In April 2020, Intel announces new desktop processors as part of the 10th Gen Intel Core processor family, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
It looks like Intel is all prepped to introduce its latest 10th Gen Desktop CPU, the Core i9-10850K, tomorrow. Part of the 10th gen Comet Lake Desktop CPU lineup, the Core i9-10850K is similar to the Core i9-10900K but offers a slightly lower price for slightly lower clock speeds which won’t be making a huge difference in overall performance.
Intel’s Core i9-10850K All Set To Be Introduced Tomorrow, 10 Cores Up To 5.2 GHz For Around $450 US
According To the Korean tech outlet, Quasar Zone (via Hardware Times), it is reported that the Core i9-10850K will be introduced on 27th July (Monday) at 23:50 AM Korean Standard Time. This means an embargo lift globally at around 7:50 AM (Pacific Time). It is still not confirmed whether this chip would be available on retail right after embargo lift or would we have to wait a bit more for the CPU to hit retail shelves.
Intel Core i9-10850K CPU Specifications
Summing up the specs, the Intel Core i9-10850K CPU (BX8070110850K) will feature 10 cores and 20 threads. The final clock speeds for the chip will be configured at 3.60 GHz base (3.70 GHz on the Core i9-10900K) & 5.2 GHz boost (5.3 GHz on the Core i9-10900K). The CPU retains 20 MB of L3 & a total of 2.5 MB L2 cache.
A photo released on April 30, 2020, shows a die from a 10th Gen Intel Core processor. (Source: Intel Corporation)
There’s no TDP mentioned for this specific part but considering that the rest of the unlocked chips come with a 125W (PL1) profile, we can expect the same from the Core i9-10850K. From the previous article, we concluded that the price of the Core i9-10850K should fall in around $450 US which is $50 US less than the Core i9-10900K’s official MSRP.
Intel 10th Gen Unlocked CPU Specs:
| CPU Name | Cores / Threads | Base Clock | Single-Core Boost Clock | Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (Single-Core) | All Core Boost Clock | Cache | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-10900K | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (Velocity) |
5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (Velocity) |
20 MB | 125W | $488 US |
| Intel Core i9-10900KF | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (Velocity) |
5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (Velocity) |
20 MB | 125W | $472 US |
| Intel Core i9-10850K | 10/20 | 3.6 GHz | 5.2 GHz | N/A | 4.8 GHz | 20 MB | 125W | ~$450 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700K | 8/16 | 3.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 16 MB | 125W | $374 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700KF | 8/16 | 3.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 16 MB | 125W | $349 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600K | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | N/A | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $262 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600KF | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | N/A | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $237 US |
We’ve already seen retail existence of the chip listed by several online retailers and also spotted the chip featured in several pre-built and high-end desktop gaming PCs. The Intel Core i9-10850K is not meant to replace any existing 10th Gen CPU but it will enable users access to a 10 core CPU with an unlocked design considering that the Core i9-10900K flagship is facing shortages worldwide. The i9-10900K CPU is also widely unavailable and short at major retail outlets.
Regardless of how much mature the 14nm process is by now, a chip like Core i9-10900K is hard to produce and the shortage might be an issue with yields of the Core i9-10900K SKU. This might’ve led Intel to offer the Core i9-10850K with a slightly lower bin at a reduced price point. Then there’s also the question about the recently unveiled KA series which also includes the Core i9-10850KA. We don’t have any specifics of the KA variants yet but they are priced between the standard ‘K’ and ‘KF’ series parts.
In April 2020, Intel announces new desktop processors as part of the 10th Gen Intel Core processor family, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
The Core i9-10850K will still have to compete against AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X which doesn’t face any availability issues and has a retail price under to $400 US while offering more cores, threads, and better multi-threading performance. We already saw how the chip performs against the Ryzen 9 3900X and the Core i9-10900K in the previous post but we will keep you posted if we get to see more benchmarks tomorrow.
