is 3.7 GHz and boosts up to 5.3GHz, thanks to the newer TVB (Thermal Velocity Boost), but it won’t last long as like the Turbo Boost Technology. The TVB allows CPU under 70C to boost 100MHz only on a single core. The Core i9 – 10900K reaches a 4.9 GHz all-core boost.
Intel announced another Core i9 – 10900 CPU with a lower 65W TDP and 3.7GHz / 5.2 GHz clock. The locked Core i9 CPU has all the similar specs to the unlocked Core i9 but has a locked multiplier and low boost clock speed.
The Core i9 10900K starts at $488 and The Core i9 10900 at $439. Compared to the older flagship, the Core i9 – 9900K, you are getting a lot for the money. The previous flagship gave you eight cores and 16 threads where you are getting a significant upgrade while buying the 10th Gen Core i9. The F variants have no integrated graphics giving them a $15 discount from their non-F variants.
Core i7 – Mid Range CPU
| Processor | Core/Threads | Base/Boost Clock | TDP | L3 Cache | Memory | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i7 – 10700K /KF | 8 / 16 | 3.8 / 5.1 | 125W | 16 | Dual DDR4 – 2933 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i7 – 10700 | 8 / 16 | 2.9 / 4.8 | 65W | 16 | Dual DDR4 – 2933 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i7 – 9700K | 8 / 8 | 3.8 / 4.7 | 95W | 12 | Dual DDR4 – 2933 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
The Core i7 SKUs all have eight cores and 16 threads. The Core i7 – 10700K has a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost of 5.1GHz. It seems the older gen Flagship Core i9 CPU is now downgraded to Core i7. The Core i7 – 10700K is better than the Core i9 – 9900K, and has better features upgrades. The increased clock speed and increased cache size is a great boon for the Core i7 series. The Core i7 – 10700K is rated for 125W and increased memory speed up to 2933.
The Previous flagship CPU Core i9 – 9900K was priced at $488, whereas the same spec Core i7 – 10700K cost $374. The pricing on these CPUs gets way better as competition toughens between the two companies.
The Core i9 – 10700 is the locked CPU variant that has eight cores and 16 threads with a base clock speed of 2.9 GHz and 4.8 GHz boost clock speed. The Core i7 will be directly competing with the Ryzen 7 3800X and Ryzen 7 3700X. Both of the Core i7 models have F variants chips, which are $25 less than the non-F variants. Another larger price cut for tight budget users.
Core i5 – Entry Level CPU
| Processor | Core/Threads | Base/Boosts Clock | TDP | L3 Cache | Memory | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i5 – 10600K /KF | 6 / 12 | 4.1 / 4.8 | 125W | 12 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i5 – 10600 | 6 / 12 | 3.3 / 4.8 | 65W | 12 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i5 – 10400 / F | 6 / 12 | 2.9 / 4.3 | 65W | 12 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i5 – 9600K | 6 / 6 | 3.7 / 4.6 | 95W | 9 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
| Core i5 – 9400 / F | 6 / 6 | 2.9 / 4.1 | 65W | 8 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 (for non-F) |
The Core i5 family has also gotten a huge bump and now are on the same playing field as the Ryzen 5 3000 series CPU. The High-end Core i5 – 10600K has six cores and 12 threads. It has a base clock of 4.1 GHz and a boost of 4.8 GHz. It will go head-on head with the Ryzen 5 3600X.
Intel has, as mentioned before, enabled HyperThreading on all of its Core Series processors. The pricing on the Core i5 has remained constant, adding in the same features. The Core i5 – 10600K now has a rated TDP of 125W, and an L3 cache size of 12 MB. Cramming more cores on the 14nm process node creates more heat, therefore, increasing the TDP. Intel sure needs to finish their 10nm lithography or jump straight to 7nm lithography.
The Core i5 10600K MSRP is around $262, which is not that bad considering AMD is offering their Ryzen 5 3600X at $249. But since AMD likes to cut down prices, the Core i5 – 10600K is looking bleak with its value proposition. The Core i5 – 10600, Core i5 – 10500, and Core i5 – 10400 have an MSRP of $213, $192, and $182, respectively.
These CPUs are for the entry-level gaming CPU section, and looking at the price, the Ryzen 5 3600 is still the value option, retailing at around $175.
