CPUs
Latest
Intel Tiger Lake hands-on: A solid GPU upgrade for ultraportables
We got our first look at Intel's Tiger Lake CPU in action during this hands on with a reference PC.
NVIDIA is officially buying ARM for $40 billion
NVIDIA is officially buying the chip design company ARM for $40 billion.
Intel unveils Tiger Lake CPUs, rebrands Project Athena as Evo
Intel is finally giving us full details on its Tiger Lake chips.
Intel dishes on Tiger Lake, 'SuperFin' transistors and what lies ahead
Intel has spent the past decade refining its FinFET transistor technology, starting with its Ivy Bridge CPUs in 2012. Now, Intel is ready for its next big architecture leap, SuperFin, its name for a refined FinFET process combined with a "super metal insulator metal capacitor." For users, that mouthful means that Intel has been able to deliver its biggest speed improvement ever within a single node (in this case, its 10 nanometer architecture).
Intel's '3D' Lakefield chips arrive for foldables and ultrathin laptops
After years of anticipation, Intel is officially launching its Lakefield mobile processors today, its first chips to combine its Core i3 and i5 hardware together with low-power "Tremont" Atom cores.
Razer's pro Blade 15 Studio Edition now includes a 10th-gen Intel CPU
Razer has updated its Blade 15 Studio Edition laptop to feature an 8-core 10th-gen CPU
Intel's flagship 10th-gen desktop CPU has 10 cores, reaches 5.3GHz
Intel's powerful 10th-gen desktop chips are here: the Core i9-10900K has 10 cores and hits 5.3GHz.
Intel's 10th-gen H-series laptop CPUs reach 5.3GHz
Just like Intel said at CES, it's crossed the 5GHz barrier with its new H-series 10th generation notebook CPUs. And you won't need to shell out for the top-of-the-line Core i9 to do it: The new six and eight-core i7 processors reach up to 5.1Ghz (boost speed) on a single core. But if you want to go all out, the octa-core i9-10980HK hits 5.3GHz -- and it's fully unlocked for overclocking, to boot.
Researchers discover that Intel chips have an unfixable security flaw
Security researchers have discovered another flaw in recent Intel chips that, while difficult to exploit, is completely unpatchable. The vulnerability is within Intel's Converged Security and Management Engine (CSME), a part of the chip that controls system boot-up, power levels, firmware and, most critically, cryptographic functions. Security specialists Positive Technologies have found that a tiny gap in security in that module that could allow attackers to inject malicious code and, eventually, commandeer your PC.
Intel is losing against AMD
When AMD launched its third-generation Zen 2 Ryzen processors earlier this year, Intel had to be sweating. Its rival had developed an all-new architecture with improvements to clock speed, core count and instructions per clock and promised performance that matched -- and even beat -- Intel's CPUs. Then, along came AMD's mainstream 12-core and 16-core Ryzen 9 3900x and 3950X CPUs, which doubled the thread count of competing i9-9900 series chips. That threatened not only Intel's gaming market but muscled in on its workstation territory. To compete, Intel was forced to launch the Cascade Lake i9-10980X at $999 -- half the price of the previous 9980XE model. Unfortunately for Intel, the 3950X still keeps pace with the i9-10980X in most tests, despite costing just $750. Reviews are now in for AMD's latest 32-core 3970X and 24-core 3960X Threadripper processors, and it's more bad news for Intel. Those high-end desktop (HEDT) chips perform better for both video and 3D rendering than Intel's latest i9-10980X CPU. Furthermore, they've even made many of Intel's high-end workstation Xeon CPUs obsolete. And the kicker is that AMD has yet to release the 64-core, Threadripper 3990X. Intel still has a lead in gaming, but only just, and given AMD's progress and recent Zen 3 announcements, is any market safe? Let's explore the state of this rivalry and how Intel might counterpunch.
Everything Lenovo announced at IFA 2019 in less than 10 minutes
In case you missed Lenovo's IFA 2019 press event, or you want to watch the highlights again, we've condensed the whole thing down to just under 10 minutes. Lenovo's Yoga laptops will now have Intel's 10th-generation CPUs, and the Yoga C940 got a few additional AI-based updates. Lenovo revealed its Smart Display 7, its latest take on the Nest Hub. That seven-inch display comes with a built-in camera, which could be handy if you like to make video calls. And the company announced an Avengers game, called Dimension of Heroes, for its Mirage AR headset. That's good news considering at launch the headset only came with one game: Star Wars: Jedi Challenges.
Intel's 10th-gen CPUs for powerful ultraportables will reach six cores
The big selling point with Intel's first 10th-gen Core processors is the company's new 10nm architecture, the result of a long journey towards shrinking down its production process. It's a much more efficient design, which will lead to both power savings and better performance. But the next batch of 10th-gen chips, codenamed "Comet Lake," won't be taking advantage of that new technology. Instead, they're more powerful 14nm chips meant for heavier workloads in thin and light machines.
