A few PC makers have already introduced laptops that will be available with “up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9” processor… which is interesting, because until yesterday evening, Intel hadn’t actually confirmed that it had a processor meeting that definition.
But now Intel is providing a few details. We still don’t know the launch date, but we do know that the chip maker is expanding the 10th-gen Core line of processors to include a set of 45 watt H-series chips designed for high-performance laptops (and maybe energy-efficient desktops).
The 10th-gen Core H chips will be based on Intel’s 14nm++ “Comet Lake” architecture, which means you can expect Intel UHD graphics rather than the more powerful Iris Plus graphics you get with some 10nm “Ice Lake” chips.
But we should see a performance boost over the current 9th-gen “Coffee Lake-H” processor family in at least some situations, thanks to a boost in top speeds.
Intel says Comet Lake-H chips will be available with up to 8 cores and 16 threads, with Core i7 versions set to hit top speeds of 5 GHz and Core i9 processors featuring even higher clock speeds.
It’s unclear what that will mean in terms of real-world performance: the trend toward thinner, lighter laptops means that there’s often not a lot of room to dissipate the heat generated by high-power processors… and when a CPU gets too hot, it typically slows down.
Meanwhile, rival chip maker AMD is expected to introduce its Ryzen 4000 line of mobile processors later today. They’re also expected to be aimed at high-performance laptops.
We can probably expect to see laptops featuring H-series chips from Intel and AMD by this spring or summer.
via AnandTech, OverClockers, and NotebookCheck