{"id":3334,"date":"2020-05-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/blog\/intel-10th-gen-review-the-core-i9-10900k-is-indeed-the-worlds-fastest-gaming-cpu\/"},"modified":"2020-05-20T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T13:00:00","slug":"intel-10th-gen-review-the-core-i9-10900k-is-indeed-the-worlds-fastest-gaming-cpu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/intel-10th-gen-review-the-core-i9-10900k-is-indeed-the-worlds-fastest-gaming-cpu\/","title":{"rendered":"Intel 10th Gen Review: The Core i9-10900K is indeed the world’s fastest gaming CPU"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Intel 10th Gen Review: The Core i9-10900K is indeed the world’s fastest gaming CPU<\/h2>\n

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Intel\u2019s 10th gen Core i9-10900K is\u2014without a doubt\u2014exactly as Intel has described it: \u201cthe world\u2019s fastest gaming CPU.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intel\u2019s problem has been weaknesses outside of gaming, and its overall performance value compared to AMD\u2019s Ryzen 3000 chips. With the Core i9-10900K, Intel doesn\u2019t appear to be eliminating that gap, but it could get close enough that you might not care.<\/p>\n

\"intel<\/a> Intel<\/small><\/figure>\n

What is Core i9-10900K?<\/h2>\n

Despite its 10th-gen naming, Intel\u2019s newest desktop chips continue to be built on the company\u2019s aging 14nm process. How old is it? It was first used with the\u00a05th-gen Core i7-5775C desktop chip from 2015. Many tricks, optimizations, and much binning later, we have the flagship consumer Core i9-10900K, announced April 30. The CPU features 10 cores and Hyper-Threading for a total of 20 threads, with a list price of $488.<\/p>\n

The Core i9-10900K does bring a few changes. Intel officials said the chip uses a thinner die and thinner solder thermal interface material (STIM) to improve thermal dissipation. Intel also had to make a thicker heat spreader (that little metal lid to keep you from crushing the delicate die).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"core<\/a> Gordon Mah Ung<\/small>
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A 10th gen Core i9-10900K (right) next to an 8th-gen Core i7-8700K (left). There are subtle differences in the \u201cwings\u201d that the load plate clamps onto, and the notches in the substrate are on opposite corners.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why make the die and STIM thinner, but the heat spreader thicker? The reason is cost. Intel said it had to keep the height of the heat spreader on all of its CPUs the same so they\u2019d be compatible with existing cooling hardware. Intel officials did say the materials used for the heat spreader help compensate for that compromise, so overall the new chip is better at power dissipation.<\/p>\n

\"stim\"<\/a> Intel<\/small>
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The 10th-gen Comet Lake S CPUs feature a thinner die and thermal interface material, plus a thicker heat spreader to help improve heat dissipation.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new socket?!<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s true: Intel\u2019s new 10th-gen CPUs bring with them a new LGA1200 socket that is\u2014of course\u2014incompatible with the previous 9th-gen CPUs. Intel took flack for introducing a new chipset with its 8th-gen desktop chips that was incompatible with the previous generation, so you can understand the anger for those who just want to upgrade the CPU, not also the motherboard.<\/p>\n

\"core<\/a> Gordon Mah Ung<\/small>
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The backside of an LGA1151 8th-gen Core i7-8700K (left), and an LGA1200 10th-gen\u00a0 Core i7-10900K (right).<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The LGA1200 socket and new X490 don\u2019t seem to change much. You still install the CPU almost the same way, and if you have an existing LGA1151 cooler, it\u2019ll still fit. Sadly, rumors of PCIe 4.0 on the X490 proved untrue, leaving Intel at a disadvantage compared to Ryzen 3000 chips that have the faster interface for SSDs and GPUs.<\/p>\n

\"core<\/a> Gordon Mah Ung<\/small>
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A new LGA1200 socket is required to run a 10th-gen Comet Lake S CPU.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How We Tested<\/h2>\n

For this review, we stick with Intel\u2019s flagship, the $488 Core i9-10900K. Its natural competitor is AMD\u2019s Ryzen 9 3900X with 12 cores and 24 threads. Its list price is $499, but its street price as of this writing is\u00a0actually more like $410 on Amazon<\/a>Remove non-product link<\/span><\/a>. The Ryzen 9 3900X comes with a decent air cooler, too.<\/p>\n