Intel unveils its first 10th-gen laptop CPUs
Intel gave us the broad strokes of its 10th-generation "Ice Lake" notebook CPUs at Computex a few months ago, but now the company is finally ready to give us more details. You can expect 11 new processors at first, ranging from a lowly dual-core i3 to a quad-core i7, all built on its new 10-nanometer "Sunny Cove" architecture. No surprises there. But this time around, the model numbers are going to get a bit more complicated, since the company is offering three different graphics options. If you thought it was tough telling Intel's chips apart before, get ready for even longer and more complex names, like the cream of the crop Core i7-1068G7.
Intel and AMD won Computex 2019
You can thank AMD and Intel for the influx of news out of Computex over the past week. Both chip companies announced some major new products: Intel showed off its 10-nanometer 10th-gen laptop chips, and AMD gave us details on its third generation Ryzen CPUs and first Navi GPUs. At first glance, that might all sound like typical tradeshow news, the next steps in a boring, iterative upgrade cycle. But each announcement spoke volumes -- they're not just showing us what Intel and AMD are working on for the next year, they gave us a preview of what's to come for the next decade.
Intel's 10th-gen Core CPUs will let you game on ultraportables
It was just about a month ago that Intel showed off its powerful new ninth-gen laptop CPUs, but now it's finally ready to talk about its upcoming Ice Lake 10nm chips. For one, they're officially known as 10th-gen Core. And they won't be taking much limelight away from those beefier laptop chips, as Intel is focusing on ultraportables first with U-series processors. 10th-gen CPUs will be available in Core i3, i5 and i7 variants, as you'd expect. And, just like Intel already teased, they'll feature its powerful new 11th-gen Iris Plus integrated graphics, which are fast enough to run games decently in 1080p.
AMD's third-gen Ryzen 9 CPU is a 12-core powerhouse for $499
AMD just dropped the mic when it comes to ultra-fast consumer CPUs. At Computex today, AMD CEO Lisa Su introduced the company's third-generation Ryzen CPUs, which are also the world's first 7-nanometer desktop chips. Its crown jewel is the 12-core/24-thread Ryzen 9 3900X for $499. And if you're wondering why that's such a big deal, it's because it's going up against Intel's 12-core i9-9920X, which sells for around $1,189. Even better, AMD says the thermal design power (TDP) of its chip is 105W, compared to Intel's far less efficient 165W TDP. The Ryzen 9 3900X speaks to AMD's broader philosophy: It wants to beat Intel when it comes to performance, value and efficiency.
Intel's 9th-gen laptop CPUs also reach up to 5GHz
When Intel debuted its ninth generation Core processors last fall, the star of the show was the i9-9900K, its first consumer CPU to reach 5GHz. That was a huge milestone, and it made that chip even more tempting to power-hungry gamers. But now, that processor has a laptop-focused sibling that can also hit 5GHz: the i9-9980HK, an unlocked eight-core chip for beefy, overclockable notebooks. And if that's too much power for you, Intel also has a slew of other ninth-gen chips coming. You can expect to see them in laptops soon, as ASUS, Lenovo and Razer also just announced their latest gaming notebooks to coincide with Intel's news.
Lenovo's latest gaming laptops pack 9th-gen Intel Core CPUs
Lenovo has announced two new gaming laptops, while it has refreshed some models in its Legion lineup -- all of which work with 9th-gen Intel Core i7 processors. The IdeaPad L340 Gaming laptop is a little more budget-friendly than other portable Lenovo gaming machines. It has blue lighting and options to switch between Gaming and Quiet modes. It's compatible with NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 1650 GPU and features Dolby Audio, while Intel Optane memory is available as an option. The L340 will be available late May, starting at $870 for the 15-inch model and $920 for its 17-inch sibling.
Live from Intel's CES 2019 press event!
It's been a year since Intel's flashy, drone-heavy CES 2018 keynote, which came shortly after we learned about the widespread Spectre and Meltdown chip vulnerabilities. Now, Intel is trying to make a fresh start. While it's still searching for a new CEO, following the departure of Brian Krzanich, it also needs to prove it's ready for the coming arrival of 5G, AI and entirely new PC form factors. And while its 9th generation CPUs sound impressive, we're still waiting to see a wide rollout of 10 nm processors. So far, Intel claims they'll be coming this year and they'll also feature the company's fastest integrated graphics so far, reaching over a teraflop worth of performance. Join us as we cover Intel's CES press event live, starting at 7 PM Eastern / 4 PM Pacific. You can also watch it live on Intel's newsroom.
Intel unveils a groundbreaking way to make 3D chips
As it's getting more difficult to cram transistors next to each other in chips, and we near the end of Moore's Law, the only choice is to go vertical. Literally. That's the essence of 3D chip design, and it's the crux of a major Intel announcement this morning: It's developed the first 3D chip architecture that allows logic chips -- things like the CPU and graphics -- to be stacked together. This isn't just a far-flung research project, either. Intel claims we'll see the first products to use Foverus in the second half of next year.
