Do you need a new processor for your computer? Would you like to upgrade to Intel’s new generation processors? Need to buy a Core i9 for your computer? Or is Core i3 enough for your business? Or do you want the best gaming processor? In this review we will provide a detailed report on all these questions and everything on your mind about Intel’s 10th generation processors. This guide will help you decide on the next processor for your computer.
Intel Corporation introduced a total of 17 10th generation desktop processors. These processors distinguished themselves from their predecessors in the ninth generation, with an increase in performance and an improvement in energy consumption. The change was not significant and not sufficient for Intel to return to compete with AMD. Although there are a few unique models, there are two distinct models, the Core i9-10900 and Core i9-10900K, and the similar ones that come without an integrated graphics card are the Core i9-10900F and Core i9-10900KF.
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- Best AMD Ryzen processors 2020.
Core i3 processors
The 10th Gen Core i3 processors are really interesting. All models feature 4 Cores and 8 Threads thanks to Hyper-Threading support. The base i3-10100 operates at a base frequency of 3.6 GHz with a boost speed of 4.3 GHz and a 6MB L3 cache. Then there is the Core i3-10300 which comes in at a higher frequency of 100MHz as well as a larger 8MB L3 cache. Finally, the most powerful Core i3 model currently available is the 10320, which runs at higher speeds of 3.8GHz and speeds up 4.6GHz boost.
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| Core i3-10100 | Core i3-10300 | Core i3-10320 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $ 122 | $ 143 | $ 154 |
| Price in the market | $ 130 | $ 158 | $ 172 |
| Cores / Threads | 4/8 | ||
| Fundamental frequency | 3.6 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 3.8GHz |
| Reinforcement frequency | 4.3 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.6 GHz |
| L3 cache | 6 MB | 8 MB | |
| Integrated graphics processor | UHD Graphics 630 | ||
| Energy consumption | 65 watt | ||
Core i5 processors
The 10th Generation Core i5 series consists of 10400, 10400F, 10500, 10600, 10600K, and 10600KF as shown in the table below. The six models include 6 Cores, 12 Threads, and a 12MB L3 cache. Standard models consume 65W while the K models consume up to 125W TDP.
The difference between 10400, 10500 and 10600 is 200-300MHz, and since they are unbreakable you won’t be able to lift them any further. While you can overclock and overclock the K model as long as you use the Z series overclockable motherboard.
| Core i5 10400 | Core i5 10400F | Core i5 10500 | Core i5 10600 | Core i5 10600K | Core i5 10600KF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $ 182 | $ 157 | $ 192 | $ 213 | $ 262 | $ 237 |
| Price in the market | $ 182 | $ 170 | $ 233 | $ 288 | $ 306 | N / A |
| Cores / Threads | 6/12 | |||||
| Fundamental frequency | 2.9 GHz | 3.1 GHz | 3.3 GHz | 4.1 GHz | ||
| Reinforcement frequency | 4.3 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.8 GHz | |||
| L3 cache | 12 MB | |||||
| Integrated graphics processor | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A | UHD Graphics 630 | UHD Graphics 630 | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A |
| Energy consumption | 65 watt | 125 watt | ||||
Core i7 processors
As for the Core i7 series it is a bit simpler, and there are only two models having 8 Cores and 16 Threads. The Core i7-10700 is the unbreakable processor, running at 2.9GHz with a boost frequency of 4.8GHz, while the 10700K is breakable and running at 3.8GHz as the base frequency and 5.1GHz boosting frequency. The unbreakable model consumes 65 watts, and the breakable model consumes 125 watts. Both feature 16MB L3 cache.
| Core i7-10700 | Core i7-10700F | Core i7-10700K | Core i7-10700KF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $ 323 | $ 298 | $ 374 | $ 349 |
| Price in the market | $ 329 | N / A | $ 410 | N / A |
| Cores / Threads | 8/16 | |||
| Fundamental frequency | 2.9 GHz | 3.8GHz | ||
| Reinforcement frequency | 4.8 GHz | 5.1GHz | ||
| L3 cache | 16 MB | |||
| Integrated graphics processor | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A |
| Energy consumption | 65 watt | 125 watt | ||
Core i9 processors
As for the powerful Core i9 series, which has 10 Cores and 20 Threads and a 20MB L3 cache. There are four models, two of which are the 10900 with a power consumption of 65W featuring a low base frequency of 2.8GHz with a boost frequency of 5.1GHz. Then there is the breakable 10900K that consumes 125 watts, and its base frequency is 3.7 GHz with a boost frequency of 5.2 GHz.
