Intel’s 10th Gen Comet Lake for Desktops: Skylake-S Hits 10 Cores and 5.3 GHz
by Dr. Ian Cutress on April 30, 2020 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Overclocking
- 14++
- Z490
- Comet Lake
- B460
- H470
Today we get the full range of its Intel’s 10th Generation processors for desktops. These chips, which fall under the banner of ‘Comet Lake’, will now go up to 10 cores and offer turbo speeds up to 5.3 GHz. Comet Lake is the fifth iteration of Intel’s very profitable Skylake microarchitecture, built on Intel’s 14++nm process, at a time when the competition is on 7nm with sixteen cores. The crux, according to Intel, is that it will offer the best gaming experience in this market.
Users wanting the 10-core 5.3 GHz will need to purchase the new top Core i9-10900K processor, which has a unit price of $488, and keep it under 70 ºC to enable Intel’s new Thermal Velocity Boost. Not only that, despite the 125 W TDP listed on the box, Intel states that the turbo power recommendation is 250 W – the motherboard manufacturers we’ve spoken to have prepared for 320-350 W from their own testing, in order to maintain that top turbo for as long as possible.
The range of 32 (!) new processors from Intel will vary from two core Celeron parts at 35 W all the way up to ten-core Core i9 hardware rated for 125 W, with per-unit pricing from $42 to $488. The standard rated TDP is 65 W, with the overclocked models at 125 W, the low-power T models at 35 W, and Pentium/Celeron at 58 W. All of the Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 processors will have HyperThreading, making the product stack a lot easier to understand. Certain models will also have F variants without integrated graphics, which will have a slightly lower per-unit cost.
Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake Core i9 and Core i7 |
||||||||||
AnandTech | Cores | Base Freq |
TB2 1C |
TB2 nT |
TB3 1C |
TVB 1C |
TVB nT |
TDP | IGP | Price |
Core i9 | ||||||||||
i9-10900K | 10C/20T | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 125 | 630 | $488 |
i9-10900KF | 10C/20T | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 125 | - | $472 |
i9-10900 | 10C/20T | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 65 | 630 | $439 |
i9-10900F | 10C/20T | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 65 | - | $422 |
i9-10900T | 10C/20T | 1.9 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.6 | - | - | 35 | 630 | $439 |
Core i7 | ||||||||||
i7-10700K | 8C/16T | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.1 | - | - | 125 | 630 | $374 |
i7-10700KF | 8C/16T | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.1 | - | - | 125 | - | $349 |
i7-10700 | 8C/16T | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | - | - | 65 | 630 | $323 |
i7-10700F | 8C/16T | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | - | - | 65 | - | $298 |
i7-10700T | 8C/16T | 2.0 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | - | - | 35 | 630 | $325 |
Users looking for 8 cores and up will be in the $300 bracket. All of these processors support dual channel DDR4-2933, while others lower in the stack only support DDR4-2666 officially. Intel has increased the amount of features on the chips with respect to how turbo performs. As a rough guide here:
- Base Frequency: The guaranteed frequency when not at thermal limits
- Turbo: A frequency noted when below turbo power limits and turbo power time
- All-Core Turbo: The frequency the processor should run when all cores are loaded during the specified turbo time and limits
- Turbo Boost 2.0: The frequency every core can reach when run with a full load in isolation during turbo time
- Turbo Boost Max 3.0: The frequency a favored core can reach when run with a full load in isolation during turbo time
- Thermal Velocity Boost: The frequency a favored core can reach when run with a full load in isolation and is below the specified temperature (70ºC for CML-S) during turbo time
- Intel TVB All-Core: The frequency the processor should run when all cores are loaded during the specified turbo time and limits and is below the specified temperature (70ºC for CML-S) during turbo time
In this case, Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) limits for the i9-10900K are 5.3 GHz single core, 4.9 GHz all-core, and after the turbo budget is used, the CPU will operate somewhere above the base clock of 3.7 GHz. If the processor is above 70ºC, then TVB is disabled, and users will get 5.2 GHz on two favored cores (or 5.1 GHz for other cores), leading to 4.8 GHz all-core, until the turbo budget is used and then back to somewhere above the base clock of 3.7 GHz.
