Intel Core i9 Comet Lake i9-10900K OEM (CM8070104282844)

10 cores + 10 threads

The Core i9-10900K is an expensive and hot multi-core monster that, like its rival Ryzen 9 3900X, is aimed at a narrow class of wealthy enthusiasts. This processor boasts ten cores, twenty threads and 20 MB of cache in the third level. The base frequency of the chip is 3.7 GHz, and the maximum frequency with automatic overclocking reaches 5.3 GHz for one core or 5.1 GHz for all at once. Like all other chips of the Comet Lake family, the new product is built on the Skylake microarchitecture and is made using a 14-nm process technology.

For tasks of any complexity

In real and synthetic tests, the Core i9-10900K shows a very high level of performance, as expected, both in games and in work tasks. In 3D graphics rendering, the flagship from Intel is as close as possible to its direct competitor in the face of the Ryzen 9 3900X, and in some cases, like POV-Ray 3.7.1, it even comes out ahead. Working with archives in 7-Zip showed a similar picture: the Core i9-10900K fell slightly short of the Ryzen 9 3900X, while in WinRar the Intel chip was faster. When encoding and decoding video in Handbrake, the Intel processor came as close as possible to the 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X using the HEVC codec, but with the older x264 it was slightly slower than the Ryzen 9 3900X. All this once again tells us that the speed of the processor is highly dependent on the task, so before buying it is best to focus on the applications that you plan to use on a daily basis.

Unusual for Intel combination of power and affordable price

In general, the picture in the tests turned out to be expected, this is really a damn powerful processor without any reservations. About three years ago, Intel would have sent it to the HEDT segment with a triple mark-up, but now we are talking about a mass “ten-core” with a price tag of just over $600. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have problems. Firstly, it is very gluttonous: 53 watts idle, up to 278 watts under load. That's a lot more than the 210W and 198W that last year's Core i9-9900K and Ryzen 9 3900X chips needed. And even if you provide this monster with the necessary energy and cooling, it will not thank you with impressive overclocking. At best, we managed to squeeze a stable 5.2 GHz out of it on all cores, and power consumption rose to 385 watts. At the same time, in multi-threaded mode, it will constantly reset these frequencies, which is good for temperatures and power consumption, but not for long-term performance.

In general, as in the past year, Intel turned out to be an excellent processor for enthusiasts, which enthusiasts themselves are not particularly interested in. Given the use of the outdated Skylake architecture, this is not surprising.