Processor leak points to Intel’s rumored 8C16T Core i9-9900K hitting 5GHz

Several weeks ago, Intel published a pair of documents on its website that referenced a handful of 9th generation Core processors, spanning the 4-core/4-thread Core i3-9000 on up to the 6-core/6-thread Core i5-9600K. There were no 8-core models listed, though they've been the subject of numerous leaks and rumors, the latest of which offers up some specs.

Computer Base noticed a thread on Coolaler, a Chinese web forum where it's common to find leaked information on unreleased processors, detailing several 9th gen processors. One of them is the rumored Core i9-9900K, an 8-core/16-thread chip that, if real, would be Intel's burliest mainstream processor to date.

According to the thread, the Core i9-9900K will have a 3.6GHz base clock and a tantalizing 5GHz single-core boost clock, along with a 4.7GHz all-core boost clock. It's also listed as having 16MB of L3 cache and a 95W TDP. If true, that will make it faster than even the Core i7-8086K Anniversary Edition.

Out of the three processors listed, the Core i5-9600K is the only one that Intel previously (and inadvertently) acknowledged. The base clock, L3 cache, and TDP all match up with what Intel revealed, though the boost clock is 100MHz higher. That doesn't necessarily mean the post is bogus—an engineering sample could have different specs than the final product.

We shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out. With Intel also prepping a Z390 chipset to go along with its upcoming 9th gen chips, a launch at this point feels like it is coming sooner than later.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).