| Core i9-10900 | Core i9-10900F | Core i9-10900K | Core i9-10900KF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | $ 439 | $ 422 | $ 488 | $ 472 |
| Price in the market | $ 480 | N / A | $ 530 | N / A |
| Cores / Threads | 10/20 | |||
| Fundamental frequency | 2.8 GHz | 3.7 GHz | ||
| Reinforcement frequency | 5.1GHz | 5.2 GHz | ||
| L3 cache | 20 MB | |||
| Integrated graphics processor | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A | UHD Graphics 630 | N / A |
| Energy consumption | 65 watt | 125 watt | ||
Unfortunately, you will face many problems in purchasing the tenth generation processors, either they are out of stock or the demand for them is very high. Intel still suffers from a shortage of 14nm processors. So getting a Core i9-10900K now is a bit tricky.
Performance tests
The popular techspot computer hardware reviews have reviewed the performance of the i9-10900k, i7-10700k, 15-10600k, 15-10400, and i3-10100. Using an Asus ROG Maximus XII Extreme motherboard, 4GB RAM, G.Skill FlareX CL14 with a total of 32GB, and an RTX 2080 Ti graphics processor to reduce potential graphics processing bottlenecks, allowing for a better look at the actual CPU performance .
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- Motherboard: a brief guide to its components and functions.
- All you need to know about RAM, what is it and what are the meanings of the terms associated with it?
Starting with the Cinebench R20 with a multi-core test (higher is better) you will find that 10400 is 50% faster than 10100, which makes sense given that the i5 processor has 50% more cores and at nearly similar speeds. Then we see a 13% jump from 10400 to 10600 and that difference is due to the higher frequency, and of course, for K-processors that are breakable, those ratios can be increased even further with overclocking and overclocking.
Then we see an increase of roughly 40% when going from 10600K to 10700K and of course that’s due to an increase in the number of cores by 33%. Finally, we see another big jump in performance with the 10900K, although this time only an increase of 29% as the number of cores is only 25% higher and the operating frequencies are pretty much the same.
For single-core performance, the highest score was 10900K, beating 10700K at nearly 7%, 10600K nearly 14%, while 10100 and 10400 were close.
As for the 7-Zip file compression manager test (higher is better), the results were as follows for the multi-core test and the single core test respectively:
As for testing render work (less is better), avoid Core i3 series when possible. For example, spending more on a Core i5-10400 will increase performance by about 50%. This makes buying the 10400 a lot better if you are planning to do some render work.
It can be seen that the difference between 10400 and 10600k is very small without overclocking the latter. So if you were to buy 10600K it would have to overclock to get the best performance, otherwise you could save roughly $ 80 and get 10400 performance close to the latter. Ideally for this type of work, you’ll need something like 10700K or 10900K. The 10700K delivered 37% better performance compared to the 10600K while the 10900K was 33% faster.
Other tests:
Energy consumption
(Less is better)
The Core i9-10900K processor was energy savage, with total system consumption coming to 300 watts, an increase of 70 watts over the 10700K. Meanwhile, with 10,700 the total system consumption was only 30 watts higher than 10600K.
Gaming performance
(Higher is better)
Time to take a look at gaming performance first, Battlefield V in 1080p resolution with high graphics settings using the RTX 2080 Ti GPU. For the 10900K and 10700K both presented the same average frame count and 1% low. The 10600K also managed to produce the same average frame rate but fell far 1% low, down close to 8%. We see an additional 6% drop in performance with the 10,400, then a significant drop of 22% with the 10,100.
When increasing the resolution to 1440p for a more realistic test scenario, we find very little difference in performance between 10400, 10600K, 10700K, and 10900K. In fact, the average frame rates are nearly identical while the 10900K is 10% faster at most than the 10400 when compared to the 1% low.
Other games tests:
Summarization
For PCs for gaming or general computing needs, the Core i3-10100 works well. The Core i5-10400 though is a much better investment. The Core i3-10300 and 10320 may perform slightly better thanks to the larger L3 cache capacity and slightly higher clock frequencies, but given that both are more expensive it makes sense that it is better to buy a Core i5. If you can find it and want to use a discrete graphics card, the Core i5-10400F is the best option.
Moreover, the Core i5-10500 and 10600 are not worth the price increase, at least not at current prices. Even the 10600K which is just over $ 300, but if you plan on overclocking, the 10600K could be a reasonable choice for games with a high refresh rate.
The Core i7-10700K is a bit overrated at the moment. The Core i9-10900K is a beast, but the problem is that it is priced at $ 530, roughly $ 100 more than AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X processor with 12 Cores and 24 Threads, which is a big problem for Intel. Although perhaps the biggest problem is its lack of availability.