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 Officially Launched, 10 Cores Up To 5.2 GHz For $453 US
Update (27/07/2020): Intel has officially introduced its Core i9-10850K CPU with the exact same specifications as we reported here. The price of the CPU is set at $453 which is $35 US less than the Core i9-10900K and features a 100 MHz lower base/boost clock.
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.
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 | $453 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.
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.