Since AMD announced its next-generation Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors based on Zen 3 core, everyone has been wondering how the new processors perform. For a detailed review and performance numbers, you should wait for official reviews. However, today we have the scores of Ryzen 5 5600X CPU. Thanks to the popular hardware leaker @TUM_APISAK, the Ryzen 5 5600X performance numbers in the SiSoftware Sandra benchmark suite have been leaked. When digging under the hood, the new Ryzen CPU contains six of Zen 3 cores with 12 threads, paired with as much as 32 MB of level three (L3) cache. These cores are running at 3.7 GHz base frequency, while the boost speeds are reaching 4.6 GHz.

In the test results, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU has scored Processor Arithmetic and Processor Multi-Media scores of 255.22 GOPS and 904.38 Mpix/s. These scores are not much on their own until we compare them to some of the Intel offerings. When compared to the Intel Core i5-10600K CPU, which is likely its targeted competing category, it scores 224.07 GOPS and 662.33 Mpix/s for Processor Arithmetic and Processor Multi-Media tests respectively. This puts the AMD CPU ahead 13.9% and 36.5% in these tests, indicating the possibility of Zen 3. Another important note here is the thermal headroom both of these CPUs run. While the Intel model is constrained withing 125 W TDP, the AMD model runs at just 65 W TDP. This could be an indication of the efficiency that these new processors harness.

The Intel Core i5-10600K is currently retailing for $289.99 and $299.99 respectively on Amazon and Newegg which is well above Intel's suggested MSRP of just $262. This has created a bizarre situation where it is currently better value to purchase the CPU from Silicon Lottery where it has been verified to overclock to a set amount. Silicon Lottery sells multiple binned variants of the chip ranging from 4.7 GHz - 5.1 GHz max all-core overclock with prices starting at $289.99 going all the way up to $419.99. The $299.99 option which is guaranteed to overclock to 4.9 GHz on all 6 cores, and 5.0 GHz on up to 2 cores is arguably the best value option for the chip currently.

This guaranteed all-core overclock of 4.9 GHz provides a significant performance boost over the stock base frequency of 4.1 GHz, which equates to roughly 1% - 3% gaming performance boost which while not massive still equates to a few extra FPS. If considering one of these CPUs keep in mind the need for reasonable aftermarket cooling to ensure these chips stay cool such as the Noctua NH-U12S we used in our review.

MSI in its weekly "MSI Insider" livestream shared fascinating insights into the way Intel appears to be sorting out its "Comet Lake" silicon across the various brand extensions of its 10th generation Core desktop processors. Its tech leads Eric Van Beurden and Michiel Berkhout spoke at length about MSI's own evaluation of the trays of Core i5-10600K/KF, i7-10700K/KF, and i9-10900K/KF chips it received (the only unlocked chips across the lineup), which they used as empirical evidence to suggest a model for Intel's binning.

MSI segregated the chips it received into three categories. Level A consists of chips that overclock higher than Intel's specifications (overclocking headroom higher than expected). Level B consists of those that overclock within Intel's specifications. Level C, on the other hand, have their overclocking headroom fall below Intel's specifications. It's important to note here that "Intel specification" doesn't mean "stock frequencies," it refers to the overclocking headroom Intel communicates to motherboard manufacturers, to give them an idea of the minimum board design requirements needed to guarantee overclocking within these specifications, for their Z490 motherboards. These are more of a guideline in nature, all three levels will overclock above stock frequencies.

It seems that today Intel lifted an embargo on the preview of its reviewer kit, and thanks to a few websites we have pictures of what the packaging looks like. And it is one fancy packaging for sure with lots of plastic this time around. Intel has decided to switch up its packaging game and now it is very different. Now Intel seems to target aesthetics very similar to AMD Threadripper packaging, with a plastic window that reveals the CPU box that has big words distinguishing whatever the model in question is a Core i5 or Core i9.

The reviewers have gotten two CPU models - Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K which are pictured below. Just as a reminder, reviews of these CPUs should go live on May 20th. If you want to get a Z490 motherboard for one of these CPUs, you can pre-order motherboard from your favorite vendor starting from today.More pictures follow.

Intel launched its 10th generation Core desktop processor family last week, with the announcement of a staggering 22 SKUs (32 if you count energy-efficient T-SKUs). This got us wondering if some of the deliciously-priced SKUs such as the $157 6-core/12-thread Core i5-10400F would be available in the first wave. Turns out, it might not.

