Intel has revealed its long-awaited 10th-generation Intel Core S-Series processors that pack up to 10 cores and 5.3GHz in clock speeds with improved tunability features for desktop PCs.
The semiconductor giant claims that its new flagship 10-core Intel Core i9-10900K is the ‘world’s fastest gaming processor,’ beating rival AMD’s 16-core Ryzen 3950X on the majority of the more than 25 games the company tested internally.
– Intel
These chips, which fall under the banner of ‘Comet Lake’, will now go up to 10 cores and offer turbo speeds up to 5.3 GHz. Comet Lake is the fifth iteration of Intel’s very profitable Skylake microarchitecture, built on Intel’s 14++nm process, at a time when the competition is on 7nm with sixteen cores. The crux, according to Intel, is that it will offer the best gaming experience in this market.
The headline-grabbing chip was always going to be Intel’s first mainstream 10-core desktop processor, the Core i9 10900K, but it’s what’s happening throughout the rest of the CPU stack that’s arguably more interesting. And you can probably thank AMD for that, though no-one at Intel would ever admit the prevalence of HyperThreading (HT) is anything other than something the company’s done out of the goodness of its collective heart.
Users wanting the 10-core 5.3 GHz will need to purchase the new top Core i9-10900K processor, which has a unit price of $488, and keep it under 70 ºC to enable Intel’s new Thermal Velocity Boost. Not only that, despite the 125 W TDP listed on the box, Intel states that the turbo power recommendation is 250 W – the motherboard manufacturers we’ve spoken to have prepared for 320-350 W from their own testing, in order to maintain that top turbo for as long as possible.
Whatever the motivation, having HyperThreading—the effective doubling of processing threads from a single CPU core—enabled throughout the range means that Intel has a far more compelling offering at every price point. With the previous 9th Gen chips only the Core i9 processors included HT, while the Core i7, i5, and i3 CPUs had to make do with just the core-counts the gods gave them.
Intel Core i9 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TB2 1C | TB2 nT | TB3 1C | TVB nT | TDP | IGP | Price |
| i9-10900K | 10C/20T | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 125 | 630 | $488 |
| i9-10900KF | 10C/20T | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 125 | – | $472 |
| i9-10900 | 10C/20T | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 65 | 630 | $439 |
| i9-10900F | 10C/20T | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 65 | – | $422 |
| i9-10900T | 10C/20T | 1.9 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.6 | – | 35 | 630 | $439 |
Intel Core i7 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TB2 1C | TB2 nT | TB3 1C | TDP | IGP | Price |
| i7-10700K | 8C/16T | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 125 | 630 | $374 |
| i7-10700KF | 8C/16T | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 125 | – | $349 |
| i7-10700 | 8C/16T | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 65 | 630 | $323 |
| i7-10700F | 8C/16T | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 65 | – | $298 |
| i7-10700T | 8C/16T | 2.0 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 35 | 630 | $325 |
- Base Frequency: The guaranteed frequency when not at thermal limits
- Turbo: A frequency noted when below turbo power limits and turbo power time
- All-Core Turbo: The frequency the processor should run when all cores are loaded during the specified turbo time and limits
- Turbo Boost 2.0: The frequency every core can reach when run with a full load in isolation during turbo time
- Turbo Boost Max 3.0: The frequency a favored core can reach when run with a full load in isolation during turbo time
- Thermal Velocity Boost: The frequency a favored core can reach when run with a full load in isolation and is below the specified temperature (70ºC for CML-S) during turbo time
- Intel TVB All-Core: The frequency the processor should run when all cores are loaded during the specified turbo time and limits and is below the specified temperature (70ºC for CML-S) during turbo time
Intel Core i5 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TB2 1C | TB2 nT | TDP | IGP | Price |
| i5-10600K | 6/12 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 125 | 630 | $262 |
| i5-10600KF | 6/12 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 125 | – | $237 |
| i5-10600 | 6/12 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 65 | 630 | $213 |
| i5-10600T | 6/12 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 35 | 630 | $213 |
| i5-10500 | 6/12 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 65 | 630 | $192 |
| i5-10500T | 6/12 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 35 | 630 | $192 |
| i5-10400 | 6/12 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 65 | 630 | $182 |
| i5-10400F | 6/12 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 65 | – | $157 |
| i5-10400T | 6/12 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 35 | 630 | $182 |
Intel Core i3 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TB2 1C | TB2 nT | TDP | IGP | Price |
| i3-10320 | 4/8 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 65 | 630 | $154 |
| i3-10300 | 4/8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 65 | 630 | $143 |
| i3-10300T | 4/8 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 35 | 630 | $143 |
| i3-10100 | 4/8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 65 | 630 | $122 |
| i3-10100T | 4/8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 35 | 630 | $122 |
None of the Core i5 or Core i3 processors have the favored core support, with only Turbo Boost 2.0. We’re also reduced down to DDR4-2666, as Intel applies more segmentation to its product lines. Most of these processors have integrated graphics, perhaps suggesting that the markets for these processors might not always have access to a discrete graphics card.
