Intel Comet Lake-S: With Thermal Velocity Boost up to 5.3 GHz
Hyperthreading for all is the motto of the tenth generation of desktop CPUs from Intel. The i3 processors are now also getting this technology. Also announced: the i9-10900K with up to 5.3 GHz boost and 10 cores, which is intended to reinforce Intel's reputation as the gaming king.
The highlight of the new CPU generation is undoubtedly the i9-10900K. Thanks to Thermal Velocity Boost technology, the processor boosts up to 5.3 GHz. All ten cores should be capable of 4.9 GHz. Also on board are 20 MB Intel Smart Cache.
The chips in detail:
| CPU | Cores / Threads | Base clock / boost clock | Boost clock all cores | Thermal Velocity Boost Single / All Core | L3 Cache | TDP | PCI 3.0 Lanes |
| i9-10900K | 10 / 20 | 3.7 GHz / 5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 5.3 / 4.9 GHz | 20 MB | 125 W | up to 40 |
| i9-10900 | 10 / 20 | 3.7 GHz / 5.1 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 5.2 GHz / 4.6 GHz | 20 MB | 125 W | up to 40 |
| i7-10700K | 8 / 16 | 3.8 GHz / 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz | - | 16 MB | 125 W | up to 40 |
| i7-10700 | 8 / 16 | 2.9 GHz / 4.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | - | 16 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
| i5-10600K | 6 / 12 | 4.1 GHz / 4.8 GHz | 4.5 GHz | - | 12 MB | 125 W | up to 40 |
| i5-10600 | 6 / 12 | 3.3 GHz / 4.8 GHz | 4.4 GHz | - | 12 MB | 125 W | up to 40 |
| i5-10500 | 6 / 12 | 3.1 GHz / 4.5 GHz | 4.2 GHz | - | 12 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
| i5-10400 | 6 / 12 | 2.9 GHz / 4.3 GHz | 4.0 GHz | - | 12 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
| i3-10320 | 4 / 8 | 3.8 GHz / 4.6 GHz | 4.4 GHz | - | 12 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
| i3-10300 | 4 / 8 | 3.7 GHz / 4.4 GHz | 4.2 GHz | - | 12 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
| i3-10100 | 4 / 8 | 3.6 GHz / 4.3 GHz | 4.1 GHz | - | 12 MB | 65 W | up to 40 |
Features
Intel is also introducing the new 400 series of motherboards with the 10th Gen, also known as Intel Comet Lake-S. It is based on the LGA 1200 socket, so if you buy a tenth-generation chip, you will also need a new motherboard; chips of the ninth generation or older are not compatible. Although the mainboards support PCIe 4.0, the Comet Lake S chips do not. This will only come with the eleventh generation.
The renewed Intel Extreme Tuning Utility allows to disable/enable hyperthreading per core and it adds functions such as improved voltage/frequency curve controls. In addition, all Comet Lake-S CPUs come with thinner this and thicker IHS (Integrated heat spreader) for improved thermal performance. All Core models, with the exception of the F series, are equipped with Intel UHD Graphics 630.
Intel continues to rely on 14-nanometre technology for production. With minor changes, the technology is still based on the same technology as the Skylake CPUs from 2015.
What do the parts do according to Intel?
Of course, Intel also provides benchmarks. These are a good guide - independent tests will then show what they actually do. Depending on the game, the i9-10900K is 10 to 33 per cent faster than its predecessor, the i9-9900K.
Intel is not giving an exact release date. However, sales should start soon. If you don't want to miss it, you should follow our colleague Jan Heidenreich as author. He'll let you know when they'll be available and at what price.
As soon as I get my hands on the i9-10900K, my review will follow. Of course, you can also follow me as the author so that you don't miss it. <p
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