Apparently, Intel has a split launch schedule for these processors, but in the very first wave, only the unlocked K-SKUs will be available in the market. These would include the 6-core/12-thread Core i5-10600K at $262 (1k-unit tray pricing), the 8-core/16-thread Core i7-10700K at $374, and the flagship 10-core/20-thread Core i9-10900K at $488). The three SKUs will be available in markets within May 2020.

Update May 4th: Intel confirmed that the KF-SKUs will also be part of the first wave.

Intel today launched its 10th generation Core desktop processor family and its companion Intel 400-series chipsets. Based on the 14 nm++ silicon fabrication process and built in the new LGA1200 package, the processors are based on the "Comet Lake" microarchitecture. The core design of "Comet Lake" and its IPC are identical to those of "Skylake," however Intel brought significant enhancements to the processor's clock-speed boosting algorithm, increased core- or thread counts across the board, and introduced new features that could interest enthusiasts and overclockers. The uncore component remains largely unchanged from the previous-generation, with support for DDR4 memory and PCI-Express gen 3.0. Use of these processors requires a new socket LGA1200 motherboard, they won't work on older LGA1151 motherboards. You can install any LGA115x-compatible cooler on LGA1200, provided it meets the thermal requirements of the processor you're using.

At the heart of the 10th generation Core processor family is a new 10-core monolithic processor die, which retains the same basic structure as the previous-generation 8-core "Coffee Lake Refresh" die, and 4-core "Skylake." The cores are arranged in two rows, sandwiched by the processor's uncore and iGPU blocks. A ring-bus interconnect binds the various components. The cache hierarchy is unchanged from previous generations as well, with 32 KB each of L1I and L1D caches; 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The iGPU is the same Gen 9.5 based UHD 630 graphics. As we mentioned earlier, much of Intel's innovation for the 10th generation is with the processor's microcode (boosting algorithms).

Marketing materials of Intel's upcoming 10th generation Core "Comet Lake-S" desktop processors leaked to the web confirm the lineup's core-counts. The series will be led by 10-core/20-thread Core i9 processors, with Thermal Velocity Boost frequencies of up to 5.30 GHz. The Core i7 series will consist of 8-core/16-thread processors, with up to 5.10 GHz TVB frequencies. The Core i5 series gets its biggest shot in the arm, with the introduction of HyperThreading for the first time in 8 generations (the last Core i5 desktop processors with HTT were dual-core first-generation Core chips). The 10th gen Core i5 series chips are 6-core/12-thread, with clock-speeds running up to 4.80 GHz.

These frequencies should indicate two interesting things. One, that the Core i5-10600K will outperform the Core i7-8700K (6-core/12-thread, up to 4.70 GHz boost), resulting in a roughly 35% increase in price-performance vs. the i7-8700K, if it ends up being priced at $260. Two, that the Core i7-10700K will outperform the Core i9-9900K on virtue of 100 MHz higher frequencies, and give the segment a roughly 30% price-performance increase compared to the i9-9900K, if the i7-10700K ends up priced at $380. The Core i9-10900K will outperform the i9-9900K both in single- and multi-threaded fronts given its 300 MHz higher max boost and two extra cores (four extra threads), in what could be a roughly 25% price-performance gain, assuming an unchanged $500 price.

A 3DMark results database entry confirmed that the 10th generation Core i5 desktop processor will indeed feature HyperThreading (HTT). Based on the 14 nm "Comet Lake" silicon, the next-gen Core i5 processor will be 6-core/12-thread. Besides HTT, the processors will feature higher clock-speeds than their 9th generation counterparts. In the 3DMark validation, a Core i5-10600 processor is referenced, featuring 6 cores and 12 logical processors. The chip has a nominal clock-speed of 3.30 GHz in its name string (a 200 MHz increment over the i5-9600), although its Turbo Boost frequency hasn't been detected properly by SystemInfo.

It's possible that the maximum Turbo Boost will be a similar 100-200 MHz gain over the 4.60 GHz of the i5-9600. It remains to be seen what L3 cache amount Intel gives these chips. The 6-core/12-thread Core i7-8700 has 12 MB, or an additional 512 KB L3 slice per core, to cope with the HTT overhead, although there have been exceptions to this rule in the company's mobile processor lineup. Intel is expected to debut its 10th generation Core "Comet Lake" processor series alongside the Z490 Express chipset in April 2020.