I’ve all the time been a bit baffled by Intel’s Core F and KF processors. Not in concept, you perceive. Making CPUs with out built-in graphics makes plenty of sense for gaming PCs, particularly if you’re nearly definitely going to be pairing it with a correct discrete graphics card anyway. Instead, it’s the value of them that’s been probably the most perplexing factor about them, as till now they’ve all the time price the identical as their built-in graphics (or iGPU) counterparts. I do know I’m by no means going to make use of the built-in graphics on a brand new Intel Core i5-9600K, for instance, however why would I spend the identical amount of cash on a technically lesser product? Thankfully, that’s all set to alter very quickly, as Intel have simply introduced a worth drop for his or her ninth Gen Coffee Lake F and KF CPUs, making these pure processing machines significantly better worth for cash.
The worth minimize must be rolling out over the following couple of weeks, Intel tells me, so that you would possibly wish to maintain hearth a bit earlier than you make the leap. To be sure you’re getting a processor on the proper worth, have a gander on the desk beneath for his or her specs and new US costs (UK pricing TBC).
| CPU | Cores / Threads | Base Clock Speed | Turbo Boost Speed | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-9900KF | 8 / 16 | 3.6GHz | 5.0GHz | 95W | $463 |
| Intel Core i7-9700KF | 8 / 8 | 3.6GHz | 4.9GHz | 95W | $349 |
| Intel Core i5-9600KF | 6 / 6 | 3.7GHz | 4.6GHz | 95W | $237 |
| Intel Core i3-9350KF | 4 / 4 | 4.0GHz | 4.6GHz | 91W | $148 |
| Intel Core i7-9700F | 8 / 8 | 3.0GHz | 4.7GHz | 65W | $298 |
| Intel Core i5-9500F | 6 / 6 | 3.0GHz | 4.4GHz | 65W | $167 |
| Intel Core i5-9400F | 6 / 6 | 2.9GHz | 4.1GHz | 65W | $157 |
| Intel Core i3-9100F | 4 / 4 | 3.6GHz | 4.2GHz | 65W | $97 |
Personally, I’m stunned they weren’t priced this manner after they first got here out, however at the least they need to now be extra aggressive in comparison with AMD’s Ryzen 3000 CPUs. After all, the Ryzen 5 3600X nonetheless prices round $240, whereas the Ryzen 7 3700X prices $330. You’ll nonetheless need to consider the price of a cooler with Intel’s KF CPUs, however at the least the distinction in worth gained’t be as nice because it was earlier than.
Intel’s F suffix, in case you’ve forgotten, means the processor doesn’t include any built-in graphics, so that you’ll must pair it with a graphics card with a view to see something in your monitor. Most of us do that anyway, however there are many lower-end PCs on the market that don’t include discrete graphics in any respect and as a substitute hook up with their accompanying displays through the show outputs on their motherboard.
The Ok suffix, alternatively, means it’s unlocked for overclocking, so a KF processor is each overclockable and graphics-free. It’s potential you’ve additionally seen some Intel Core processors with the letter T on the tip of them as nicely. This means they’ve been designed with a “power-optimised lifestyle” in line with Intel’s official processor number crib sheet, however all that actually means is that they’ve simply received a really low TDP. The Core i9-9900T, for instance, has one which’s rated at simply 35W, which is a far cry from the 95W TDP score of its graphics-less sibling.
As I discussed above, it could be a while earlier than you begin seeing these new costs come into impact, however as soon as they do, the race for the best gaming CPU will doubtless get extremely popular certainly.
