Intel has unveiled a new member to its Comet Lake family today, with the arrival of the i9-10850K. According to PC World, it’s essentially a slightly slower, but also slightly more affordable version of the company’s flagship 10-core i9-10900K processor. It’s clocked at 100MHz slower than the 10900K in all key aspects, and is expected to be slightly cheaper -- perhaps by $35 or so -- than the $488 10900K.
Otherwise, the chip has the same 10-core configuration as the 10900K, the same Thermal Velocity Boost, and the same 125 Watts. As Anandtech says, “for all practical purposes, this is a 10900K clocked 100MHz lower, and that’s it.”
According to Intel, “the i9-10850K is based on immediate feedback we’ve received from customers, including to further expand options and different price points.” Critics, however, have said that it’s possible that Intel is having trouble with chips that can’t quite reach the 10900K’s clock speeds, and is thus selling them in this slower, cheaper model.
The company has had troubles elsewhere too. Recently, it announced that its plans for 7nm chips have fallen behind by another six months, and there’s even a possibility that production could be delayed until 2022 due to a “defect mode” in the process. Until then, it will have to rely on 10nm processes for now, which has its own issues with delays and production.