A Closer Look

Our Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K review samples came in a fancy special packaging meant for reviewers only. The retail Core i9-10900K comes in an upscale-looking paperboard box with a large acrylic ornament to revel upon the chip inside.

Intel does not include a cooling solution in the retail box. You're expected to use any aftermarket cooler capable of handling thermal loads of up to 125 W TDP. As you'll find out later in the review, cooling has a direct impact on performance.


The Core i9-10900K looks like any LGA1xxx processor released by Intel in the past decade. The processor is only compatible with socket LGA1200 motherboards, as the round notches on the sides have been moved. It will not fit on any older motherboard.


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