Intel has released its newest processor, the Comet Lake-S Core i9-10900K. This new processor is intended to help fight off the rising threat of AMD's Ryzen processors. AMD has seen a huge rise, especially in the realm of high core count. The new Intel processor attempts to match this move, by including ten cores and, out of box clocks in at 4.9 GHz.
Obviously, with specs like that, the processor is not intended for an average consumer. The 10900K is aimed at enthusiasts, power users, and gamers. While it doesn't match AMD's Ryzen 9 3950X in terms of threaded performance, it does make it for it in overall performance as well as price. The Ryzen 3950X is currently retailing for $709, while the Intel 10900K is retailing for $529.
Intel's newest processor does have some downsides, however. First and foremost, it still uses 14-nanometer architecture, which is generations behind where AMD is on its 7-nanometer architecture. This means that to produce the same result, the power consumption is lower. This is a standard rule of processors - smaller transistors use less power. This processor does not buck that trend at all, being the most power-hungry processor that Tom's Hardware has seen in recent times.
With more power consumption comes more heat generation. That means that it takes more work to keep the processor cool. If you're going to build a quiet PC, either for streaming or just to maintain your own sanity, this processor will provide a bigger challenge. Intel rates the processor for 250W at peak performance, and the review even measured peaks as high as 325W at out-of-the-box settings. That is a massive increase over the previous generation, caused almost entirely because of the continued use of the 14-nanometer architecture design decision.
For the full review, head over to Tom's Hardware.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.
