Sunday, December 2nd 2018
Intel Readies "KF" Variants of Key 9th Gen Core Desktop SKUs
Intel is readying a curious-looking "KF" brand extension for key SKUs of its 9th generation Core "Coffee Lake Refresh" family. These SKUs include the Core i9-9900KF, the Core i7-9700KF, Core i5-9600KF, and the Core i3-9350KF. The source revealing slides from a GIGABYTE internal presentation mentioning these doesn't explain what "KF" means, but we've heard rumors on what "KF" could mean. The "K" in KF denotes that the processor features an unlocked base-clock multiplier. No points for guessing that one. The "F," however, could indicate a disabled or physically absent iGPU.
This won't be the first time that Intel has launched variants of its mainstream desktop premium SKUs with disabled iGPUs. Intel's reasons for doing so with "Coffee Lake Refresh" could be many, including harvesting dies with defective iGPU components. Physically absent iGPUs could only make sense from the perspective of increasing yields per wafer, as the dies could be around 15% smaller for the 8-core silicon, and 25% smaller for the 6-core silicon. It doesn't make sense from a purely TDP-optimization perspective, because Intel processors are capable of power-gating (and not just clock-gating) user-disabled iGPUs.
Source:
Komachi Ensaka (Twitter)
This won't be the first time that Intel has launched variants of its mainstream desktop premium SKUs with disabled iGPUs. Intel's reasons for doing so with "Coffee Lake Refresh" could be many, including harvesting dies with defective iGPU components. Physically absent iGPUs could only make sense from the perspective of increasing yields per wafer, as the dies could be around 15% smaller for the 8-core silicon, and 25% smaller for the 6-core silicon. It doesn't make sense from a purely TDP-optimization perspective, because Intel processors are capable of power-gating (and not just clock-gating) user-disabled iGPUs.
25 Comments on Intel Readies "KF" Variants of Key 9th Gen Core Desktop SKUs
This is just further destruction of their own product lines (then again, that might be a good thing. They have too many product lines as it is). First, the 8 core Ryzen forced their consumer chips to go with 8 cores (which HEDT already did), and now this.
www.guru3d.com/news-story/intel-cuts-off-diy-desktop-processor-supply-chain-deliveries-for-q4-2018.html
The KF could well be a China only part for all we know, so to summarize ~ atm there's simply no room for this chip in Intel's haywire stack.
People with a 8700k will have 1 more reason to upgrade if they could get a cheaper and much more energy efficient 9700k and such otherwise there's almost zero reason for people to upgrade.
Also I don't think it would be $50 dollars cheaper, it should be more along the line of $20 to $30 cheaper.
HDET has existed for these people for years, they just dont want to pay more for the special iGPU less die.
HEDT user here btw.. but by no means a fanboy. I'm running it with a Vega atm.. and have had AMD cpus as well.
Stay on topic.
Stop the bickering. (You know who you are.)
Thank You, Have a Nice Day!