In April 2020, Intel announces new desktop processors as part of the tenth-generation Intel Core processor family, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
The tide seems to have turned and Intel CPUs are now being sold at cheaper prices compared to AMD’s Ryzen offering, with a larger number of cores and wires. The Core i9-10850K is the best example of this offering higher cores, wires and clock speeds than AMD’s 8-core and 16-wire Ryzen 7 5800X.
Intel Core i9-10850K CPU with 10 core points now cheaper than AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X with 8 core points
The Intel Core i9-10850K was launched in July 2020 at a price of $ 450 US. The chip was intended to be an alternative to the Core i9-10900K which faced yield issues and supply shortages. Nearly every technical outlet that has tested the chip, cites the Core i9-10850K as the best game CPU for its price and performance. It delivered the same performance as the expensive i9-10900K for $ 50 US lower, and now the chip can be found for a price of around $ 400 US, which puts it in a very competitive position against AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X.
The Intel Core i9-10850K can be seen at various retailers at a lower price than AMD’s 8 Core Ryzen 7 5800X. The lowest price for which it is listed is $ 399.99 US. Retailers, including Amazon and Newegg, have a lower price point than what was sold at launch. At Microcenter, the Ryzen 7 5800X is offered for $ 449.99 US, which is $ 50 US higher than i9-10900K.
Intel Core i9-10850K CPU Specifications
To sum up the specifications, the Intel Core i9-10850K CPU (BX8070110850K) contains 10 cores and 20 threads. The final clock speeds for the chip are set at 3.60 GHz base (3.70 GHz on the Core i9-10900K) and 5.2 GHz boost (5.3 GHz on the Core i9-10900K). The CPU retains 20 MB L3 and a total of 2.5 MB L2 cache.
A photo released on April 30, 2020 shows the death of a tenth-generation Intel Core processor. (Source: Intel Corporation)
The TDP for the Core i9-10850K is the same as the Core i9-10900K, set to 125W (PL1) standard mode and 250W (PL2) boost mode. The CPU is compatible with the LGA 1200 connector that appears on both the Z490 and Z590 motherboards.
Intel 10th Generation CPU Specifications:
| CPU name | Kere / drade | Base Clock | Single-core boost clock | Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (single core) | All Core Boost Clock | Cupboard | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-10900K | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (speed) |
5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (speed) |
20 MB | 125W | US $ 488 |
| Intel Core i9-10900KF | 10/20 | 3.7 GHz | 5.1 GHz 5.3 GHz (speed) |
5.2 GHz | 4.8 GHz 4.9 GHz (speed) |
20 MB | 125W | $ 472 US. |
| Intel Core i9-10850K | 10/20 | 3.6 GHz | 5.2 GHz | Nvt | 4.8 GHz | 20 MB | 125W | $ 453 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 i5-10600K | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | Nvt | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $ 262 US |
| Intel Core i5-10600KF | 6/12 | 4.1 GHz | 4.8 GHz | Nvt | 4.5 GHz | 12 MB | 125W | $ 237 US. |
For this price, the Intel Core i9-10850K is an impressive chip, as it has more horsepower than the Ryzen 7 5800X at a lower price and offers even better single-core performance than the more expensive Ryzen 9 3900X. The Ryzen 9 5900X, on the other hand, is on a completely different level, but at the same time costs much more. With that said, Intel will launch its next generation Rocket Lake CPUs in March, with the new flagship 11900K CPU as the highlight, but the recently leaked benchmarks suggest that the 10 core 10th generation parts could maintain a slight edge over their Cypress Cove based successors.