Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K, review: Intel is still the queen of gaming, but multithreading AMD is unstoppable

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Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K, review: Intel is still the queen of gaming, but multithreading AMD is unstoppable

The 10th generation Core processors for desktop computers have come at a difficult time for Intel. The improvements that the engineers of this company have introduced in these new chips reflect that we are facing a relatively modest update of a family of microprocessors with interesting characteristics, but which essentially maintains the 14nm photolithography introduced by Intel in late 2014 with Broadwell.

Also, to curl the curl, these processors come at a sweet time for AMD. Its 3rd generation Ryzen desktop chips have garnered rave reviews, thanks in large part to the combination of efficient microarchitecture and 7nm integration technology that has proven to make a difference in multi-threaded scenarios. Still, it would be reckless to give this battle to Intel lost by holding on only to expectations. One of the processors that we are going to analyze in this article, the Core i9-10900K, is the most ambitious of this new family and, on paper, arrives determined to stand out where Intel has proven to feel more comfortable during the last generations: in gaming equipment.

Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K: technical specifications

The figures of the new Core i9-10900K clearly reflect that this is the processor intended to compete with AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X, although the latter integrates two more cores, and, therefore, is capable of processing four threads of execution (threads) additional. This chip has 10 cores and incorporates Hyper-Threading Technology, which is Intel’s implementation of SMT technology (Simultaneous MultiThreading), so it can simultaneously process a maximum of 20 threads of execution. The presence of a high number of cores has a profound impact on the performance of applications with multithreaded architecture, but almost always very restrained with games, which tend to take much more advantage of a high clock frequency.

It is precisely in this last area in which Intel seems to try to breastfeed with this processor. Its base clock frequency of 3.70 GHz is not particularly striking, but what is really interesting is that one or more cores can work at a maximum frequency of 5.30 GHz as long as upon reaching this speed the CPU core temperature remains below its maximum threshold. The number of cores that can operate simultaneously at this clock rate is typically small, but this strategy can still have a beneficial impact on the frame rate per second achieved in some games.

This microprocessor has 10 cores and incorporates Hyper-Threading Technology, which is Intel’s implementation of SMT technology, so it can simultaneously process a maximum of 20 threads of execution

As I mentioned a few paragraphs above, the photolithography used by Intel in the manufacture of its new microprocessors maintains the 14 nm of previous generations, and this comes at a price: the TDP of the Core i9-10900K is higher than that of the Ryzen 9 3900X from AMD even though the latter has two more cores. The Intel chip has a 125-watt TDPWhile that of its competitor remains slightly below this figure at 105 watts, something to which its 7nm FinFET lithograph undoubtedly contributes. A note before moving on the TDP (Thermal Design Power) reflects how much heat energy a CPU dissipates when all of its cores are up and running at the base clock frequency. It is measured in watts.

Read Also: Intel i9-10900K and i5-10600K Review: many GHz and Core for gaming

An interesting feature of these Intel processors is that they can reduce their TDP up to a more restrained 95 watts. Of course, to achieve this they sacrifice a part of the base clock frequency at which they can work, holding a less ambitious 3.30 GHz. Another feature that we should not overlook is that the PCI Express buses introduced by Intel in these chips continue implementing the 3.0 standard, which places the 10th generation Core processors one step behind in this area of ​​AMD, which in its 3rd generation Ryzen has opted for PCI Express 4.0.

Intel10genspecs

The other chip that claims a part of the prominence of this article is the Core i5-10600K, a mid-range solution that, on paper, should fit thanks to its price/performance ratio in a wider range of equipment than the Core i9. that we just reviewed. This CPU has 6 cores and can process simultaneously a maximum of 12 threads of execution. The integration in the encapsulation of a lower number of cores than that of the Core i9-10900K allows this processor to work at a slightly higher base clock frequency (4.10 GHz), although, yes, the frequency of Maximum clock at which one of those cores can operate when the energy dissipated in the form of heat allows it is 500 MHz lower than in the 10900K.

