Intel has just announced their latest 9th Generation Core and Core-X processors which will be aiming for the mainstream and high-end desktop PC market. The new processors are designed to become the most advanced gaming and enthusiast grade products for their respective market.

Intel's 9th Gen Coffee Lake-Refresh With 8 Core, Core i9-9900K Flagship & 9th Generation Basin Falls-Refresh With 18 Core, Core i9-9980XE Flagship Officially Announced

The Intel 9th Generation Core family will be the first we will be talking about as it targets the wider mainstream market. The processor lineup will first introduce to us the latest unlocked SKUs which include the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and the Core i5-9600K.

The 9th generation will be compatible with the existing 300 series and the new Z390 boards. Following are some key features of the lineup:

First performance Intel Core i9 desktop S-series processorUp to 8 coresIntel Z390 chipset compatibleSolder Thermal Interface Material (STIM)Integrated USB 3.1 gen 2 and Integrated Intel Wireless-ACUp to 16 threads, 5.0 GHz, 16 MB cache, and 40 platform PCIe lanes (16 CPU + 24 PCH)Compatible with all Intel 300 series chipsetsIntel Optane memory and Intel Optane SSD supportThunderbolt 3 support

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Intel Core i9-9900K, Intel’s First 8 Core and 16 Thread Mainstream CPU With 4.7 GHz All 8 Core Boost Frequency For $488 US

The Intel Core i9-9900K is the flagship SKU of the 9th Generation Core family. This will be the first mainstream desktop Core i9 part and also the first Intel chip to boast 8 cores and 16 threads. In terms of cache, the chip will feature 16 MB of L3 and will come with an Intel UHD 620 graphics chip.

The clock speeds are something to check out here, we are going to get a 3.6 GHz base clock out of the box and a 5.0 GHz boost clock in single and dual core operations. 4 core boost is rated at 4.8 GHz while 6/8 core boost is rated at 4.7 GHz. This is the highest frequency we have seen on an 8 core part across all cores. All of this is done under a 95W package so we can expect some hefty cooling solutions to go along with this chip.

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Intel Core i7-9700K, Intel’s First 8 Core, Core i7 Mainstream Desktop CPU With Up To 4.6 GHz Clocks Across All Cores at $374 US

Coming to the top Core i7 part, we get 8 cores and 8 threads. This the complete opposite of what we have been hearing as previous rumors identified the chip as a 6 core and 12 thread part. The chip will have 12 MB of L3 cache and as you might tell, it has fewer threads than the Core i7-8700K but comes with a higher core count. So, maybe, we will get the same or even better performance from the chip.

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In terms of clock speeds, the chip has a base clock of 3.6 GHz and boosts up to 4.9 GHz in single, 4.8 GHz indual-core, 4.7 GHz in four core and 4.6 GHz in 6/8 core operations. The TDP for this part is maintained at the same 95W.

Intel Core i5-9600K, 6 Cores, and 6 Threads With Higher Clocks Than 8th Generation i5 ‘K” SKU, $262 US Official Price

The Intel Core i5-9600K is a 6 core and 6 thread part with 9 MB of L3 cache. This makes it very similar to the Core i5-8600K. The difference is that it features higher clock speeds of 3.7 GHz base, 4.6 GHz boost (1 core), 4.5 GHz (2 core), 4.4 GHz (4 core) and 4.3 GHz (6 core). All of this is done at the same TDP of 95W.

Intel 9th Generation Core Family CPU Official Specifications: