So we have just heard from one of Intel's AIBs that the company is preparing to announce its Z490 motherboards sometime in May. To be clear, this might not mean that you will be able to get your hands on them in May, just that they will be announced during this time. Intel's Z490 motherboards are going to feature improved VRM solutions and will be very slightly more expensive than their predecessors (think around 3%).
Exclusive: Intel Z490 motherboards for 10th Generation Comet Lake S (14nm) will feature improved VRMs, will be announced by May
Intel's Z490 series motherboards are going to be housing the company's new 14nm based Comet Lake S lineup that is going to be launching around the same time. Here is where things get trickier, however, as Intel is also expected to launch their 10nm processors later this year and the supply logistics for this particular series is going to be problematic for AIBs. Some details of the new LGA 1200 package and socket for Comet Lake:
- Comet Lake will transition to a higher pin-count package
- Comet Lake LGA will not have backward compatibility with legacy platforms
- No changes to ILM dimensions or thermal solution retention
- Comet Lake LGA improves power delivery and support for future incremental I/O features
- Pin 1 orientation remains the same, but socket keying has shifted left
Previous leaks have indicated that Intel is indeed moving to a new socket with their 400-series boards that will be introduced by May. While the LGA 1200 socket has the same dimensions as the LGA 1151 socket (37.5mm x 37.5mm), the socket keying has shifted to the left side and Comet Lake is no longer electrically or mechanically compatible with Coffee Lake motherboards.
Recap (leaks): what we know so far about Intel's 10th Generation Comet Lake S family
Following are some of the main platform features of the 10th Generation Comet Lake-S family:
- Up To 10 processor cores for enhanced performance
- Up To 30 PCH-H High-Speed I/O lanes for port flexibility
- Up To 40 PCIe 3.0 Lanes (16 CPU, up to 24 PCH)
- Media & Display features for premium 4K content support
- Integrated + Discrete Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi/BT CNVi) Support
- Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) Support
- Enhanced Core and memory overclock
- Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10 Gb/s) support
- Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST)
- Programmable (Open FW SDK) Quad-Core Audio DSP
- C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby
Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i7-10700 125W 10th Gen Desktop CPUs
The Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i7-10700K are 10-core/20-thread and 8-core/16-thread processors respectively but both feature a TDP of 125W. The i9-10900K and 10700K feature an L2 cache of 20MB and 16MB respectively and while the clock speeds of both processors are unknown - they will be at least 5.1 GHz and 4.8GHz respectively.
Intel Core i5-10600 125W 10th Gen Desktop CPUs
In terms of specifications, the Core i5-10600 is a 6 core and 12 thread processor, featuring a base clock of 3.3 GHz and a boost clock which is likely to be 4.5 GHz (single-core). This is a tad bit faster than Core i5-10500, which is also a 6 core and 12 thread chip, but has a base clock of 3.2 GHz and a boost clock of 4.3 GHz (single-core). TDP will be 125W.
Intel Core i5-10400, Entry-Level 6 Core and 12 Thread Desktop CPU
The Core i5-10400 is an entry-level 6 core and 12 thread 10th, Gen Desktop CPU. The chip is said to feature a base clock of 3.5 GHz and a boost frequency of 4.1 GHz. Again, this is a nice boost over the 2.90 GHz base and 4.1 GHz boost of previously released Core i5-9400, which had 6 cores and 6 threads with the same clock speeds.
Intel Core i3-10300 65W 4 Core and 8 Thread Desktop CPU
Finally, we have the Core i3-10300 which is a 4 core and 8 thread CPU with a base clock of 3.7 GHz and a boost clock of 4.2 GHz. Now, compared to Core i3-9300, Core i3-10300 actually has the same base clock, but a lower boost clock of -100 MHz. However, i3-10300 has four extra threads, which Core i3-9300 doesn't and that might explain the 100 MHz lower frequency.
Intel 10th Gen Core Comet Lake Desktop CPU Family:
| CPU Name | Cores / Threads | Base Clock | Single-Core Boost Clock | Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (Single-Core) | All Core Boost Clock | Cache | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-10900K | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (Velocity) | 5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (Velocity) | 20 MB | 125W | $488 US |
| Intel Core i9-10900KF | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (Velocity) | 5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (Velocity) | 20 MB | 125W | $472 US |
| Intel Core i9-10850K | 10/20 | 3.6 GHz | 5.2 GHz | N/A | 4.8 GHz | 20 MB | 125W | ~$450 US |
| Intel Core i9-10900 | 10/20 | 2.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz 5.2 GHz (Velocity) | 5.1 GHz | 4.5 GHz 4.6 GHz (Velocity) | 20 MB | 65W | $439 US |
| Intel Core i9-10900F | 10/20 | 2.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz 5.2 GHz (Velocity) | 5.1 GHz | 4.5 GHz 4.6 GHz (Velocity) | 20 MB | 65W | $422 US |
| Intel Core i9-10900T | 10/20 | 1.9 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 20 MB | 35W | $439 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700K | 8/16 | 3.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 16 MB | 125W | $374 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700KF | 8/16 | 3.8 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 5.1 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 16 MB | 125W | $349 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700 | 8/16 | 2.9 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 16 MB | 65W | $323 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700F | 8/16 | 2.9 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 4.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 16 MB | 65W | $298 US |
| Intel Core i7-10700T | 8/16 | 2.0 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 16 MB | 35W | $325 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600K | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | N/A | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $262 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600KF | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | N/A | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $237 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600 | 6/12 | 3.3 GHz | 4.8 GHz | N/A | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 65W | $213 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600T | 6/12 | 2.4 GHz | 4.0 GHz | N/A | 3.7 GHz | 12 MB | 35W | $213 US |
| Intel Core i5-10500 | 6/12 | 3.1 GHz | 4.5 GHz | N/A | 4.2 GHz | 12 MB | 65W | $192 US |
| Intel Core i5-10500T | 6/12 | 2.3 GHz | 3.8 GHz | N/A | 3.5 GHz | 12 MB | 35W | $192 US |
| Intel Core i5-10400 | 6/12 | 2.9 GHz | 4.3 GHz | N/A | 4.0 GHz | 12 MB | 65W | $182 US |
| Intel Core i5-10400F | 6/12 | 2.9 GHz | 4.3 GHz | N/A | 4.0 GHz | 12 MB | 65W | $157 US |
| Intel Core i5-10400T | 6/12 | 2.0 GHz | 3.6 GHz | N/A | 3.2 GHz | 12 MB | 35W | $182 US |
| Intel Core i3-10320 | 4/8 | 3.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | N/A | 4.4 GHz | 8 MB | 65W | $154 US |
| Intel Core i3-10300 | 4/8 | 3.7 GHz | 4.4 GHz | N/A | 4.2 GHz | 8 MB | 65W | $143 US |
| Intel Core i3-10300T | 4/8 | 3.0 GHz | 3.9 GHz | N/A | 3.6 GHz | 8 MB | 35W | $143 US |
| Intel Core i3-10100 | 4/8 | 3.6 GHz | 4.3 GHz | N/A | 4.1 GHz | 8 MB | 65W | $122 US |
| Intel Core i3-10100T | 4/8 | 3.0 GHz | 3.8 GHz | N/A | 3.5 GHz | 8 MB | 35W | $122 US |
| Intel Pentium G6600 | 2/4 | 4.2 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | $86 US |
| Intel Pentium G6500 | 2/4 | 4.1 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | $75 US |
| Intel Pentium G6400 | 2/4 | 3.8 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | $64 US |
| Intel Pentium G6400T | 2/4 | 3.4 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | $64 US |
| Intel Celeron G5925 | 2/2 | 3.6 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | ~$60 US |
| Intel Celeron G5920 | 2/2 | 3.5 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 MB | 58W | $52 US |
| Intel Celeron G5905 | 2/2 | 3.5 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 58W | ~$50 US |
| Intel Celeron G5900 | 2/2 | 3.2 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 MB | 58W | $42 US |
| Intel Celeron G5905T | 2/2 | 3.3 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 35W | ~$40 US |
| Intel Celeron G5900T | 2/2 | 3.2 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 MB | 35W | $42 US |