With all these qualifiers, it gets very complicated to understand exactly what frequency you might get from a processor. In order to get every last MHz out of the silicon, these additional qualifiers mean that users will have to pay more attention to the thermal demands of the system, airflow, but also the motherboard.
As explained in many of our other articles, motherboard manufacturers have the option to disregard Intel’s turbo limit recommendations. With an appropriately built motherboard, a manufacturer might enforce an all-core 5.3 GHz scenario, regardless of the temperature, for an unlimited time – if the user can cool it sufficiently. This is why we mentioned the 320-350 W turbo power early on in the article, because some of the motherboard manufacturers we’ve talked to have said they will try to do this. Choosing a motherboard just got more complex if a user wants the best out of their new Comet Lake processor.
Beyond that, it’s worth pointing out the low power processors, such as the Core i9-10900T. This processor has a TDP of 35 W, and a base frequency of 1.9 GHz, but can turbo all cores up to 3.7 GHz. Here’s a reminder that the power consumed while in turbo mode can go above the TDP, into the turbo power state, which can be 250 W to 350 W. I’ve asked Intel for a sample of the processor, as this is going to be a key question for the chips that have the strikingly low TDP.
It’s worth noting that only the Core i9 parts have Intel Thermal Velocity Boost. The Core i7 hardware and below only have Turbo Max 3.0 ‘favored core’ arrangements. We’ve clarified with Intel that the favored core drivers have been a part of Windows 10 since 1609, and have been mainlined into the Linux kernel since January 2017.
With the F processors, the ones without integrated graphics, the price saving seems to be lower for Core i9 than for any other of Intel’s segments. The cost difference per-unit between the 10900K and 10900KF is only $16, whereas the 10700 and 10700F is $25.
Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake Core i5 and Core i3 |
||||||||||
AnandTech | Cores | Base Freq |
TB2 1C |
TB2 nT |
TB3 1C |
TVB 1C |
TVB nT |
TDP | IGP | Price |
Core i5 | ||||||||||
i5-10600K | 6/12 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.5 | - | - | - | 125 | 630 | $262 |
i5-10600KF | 6/12 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.5 | - | - | - | 125 | - | $237 |
i5-10600 | 6/12 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $213 |
i5-10600T | 6/12 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 3.7 | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $213 |
i5-10500 | 6/12 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.2 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $192 |
i5-10500T | 6/12 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $192 |
i5-10400 | 6/12 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.0 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $182 |
i5-10400F | 6/12 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.0 | - | - | - | 65 | - | $157 |
i5-10400T | 6/12 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 3.2 | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $182 |
Core i3 | ||||||||||
i3-10320 | 4/8 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $154 |
i3-10300 | 4/8 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $143 |
i3-10300T | 4/8 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.6 | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $143 |
i3-10100 | 4/8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | - | - | - | 65 | 630 | $122 |
i3-10100T | 4/8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $122 |
None of the Core i5 or Core i3 processors have the favored core support, with only Turbo Boost 2.0. We’re also reduced down to DDR4-2666, as Intel applies more segmentation to its product lines. Most of these processors have integrated graphics, perhaps suggesting that the markets for these processors might not always have access to a discrete graphics card.
Intel’s cheapest quad-core, the i3-10100, will be on sale for $122. This is still a way away from AMD’s cheapest quadcore, the 3200G, which retails for $99. With AMD also announcing the Ryzen 3 3100 at $99 with Zen 2 cores inside, up to 3.9 GHz, it’s going to be an interesting battle to see if Intel can justify the $23+ cost differential here.
Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake Pentium Gold and Celeron |
||||||||||
AnandTech | Cores | Base Freq |
TB2 1C |
TB2 nT |
TB3 1C |
TVB 1C |
TVB nT |
TDP | IGP | Price |
Pentium Gold | ||||||||||
G6600 | 2/4 | 4.2 | - | - | - | - | - | 58 | 630 | $86 |
G6500 | 2/4 | 4.1 | - | - | - | - | - | 58 | 630 | $75 |
G6500T | 2/4 | 3.5 | - | - | - | - | - | 35 | 630 | $75 |
G6400 | 2/4 | 4.0 | - | - | - | - | - | 58 | 610 | $64 |
G6400T | 2/4 | 3.4 | - | - | - | - | - | 35 | 610 | $64 |
Celeron | ||||||||||
G5920 | 2/2 | 3.5 | - | - | - | - | - | 58 | 610 | $52 |
G5900 | 2/2 | 3.4 | - | - | - | - | - | 58 | 610 | $42 |
G5900T | 2/2 | 3.2 | - | - | - | - | - | 35 | 610 | $42 |
Previously the names of Intel’s most powerful hardware, the Pentium and Celeron lines bring up the rear. The Pentiums and Celerons are all dual core parts, with the Celerons lacking hyperthreading. It will be interesting to see the retail pricing structure of these, as recently Intel’s low-end hardware has been quite expensive, with the company spending more of its manufacturing time fulfilling demand for higher core count hardware. This has left the traditional Pentium/Celeron market on low supply, driving up costs.
Box Designs
Intel has again chanced the box designs for this generation. Previously the Core i9-9900K/KS came in a hexagonal presentation box – this time around we get a window into the processor.
There will be minor variations for the unlocked versions, and the F processors will have ‘Discrete Graphics Required’ on the front of the box as well.
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TristanSDX - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
die size is 200 sqmm. Assuming that Willow Cove core is 2x larger (more cache, AVX512, wider pipeline etc) it is impossible to Rocket Lake have more than 6 coresPeterCollier - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Wow, can we get an F in the chat for AMD?Spunjji - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Why? 😂twtech - Sunday, May 3, 2020 - link
This is pretty good for a high-end gaming processor, but hardly an overall threat to AMD, who offers better value across their lineup for all uses, and superior processors for laptops, servers, and workstations.abufrejoval - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
"First up is allowing users to enable/disable hyperthreading on a per-core basis..."Perhaps an overclocker can be forgiven to see the world only in overclocking terms, but these very same chips are also Xeon Es and more so, as core counts increase.
In that context the ability to disable HT on a core-by-core base, ideally even at run-time and in a more fine grained manner might be quite useful for controlling how to deal with VMs running potentially hostile (or sensitve) workloads.
I'm sure Intel doesn't like throwing away HT resources unless it helps salvaging a chip that otherwise would step outside thermal boundries. Yet the side channel leakages potential with HT seems so large, that you can't really afford to leave it on, when dealing with sensitve workloads.
Therefore disabling it on a core-by-core base allows you to pin sensitive VMs to cores without HT, while less exposed back-end workloads can profit from the 10-20% throughput HT may be able to deliver.
Just guessing of course, but generally there has been a trend to expose ever more control about CPU resources (e.g. caches) to hypervisors, to fence anti-social or downright evil workloads.
eastcoast_pete - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Wow, all new and improved - packaging! Really?repoman27 - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Going by the ordering and spec information listed on ARK, the entire stack is built from two Comet Lake-S dies: the 10-core stepping Q0 and the 6-core stepping G1. They are not using any previous generation Coffee Lake dies or the recently released CML-H 8+2 R1 stepping at this time.Core i5-10600KF and above are Q0 stepping and likely solder TIM.
Core i5-10600 and below are G1 stepping and probably paste TIM (which is fine seeing as they are all locked SKUs with 6 or fewer cores anyway).
Core i5-10400 and Core i5-10400F are the only SKUs that currently list spec numbers for both Q0 and G1 steppings.
Samus - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
14nm again? I think I just heard Gordon Moore explode.Tchamber - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
"14nm again?"I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if it's Intel that labels it 14++ or the media. They should have labeled it 14+++++ if it's the 5th iteration.
Fataliity - Saturday, May 2, 2020 - link
:Each plus is a refinement to the 14nm node. Not every 14nm generation from Intel had an improvement to 14nm (They only started this around when Ryzen came into focus and 10nm failed). That's why there are less ++'s than generations of 14nm.