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The 10th generation Core chips use the LGA1200 socket, and this has a logical consequence: motherboards compatible with previous Intel processors cannot coexist with these CPUs

The TDP of this processor is the same as the Core i9, 125 watts, and like the latter it can be reduced to a more restrained 95 watts, lowering the base clock frequency to less ambitious 3.80 GHz (it is 300 MHz per below the base frequency associated with the standard TDP). On the other hand, both the Core i9 and Core i5 support up to two main memory channels and are compatible with memory modules up to DDR4-2933Which, again, puts them one rung below AMD’s latest Ryzen processors, which can work in tandem with DDR4-3200 memories. Both the Intel and AMD chips can coexist with faster memories than those indicated by these standards, but to do so it is necessary to practice overclocking.

Before we dive fully into our test bench it is important that we know a change that Intel has introduced in these processors: its socket is no longer LGA1151. The new 10th generation Core chips use LGA1200 socket and this has a logical consequence: motherboards compatible with previous Intel processors cannot coexist with these new CPUs. The family of chipsets intended to work side by side with these Intel Core processors is 400. According to this company, the new socket has allowed it to increase the power delivery to the integrated circuit core, but it seems reasonable to assume that, in addition, it is preparing the way for the arrival of Tiger Lake, which will be the Intel processors that will presumably make the leap to 10nm photolithography.

INTEL CORE I9-10900K INTEL CORE I5-10600K
SERIE Comet Lake-S Comet Lake-S
LITHOGRAPHY 14 nm 14 nm
CORES 10 6
THREADS OF EXECUTION twenty 12
BASE CLOCK FREQUENCY 3.70 GHz 4.10 GHz
MAXIMUM CLOCK FREQUENCY 5.30 GHz 4.80 GHz
INTEL THERMAL VELOCITY BOOST FREQUENCY 5.30 GHz Not available
CACHE 20 MB 12 MB
BUS SPEED 8 GT / s 8 GT / s
INTEL TURBO BOOST MAX 3.0 FREQUENCY 5.20 GHz Not available
TDP 125 watts 125 watts
DROP FREQUENCY OF TDP 3.30 GHz 3.80 GHz
CONFIGURABLE TDP DESCENT 95 watts 95 watts
MEMORY CHANNELS 2 2
MAXIMUM MEMORY BELT WIDTH 45.8 GB / s 41.6 GB / s
GRAPHICS UHD Graphics 630 UHD Graphics 630
PCI EXPRESS 3.0 3.0
MAXIMUM PCI EXPRESS LINES 16 16
PLINTH LGA1200 LGA1200
PRICE 609.90 euros 305.90 euros

These processors are determined to do battle, especially on gaming PCs

To test these microprocessors we have resorted to the following components: A Gigabyte AORUS Z490 Master motherboard with Intel Z490 chipset and 14 phases of electrical power; two DDR4-2933 memory modules of 16 GB each and with CL15 latency; a Corsair A500 air cooling system equipped with two fans with magnetic levitation bearings; a 1TB Samsung 860 QVO SSD with SATA3 interface; an ASUS graphics card with GeForce RTX 2080 GPU; a NOX Hummer power supply with an output power of 650 watts and 80 Plus Bronze certification, and finally, a great Acer Predator XB27 monitor with IPS panel, 4K UHD resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz.

Intel10genarchitecture The impressive Corsair air cooling system that we have used in testing gives us ample leeway for overclocking, yet still keeps the noise emission level under control.

We start with one of our usual tests: PCMark 10. As you can see in the following graph, the Core i9-10900K processor has managed to impose itself with some clarity on both the Core i5-10600K, something that was also predictable, and also the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, which has been slightly behind of the new Core i5. In this test, the clock frequency is important, which has given the microprocessors of Intel a bit of an advantage, which is capable of reaching a significantly higher maximum frequency than the AMD CPUs that we have introduced in the graph.

Pcmark 10

In the following test, as you can see in the graph, the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and its 24 threads of execution have been shown intractable. We have decided to keep in this test Cinebench R15, and we have not opted for the R20 revision, in order to introduce the AMD Ryzen processors that we analyzed in August last year. Despite its long history, this app is invaluable for evaluating CPU performance in a multi-threaded usage scenario, and here the work that AMD processors with more cores are capable of doing makes a difference. The Intel Core i9-10900K, which, as we have seen, has 10 cores and can simultaneously process up to 20 threads of execution, has yielded very good performance but has failed to match productivity in this test of the Ryzen 9, which has cast fantastic performance.

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Cinebenchcpu

As expected, in the test with Cinebench R15 OpenGLIn which multi-threaded processing power comes into the background, it has been Intel’s Core i9-10900K that has yielded the highest performance, placing itself some distance from AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X. The Core i5-10600K is positioned on the heels of this latest CPU, and the Ryzen 7 3700X is also positioned very close to this latest Intel processor, so that the Ryzen 9, 7 and Core i5 show very similar performance in this proof, which, on the other hand, is less conclusive than the previous one.

Cinebenchopengl

The following graph reflects the performance of the two Intel microprocessors that we have analyzed with various game engines. All the tests we have carried out with the highest graphic quality and using 1440p and 4K resolutions. As you can see, when they work in tandem with a graphics card as powerful as the GeForce RTX 2080 that we have used, they offer us a fantastic average rate of images per second. In this test scenario, as I mentioned above, the maximum CPU clock frequency is much more important than the number of cores. The interesting thing is that both processors allow us to play 4K with a title as demanding as ‘Metro Exodus’ while maintaining an average image cadence clearly above 60 FPS, which is not bad.

Games

These new Intel processors leave us an interesting margin to practice overclocking. When they work side by side with a fan as competent as the Corsair A500 we have used in the tests, it is relatively easy to scratch them with an additional 5 to 7 FPS practising an overclocking very light. Whoever wants to squeeze them to the maximum can do it, and I would not be surprised if, with a more advanced cooling system, such as a good liquid cooling solution, they can improve their performance beyond the additional 15 FPS. You just need to want to. And patience. One more point: during our tests, the temperature of both processors was always maintained, even in times of maximum stress and with an overclocking Light, below 84 degrees Celsius.

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Intel Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K: Xataka’s opinion

The competition currently held by Intel and AMD is fierce. This last company is putting it to the firm that has released the microprocessors that we have analyzed in this article more difficult than ever, and this is undoubtedly great news for users. Furthermore, nothing seems to presage that this trend will change in the future because AMD seems willing to don’t stop stepping on the gas (We will probably have official news about the next Ryzen 5, 7 and 9 XT soon). It is evident that there is still a lot of battle ahead this year, and in 2021 we can be sure that these two companies will reissue another instalment of the fierce competition that they have maintained for more than two decades.

These Intel CPUs rule with games, but with multi-threaded applications, the victory still belongs to AMD

From a global point of view, the two Intel processors that we have analyzed have left us with a good taste. Its performance in all test scenarios is high, but where they give their best is with games thanks to its high clock frequency. Who wants a CPU that allows you to scratch down to the last FPS with its games You will be right in choosing one of these Intel processors. Of course, for whom it is important to obtain the maximum productivity possible in multithreading scenarios, they will prefer one of the 3rd generations Ryzen from AMD. In this area, the Ryzen 9 3900X that we analyzed a few months ago is intractable and strongly surpasses the Core i9-10900X. In addition, as we explained in that analysis, the latest AMD processors are also luxurious with games.

What we liked the least about the 10th generation Intel Core chips is, on the one hand, lack of PCI Express 4.0 compliance, which is something that the 3rd generation Ryzen processors do offer us, and, on the other hand, the change of socket. It does not seem bad to us to change the socket when several generations have passed because it is necessary to do so to continue developing the microarchitecture, but, in our opinion, the improvements that Intel has introduced in these processors do not justify this change. And they have a consequence: users who have a recent motherboard with LGA1151 socket will not be able to mount one of these new CPUs on their PC without being forced to also change the motherboard. Over the next few weeks it will be interesting to see how the Intel and AMD solutions sell, but there is no doubt that the swords remain high.

Intel10genopinion

These microprocessors have been released for testing by Intel. Can inquire our policy of relationships with enterprises.