Intel Corp. today introduced a line of 32 new processor chips for desktop personal computers headlined by the i9-10900K, a 10-core model with a 5.3-gigahertz top clock speed that is touted as the “world’s fastest” gaming processor.

Intel is bringing the central processing unit chips to market under the S-Series brand. All the processors are based on the company’s 14-nanometer Comet Lake architecture, the fourth and latest iteration of the Skylake chip design that has powered its consumer CPUs for the past five years. 

The flagship 10-core i9-10900K model runs at a base frequency of 3.7GHz that it can dial up to 5.3GHz. Intel is promising that desktops powered by the CPU will offer up to 31% better performance than a three-year-old PC. According to the chipmaker, the processor renders popular video games with an up to 63% higher frame rate than a 2017 CPU, while video editing applications will receive speed-ups of as much as 35% in certain scenarios.

There are several factors behind the performance improvement. One is Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, a feature included in the i9-10900K and other high-end S-Series chips that speeds up parts of the CPU when circumstances allow. The technology identifies which of a CPU’s cores perform best at elevated temperatures, meaning when the processor is under heavy load, and uses their heat tolerance to increase their frequency even further.

A second, indirect contributor to the S-Series’ speed is the fact that Intel has implemented the chips on a thinner die than previous generation CPUs. That helps the chips dissipate heat more efficiently, which allows them to sustain peak speeds for longer.

S-Series CPUs can’t fit on existing motherboards and will require customers to buy new ones based on the Z490 chipset Intel unveiled today. One of the new features the chipset brings is support for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard, which offers up to 40% better wireless speeds. Reports indicate that motherboards based on Z490 will also be compatible with Rocket Lake, the next generation of Intel processors set to come after Comet Lake, which are expected to debut later this year or in 2021.

Intel hardware partners have so far announced plans to bring over 40 Z490-powered to hit the market. The S-Series processors themselves, in turn, will ship with wholesale prices ranging from $488 for the flagship i9-10900K to $42 for the two lowest-cost CPUs models that debuted today, which pack two cores each. 

The 32 new processors span all the other price tiers of Intel’s Core i desktop processor family as well. The S-Series brings additions to the top-end Core i9 and entry-level Core i3 family, plus the Core i5 and Core i7 families that sit in between. Intel’s Celeron and Pentium Gold lines, which round out its low-end desktop CPU offerings, are being expanded with eight new processor models as well.

Photo: Intel