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Benchmarking Intel Comet Lake-S CPUs with up to 10 cores

10 cores need a whole lot of power! Since Intel first revealed its new Comet Lake-S processors and its new chipsets at the end of April, we were able to get our hands only on the high-end Intel Core i9-10900K and the Intel Core i5-10600K. Intel’s CPUs are still the best for gaming, but this comes at a very high cost.
Intel Core i9-10900K (source: Intel)
Intel Core i9-10900K (source: Intel)
Intel Comet Lake-S with a thinner die (source: Intel)
Intel Comet Lake-S with a thinner die (source: Intel)
Intel Core i9-10900K: new features (source: Intel)
Intel Core i9-10900K: new features (source: Intel)

Comet Lake-S is the name of Intel’s latest generation of processors, which was first revealed on the 30th of April, 2020. It is based on the 14-nm manufacturing process, which has been around for years now. Here, AMD is far ahead. It produces Ryzen 3000 chips using the 7-nm node.

When compared to the 9th generation, the highest-end model offers two more cores. This is the first 10-core consumer chip. Intel has been selling 10-core chips for its HEDT platform for years, though. In the chart below, you can see all new processors in Intel’s mainstream Core series. Intel has kept the letters at the end of processor names to help distinguish different models. For example, the letter T at the end of the CPU name means that the part has a 35-watt TDP, and the names of all overclockable CPUs end with the letter K.

In terms of clock rates, Intel has made some changes when compared to the previous generation. The latest parts feature Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0. It allows the CPU to achieve higher clock rates under certain circumstances. The same can also be said about Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost technology, which allows the Core i9-10900K to hit up to 5.3 GHz. However, buyers must beware because all Boost specifications are theoretical highest frequencies, which depend on a whole range of factors such as the type of workload, the number of utilised cores, the calculated power draw and the CPU temperature. In our review, we were able to observe the Core i9-10900K hitting 5.3 GHz in Cinebench R15. However, the CPU was not able to maintain such a high clock rate over an extended period. Therefore, it would be unrealistic to assume that the CPU would be able to maintain a 5.3 GHz boost clock over a prolonged period without any overclocking. 

When compared to the 9th generation CPUs, the TDP has increased significantly. The Turbo Boost duration has also been increased, which is why the new chips perform significantly better in many benchmarks. All in all, there are two power states: PL1 (Power Level 1) and PL2 (Power Level 2).

Intel has sanded the die to achieve better thermal performance. This also means that the integrated heat spreader is now a little thicker because the processor still has the same dimensions. This is why all the coolers that are compatible with the LGA 1151 socket are also compatible with the new socket. Intel said that a new socket was needed because of higher power requirements. That being said, the new chipsets (Z490, H470, B460, H410) do not support PCI Express 4.0 when used with the new processors.

