Intel 9th Gen Core i7-9700K to rock 8 Cores, 16 Threads – Core i5/i3 support Hyperthreading
New details on Intel’s 9th-generation mainstream processors have just emerged online. Rumor has it that the next-gen flagship, called the Core i7-9700K, will pack more cores than their current fastest Coffee Lake desktop processor.
Recently, we reported about the AIDA64 changelog which included a list of Intel’s upcoming 8th Gen and 9th Gen Core processors. Now based on the same leak, the Asia based HKEPC, citing Taiwan motherboard makers, suggests that the Intel 9th Gen Core i7-9700K will pack 8 cores and 16 threads. There is no mention of the underlying process technology, but it’s safe to assume that it will be an updated version of Intel’s current 14nm++ process node.
The leaked details also shed light on the core counts of the 9th Gen Core i5 and Core i3 series processors. Unlike the existing Coffee Lake-S, the next-gen Core i5/i3 will support hyperthreading, according to HKEPC. This should mean the Core i5-9600K will feature 6 cores and 12 threads while the Core i3 will be quad-core series with up to 8 threads.
The Intel 9th Gen Core family will take on AMD’s next-gen Ryzen, codenamed Pinnacle Ridge, which is expected to debut next year. Built using the 12nm LP refresh, Pinnacle Ridge will be using tweaked Zen cores for improved performance and better efficiency.
At the moment, it’s unknown if the new Ryzen CPUs will get a core bump, but I believe they won’t considering Pinnacle Ridge is said to be a Ryzen refresh that will roll out before 7nm Matisse CPUs planned for 2019. So AMD is likely to give a core bump to its Matisse processor lineup that will be based on the Zen 2 architecture.
The Intel 9th Gen family will launch on the 300-series platform and will be supported by both the Coffee Lake and Cannonlake PCHs. AMD, on the hand, is expected to launch a refresh line of motherboards but they will maintain compatibility with the existing AM4 motherboards too.
It will be interesting to see how the next-gen mainstream processors from AMD and Intel compete against each other when they launch next year. We’ll update you with more information on the topic when it comes in, so stay tuned!