Intel Readies 8 Core/16 Thread, Ghost Canyon X NUC With 9th Generation Core i9, H-Series Processors – 6 Core/12 Thread, Core i7 Model Also in The Works

Hassan Mujtaba

Intel is preparing their new 2019-2020 NUC lineup which will feature Coffee Lake-H refresh and Comet Lake-U processors. These NUCs will fall under the Ghost Canyon X and Frost Canyon X line of NUCs, featuring designs up to 45W.

Intel's Coffee Lake-H Refresh "Ghost Canyon X" and Comet Lake-U "Frost Canyon" NUCs Detailed For 2019-2020

Starting off with the Coffee Lake-H refresh lineup, it seems like Intel is using their BGA mobility line of processors to power the upcoming NUCs. The new NUCs will be featuring support for 9th Gen core lineup with the top model boasting a Core i9 processor. All Ghost Canyon X NUCs will feature a 45W TDP design which is basically the TDP for the processor itself.

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The processors will be branded as the Core 9000 H-Series and will include three variants, Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5. The top model, a Core i9-9***H processor, will boast 8 cores/16 threads. Clock speeds are not defined at the moment, but we do know that Intel will be using their UHD graphics iGPU for display and there will be support for a single PCIe x16 slot. I/O will include three HDMI 2.0a, 2 Thunderbolt 3, 8 USB ports, 2 M.2 ports (PCIe Gen 3 x4) and Optane memory support.

There would also be a Core i7 model with 6 cores and 12 threads and a Core i5 model with 4 cores and 8 threads. It's surprising though that Intel is using a multi-threaded Core i7 chip on the Coffee Lake-H refresh series but the desktop 9th Gen Core i7 model doesn't get multi-threading support. The 9th Generation Ghost Canyon NUCs are listed below:

  • NUC9i9QNX Ghost Canyon X (Coffee Lake-HR) Core i9-9***H With 8 Cores/16 Threads (45W)
  • NUC9i7QNX Ghost Canyon X (Coffee Lake-HR) Core i7-9***H With 6 Cores/12 Threads (45W)
  • NUC9i5QNX Ghost Canyon X (Coffee Lake-HR) Core i5-9***H With 4 Cores/8 Threads (45W)

All models are expected to launch close to the end of 2019. On the other hand, we have the Comet Lake-U based Frost Canyon NUCs which arrive slightly earlier in late Q3 2019. The top model is an i7-9***U model so still a 9th Generation processor. The cores and threads aren't listed but it is said to feature a 25W TDP along with an unspecified UHD Graphics chip. The Core i5 model comes with 4 cores and 8 threads while the Core i3 model comes with 2 cores and 4 threads. The 9th Gen, Frost Canyon NUCs are listed below:

  • NUC9i7FNH Frost Canyon (Comet Lake-U) Core i7-9***H With X Cores / X Threads (25W)
  • NUC9i5FNH Frost Canyon (Comet Lake-U) Core i5-9***H With 4 Cores / 8 Threads (25W)
  • NUC9i3FNH Frost Canyon (Comet Lake-U) Core i3-9***H With 2 Cores / 4 Threads (25W)

In addition to the NUC news, Intel is also preparing new desktop models of their current 9th Gen processors which won't feature a graphics core. These include the Core i9-9900KF, Core i7-9700KF, Core i5-9600KF, and Core i5-9400F. These models have the GPU specified as GT0 which means that the graphics chip is either disabled or not featured on the die. No more details are available, but it could be a good move to reduce costs and improve yields as the graphics chip for high-end processors doesn't matter much to enthusiasts.

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