The overview of the mainstream Comet Lake-S parts

Model Cores /
Threads
Base clock Turbo 2.0 Turbo 3.0 TVB 1C/xC All-core boost clock Memory Graphics TDP Launch price
Core i9-10900K 10/20 3.7 GHz 5.1 GHz 5.2 GHz 5.3 / 4.9 GHz 4.8 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 125 watts 488 Dollar
Core i9-10900KF 10/20 3.7 GHz 5.1 GHz 5.2 GHz 5.3 / 4.9 GHz 4.8 GHz DDR4-2933 - 125 watts 472 dollars
Core i9-10900 10/20 2.8 GHz 5.0 GHz 5.1 GHz 5.2 / 4.6 GHz 4.5 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 65 watts 439 dollars
Core i9-10900F 10/20 2.8 GHz 5.0 GHz 5.1 GHz 5.2 / 4.6 GHz 4.5 GHz DDR4-2933 - 65 watts 422 dollars
Core i9-10900T 10/20 1.9 GHz 4.5 GHz 4.6 GHz - 3.7 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 35 watts 439 dollars
Core i7-10700K 8/16 3.8 GHz 5.0 GHz 5.1 GHz - 4.7 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 125 watts 374 dollars
Core i7-10700KF 8/16 3.8 GHz 5.0 GHz 5.1 GHz - 4.7 GHz DDR4-2933 - 125 watts 349 dollars
Core i7-10700 8/16 2.9 GHz 4.7 GHz 4.8 GHz - 4.6 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 65 watts 323 dollars
Core i7-10700F 8/16 2.9 GHz 4.7 GHz 4.8 GHz - 4.6 GHz DDR4-2933 - 65 watts 298 dollars
Core i7-10700T 8/16 2.0 GHz 4.4 GHz 4.5 GHz - 3.7 GHz DDR4-2933 UHD 630 35 watts 325 dollars
Core i5-10600K 6/12 4.1 GHz 4.8 GHz - - 4.5 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 125 watts 262 dollars
Core i5-10600KF 6/12 4.1 GHz 4.8 GHz - - 4.5 GHz DDR4-2666 - 125 watts 237 dollars
Core i5-10600 6/12 3.3 GHz 4.8 GHz - - 4.4 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 213 dollars
Core i5-10600T 6/12 2.4 GHz 4.0 GHz - - 3.7 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 35 watts 213 dollars
Core i5-10500 6/12 3.1 GHz 4.5 GHz - - 4.2 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 192 dollars
Core i5-10500T 6/12 2.3 GHz 3.8 GHz - - 3.5 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 35 watts 192 dollars
Core i5-10400 6/12 2.9 GHz 4.3 GHz - - 4.0 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 182 dollars
Core i5-10400F 6/12 2.9 GHz 4.3 GHz - - 4.0 GHz DDR4-2666 - 65 watts 157 dollars
Core i5-10400T 6/12 2.0 GHz 3.6 GHz - - 3.2 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 35 watts 182 dollars
Core i3-10320 4/8 3.8 GHz 4.4 GHz - - 4.4 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 154 dollars
Core i3-10300 4/8 3.7 GHz 4.4 GHz - - 4.2 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 143 dollars
Core i3-10300T 4/8 3.0 GHz 3.9 GHz - - 3.6 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 35 watts 143 dollars
Core i3-10100 4/8 3.6 GHz 4.3 GHz - - 4.1 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 65 watts 122 dollars
Core i3-10100T 4/8 3.0 GHz 3.8 GHz - - 3.5 GHz DDR4-2666 UHD 630 35 watts 122 dollars
Intel 10th Core Desktop Processors (source: Intel)
Intel 10th Core Desktop Processors (source: Intel)
Intel 10th Core Desktop Processors (source: Intel)
Intel 10th Core Desktop Processors (source: Intel)

Test Bench

We used the following system for our benchmarks:

  • Raijintek Paean Benchtable
  • Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i5-10600K
  • MSI Z490 Unify
  • Alphacool Eisbaer 280 AiO
  • Nvidia Titan RTX
  • Corsair RM 1000X Netzteil
  • Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB (2x 16GB - DDR4-3200)
  • Western Digital PC SN720 NVMe SSD 512GB 
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit (Version 1909)

Intel supplied us with both CPUs and the RAM. MSI provided us with the motherboard and our case comes from Raijintek Paean. For our cooling solution, we used the Alphacool Eisbaer 280 AiO.

Intel Comet Lanke-S
Intel Comet Lanke-S
Intel Core i9-10900K and Intel Core i5-10600K
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB
Intel Core i9-10900K
Intel Core i5-10600K
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
MSI Z490 Unify
Intel Core i5-10600K
Intel Core i9-10900K
Intel Core i9-10900K and Intel Core i5-10600K

Overview of the MSI Z490 Unify

MSI Z490 Unify VRM cooling (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify VRM cooling (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify VRM cooling (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify VRM cooling (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify I/O (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify I/O (source: MSI)

We received the Z490 Unify motherboard from our partner MSI just in time to review the new Comet Lake-S processors. We are very thankful that MSI lent us this motherboard. The motherboard impresses with its simplicity and completely forgoes RGB lighting, which is something that quite a few users can appreciate. The box contains the motherboard, a couple of cables, Wi-Fi antennas, a quick start guide and a DVD with drivers. The ATX motherboard has three slots for M.2 solid state drives and three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots. According to MSI, the upper two slots support PCI Express 4.0, but we shall not know for certain whether  this is actually the case until the Rocket Lake-S CPUs come out. Comet Lake-S chips still do not support PCIe 4.0. The four RAM slots support DDR4 modules clocked at up to 4800 MHz. Moreover, users can also connect up to six additional SATA drives to the motherboard.

