A Closer Look

Our Core i9-10900 sample came in a tray-only package. The retail packaging includes a 95 W TDP-capable heatsink, which will help keep overall system cost down.


The Core i9-10900 looks like any LGA1xxx processor released by Intel in the past decade. The processor is only compatible with Socket LGA1200 motherboards because the position of the round notches has been changed. It will not work with an older motherboard.


Luckily, Socket LGA1200 retains cooler compatibility with all older LGA115x-series sockets. This means you're going to be spoiled for choice when picking a cooler to go with this processor.