Intel’s cheapest quad-core, the i3-10100, will be on sale for $122. This is still a way away from AMD’s cheapest quadcore, the 3200G, which retails for $99. With AMD also announcing the Ryzen 3 3100 at $99 with Zen 2 cores inside, up to 3.9 GHz, it’s going to be an interesting battle to see if Intel can justify the $23+ cost differential here.
Intel Pentium Gold 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TDP | IGP | Price |
| G6600 | 2/4 | 4.2 | 58 | 630 | $86 |
| G6500 | 2/4 | 4.1 | 58 | 630 | $75 |
| G6500T | 2/4 | 3.5 | 35 | 630 | $75 |
| G6400 | 2/4 | 4.0 | 58 | 610 | $64 |
| G6400T | 2/4 | 3.4 | 35 | 610 | $64 |
Intel Celeron 10th Gen Comet Lake Lineup & Specifications
| ALITEQ | Cores | Base Freq | TDP | IGP | Price |
| G5920 | 2/2 | 3.5 | 58 | 610 | $52 |
| G5900 | 2/2 | 3.4 | 58 | 610 | $42 |
| G5900T | 2/2 | 3.2 | 35 | 610 | $42 |
Previously the names of Intel’s most powerful hardware, the Pentium and Celeron lines bring up the rear. The Pentiums and Celerons are all dual core parts, with the Celerons lacking hyperthreading. It will be interesting to see the retail pricing structure of these, as recently Intel’s low-end hardware has been quite expensive, with the company spending more of its manufacturing time fulfilling demand for higher core count hardware. This has left the traditional Pentium/Celeron market on low supply, driving up costs.
Watching Overall Glance…
Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen release date
While Intel has finally given us the official unveiling of its new desktop processor lineup we still don’t know when you’ll actually be able to get your hands on the new 10th Gen silicon. Given the late April reveal we’re expecting the K-series chips to actually hit the shelves sometime in May, but as yet that’s all we’ve got.
Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen specs
The top-end Core i9 processor comes with 10 cores and 20 threads, with a peak clock speed of 5.3GHz, but that peak is dependent on time and thermals. The Core i7 lineup will all come with eight cores and 16 threads, Core i5 chips are rocking six cores and 12 threads, while the Core i3 CPUs get four cores and eight threads. Intel is also releasing six F-series chips without integrated graphics and with a lower sticker price.
Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen performance
The world’s fastest gaming processor. That’s what Intel is calling the Core i9 10900K, comparing it with its own i9 9900KS and AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X. Though when you let it draw up to 250W maintaining that peak frequency gets a lot easier.
Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen price
The pricing for Comet Lake has largely remained the same as the previous Intel generation on a tier-for-tier basis. That means the top Comet Lake chip is the same price as the top Coffee Lake at $488 ( around Rs.75,000), and the cheapest Core i3 is $122( around Rs.16,000) , but as the specs have changed you’re getting a lot more for your money this generation.