Core i3: Battle of the Quad Cores
| Processor | Cores/Threads | Base/Boost Clock | TDP | L3 Cache | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i3 – 10320 | 4 / 8 | 3.8 / 4.6 | 65W | 8 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3 – 10300 | 4 / 8 | 3.7 / 4.4 | 65W | 8 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
| Core i3 – 10100 | 4 / 8 | 3.6 / 4.3 | 65W | 6 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
The Core i3 series does seem bleak as there are only a few improvements in the processors. Intel introduced tons of SKUs with the Core i3 processor like the Core i3 – 10320, Core i3 – 10300, and Core i3 – 10100. The Core i3 – 10100 is the successor of the older Core i3 – 9100. It got a bump in its Memory support to DDR4 – 2666 and got a 100 MHz boost. The Core i3 – 10320 and Core i3 – 10300 is the faster-updated version with an 8MB L3 cache.
Intel has removed the overclockable model, and we don’t know whether it will be coming back, or the company indeed dropped the processor. The AMD Ryzen 3200G and 3400G are a good competitor for the Core i3. AMD provided better graphics (Vega iGPU) than Intel. The newer Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X also look promising but don’t have integrated graphics. So, People can easily pick Intel over AMD.
The Core i3 – 10320 has an MSRP of $154, which doesn’t look good compared to Ryzen 3 3300X, which costs $120. For $150, you can even grab yourself a six-core / 12 threads Ryzen 5 2600. So the newer Core i3 lineup doesn’t look up for the grabs.
Pentium Gold/Celeron – Low End of the Spectrum
| Processor | Core/Threads | Base Clock | TDP | L3 Cache | Memory | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentium Gold G6600 | 2 / 4 | 4.2 | 58W | 4 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
| Pentium Gold G6500 | 2 / 4 | 4.1 | 58W | 4 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 630 |
| Pentium Gold G6400 | 2 / 4 | 4.0 | 58W | 4 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 610 |
| Celeron G5920 | 2 / 2 | 3.5 | 58W | 2 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 610 |
| Celeron G5900 | 2 / 2 | 3.4 | 58W | 2 | Dual DDR4 – 2666 | UHD 610 |
Intel also updated the Pentium and Celeron lineup for this generation. Each CPU got a Core clock boost of 300Mhz to their base clock. Memory Support has been increased to DDR4- 2666 MHz. The graphics remain the same, but there are only minor improvements in these categories.
The Pentium Gold CPU is suitable for low-end gaming hardware, but it isn’t the best choice. If you are going to build a gaming PC, it is best to avoid these CPUs. AMD also have their Athlon APU, which is way better than the Pentium, but both are not good for gaming. A temporary solution to be exact.
Features and Changes for 10th Generation CPU:
10th Generation Intel Desktop is paving the way for newer motherboards LGA 1200. 9th Generation users will not be available to swap their CPU in their older boards. The LGA 1200 socket isn’t compatible with earlier generation CPUs as well. Intel added extra pins on the socket for better power delivery to the processor. It is bad news for the people who were looking to upgrade their PCs.
We don’t know whether the LGA 1200 will continue in the future, but the newer Rocket Lake 11th Gen CPUs will work with this socket. The Z490 motherboards will not have PCIe 4.0 support. Some rumors were going around about Intel introducing PCIe 4.0 on the Z490 chipset, reserved for the high-end stack of the market.
The 10th generation K-series chips are thinned down and given a thicker IHS for better thermal transfer. Intel had to make the current move to lower the heat produced by the processors. The blue team is pushing the 14nm process node to its limit and shows how the die thinning is needed to improve the thermal efficiency of the processor. Intel reported using a new STIM (Solder Thermal Interface Material) for efficient cooling performance. The new STIM ensures lower temperatures in stock operation and will enable the chip to boost to higher clock speed for a longer duration.
So is the Intel 10th Generation good?
If you are a hardware enthusiast, you will surely love to try the newer 10th generation. Intel claims the 10th generation beats the Ryzen CPU in the Intel optimized games, but that will be confirmed after the product is available. For the early adopters, the 10th Generation chip won’t be cheap as there are only high-end Z490 motherboards available. If you are willing to buy a more inexpensive board for your CPU, you might have to wait.
As for the people who are looking to upgrade their CPU from 8th gen or 9th gen to 10th gen. You will also have to change the motherboard. This must be the saddest part for all the Intel users as they regularly have to physically change their motherboard to upgrade, whereas AMD is providing newer CPUs with the same AM4 socket. A good side of AMD that we love, giving continuous support to the same CPU socket.
Intel has improved on the core count on its CPU as competition gets tougher and tougher with AMD. It was hard to get a CPU above four crores in 2015 as the Intel’s Core i7 had four cores and eight threads, whereas we are getting up to 16 cores 32 threads in Ryzen 9 3950X. But still, Intel will need to upgrade their CPUs to 10nm or 7nm as AMD looks to release their Ryzen 4000 series desktop CPUs.
