Intel Corp. pulled back the curtains today on a host of new processors for high-end laptops that are based on its latest-generation Coffee Lake chip architecture.

Headlining the lineup at an event in Beijing today is the Core i9-8950HK. Intel said the chip, which comes “unlocked” to allow for overclocking or running it at a higher speed than it was designed for, as the first of its laptop processors to provide six cores and 12 threads, or sequences of computing instructions. The system’s 2.9-gigahertz base clock rate can be increased to a hefty 4.8GHz when the circumstances allow.

This high-performance ceiling is made possible by a new technology called Thermal Velocity Boost built into the Core i9-8950HK. Moreover, Intel sees manufacturing partners taking advantage of the fact that the chip comes unlocked to deliver overclocked laptops with top speeds as high as 5GHz. In practice, these factors make the processor up to 29 percent faster than its predecessor, according to the company, a number that jumps to over 58 percent percent when it comes to certain tasks such as video editing.

The Core i9-8950HK is joined by four new Core i7 and Core i5 processors. The two Core i7 chips have six cores with 12 threads just like their more powerful sibling, while the new Core i5 units come with four cores and support up to eight threads. Base clock rates range from 2.3 GHz to 2.6GHz with maximum speeds above 4GHz.

Completing the announcement are four additions to Intel’s more affordable U-Series family of laptop processors, which is likewise based on the Kaby Lake architecture. The new chips all have four cores with eight threads and have base clock rates ranging from 2.3GHz to 3GHz.

Intel topped off the introduction of the processors by announcing that they’ll support Optane, its high-speed memory technology. The hardware uses a data storage medium dubbed 3D XPoint that the chipmaker claims is drastically faster than the regular NAND flash found in most high-end laptops. As a result, an Optane-powered machine could potentially provide much better response times than a more traditional model.

The introduction of the new chips and enhancements comes a day after the publication of a Bloomberg report claiming that Apple Inc. plans to stop using Intel processors in Mac computers. With the end of Moore’s law making it harder for Intel to keep enhancing its chips at the rate consumers have to expect, more challenges could potentially emerge in the coming years. But today’s announcements show that the chipmaker is determined to maintain its grip on the laptop market.

Image: Intel