The Inquirer

Intel might release 9th-gen Core i9 'Coffee Lake S' CPUs this quarter

But don't get too excited, they're actually eighth-gen processors

Intel spills the beans on next-gen 'Coffee Lake S' CPUs
Intel spills the beans on next-gen 'Coffee Lake S' CPUs
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CHIPMAKER Intel's ninth-generation Core processors will make their debut later this quarter, according to new documentation spotted by WCCFTech.

Earlier this week, Intel updated its official Microcode Update Guidance to reveal the existence of the next wave of low to mid-range Core i3 and i5 processors that it will add to the Coffee Lake S family.

But this being Intel, a chipmaker with the most bizarre nomenclature for its silicon, the new CPUs will be based on the firm's eighth-gen architecture, which already has the current Coffee Lake S chips under is banner as well as Kaby Lake-R processors; Intel loves giving us headaches. 

However, the ninth-but-not-ninth-gen chips will be separated from their older siblings by bearing having the number nine in their model names; case in point, the Core i5-9600K.

WCCFTech reports that since an accidental leak yesterday which revealed the next wave of Core i3 and i5 chips, Intel has released yet more documentation confirming that 9th-gen Core i7 and i9 processors will be hitting the retail market this quarter.

Such documents, which we have yet to see for ourselves, include the high-end Core i9-9900K that packs eight cores and 16 threads.

While we like new chips here at The INQUIRER, we can't help but worry that refreshed Coffee Lake generation processors suggest that Intel is still some way from creating mass market CPUs based on the 10nm fabrication processes. The chipmaker has been stuck on 14nm for some time now and is sticking with it for its ninth iteration of Core CPUs.

With strong rivalry coming from AMD with its Ryzen and Threadripper chips these days, Intel will surely need to pull something special out of the Core i range sometime soon. µ

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