There are 8 USB ports in total, one of which actually operates at USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 speeds (20 GBit/s). Extreme overclockers will be very pleased to see a PS2 port on the motherboard. Users can transfer data over the Ethernet port at 2.5 GBit/s. When it comes to wireless networking, the Z490 Unify is very future-proof, because it supports Wi-Fi 6.

The motherboard features a 16+1-phase power delivery system and two 8-pin power connectors. A massive heatsink with a heat pipe is attached to the voltage regulator modules, which are responsible for maintaining a steady supply of power. In addition, there is a small fan behind the I/O shield, which is meant to cool the VRMs. It is basically inaudible during operation. Fans of the X570 chipset are significantly louder.

MSI Z490 Unify (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify (source: MSI)
MSI Z490 Unify (source: MSI)

CPU Benchmarks

Intel Core i5-10600K vs. Cinebench R15 1T
Intel Core i5-10600K vs. Cinebench R15 1T
Intel Core i9-10900K vs. Cinebench R15 1T
Intel Core i9-10900K vs. Cinebench R15 1T

The lower base clock of the Intel Core i9-10900K, when compared to the Intel Core i9-9900KS, is offset by its higher boost clock. In our single-core benchmarks, the 10-core CPU took first place, but with a rather slim margin. Here, the 6-core Intel Core i5-10600K is tied with its direct predecessor.

The difference in performance is much easier to see in multi-threaded applications. Here, the Intel Core i9-10900K benefits greatly from two additional cores. The Intel Core i5-10600K is also able to beat its direct predecessor (Intel Core i5-9600K) in thread-heavy applications. Here, Hyper-threading support makes a real difference. However, the 16-core Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD’s flagship mainstream chip, handily beats the Intel Core i9-10900K.

Intel Core i5-10600K

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
HWiNFO

Intel Core i9-10900K

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
HWiNFO
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
224 Points +9%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
217 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
209 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
207 Points +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
205 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
193 Points -6%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4002 Points +176%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
3104 Points +114%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2620 Points +80%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2154 Points +48%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1452 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
1094 Points -25%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
532 Points +15%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
520 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
519 Points +12%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
514 Points +11%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
464 Points
CPU (Multi Core)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
9075 Points +164%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
7065 Points +105%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
6381 Points +85%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
5176 Points +50%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
3443 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2.56 Points +17%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2.46 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.37 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.35 Points +7%
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
2.24 Points +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
2.19 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
43.68 Points +177%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
34.31 Points +118%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29.03 Points +84%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
23.98 Points +52%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
15.76 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
10.98 Points -30%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
10759 Points +12%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
10625 Points +11%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10580 Points +10%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10483 Points +9%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
9594 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
9318 Points -3%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
86232 Points +66%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
80495 Points +55%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
77281 Points +49%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
69169 Points +33%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
51816 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
39494 Points -24%
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
444.4 Seconds * -47%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
302.4 Seconds *
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
205.1 Seconds * +32%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
167.3 Seconds * +45%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
166.8 Seconds * +45%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
125.8 Seconds * +58%
wPrime 2.10
32m
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
6.033 s * -30%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
4.648 s *
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4.112 s * +12%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
3.969 s * +15%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
3.582 s * +23%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.811 s * +40%
1024m
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
176.2 s * -56%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
113.2 s *
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
82 s * +28%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
72.2 s * +36%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
66.3 s * +41%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
44.86 s * +60%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
289.5 (289min - 291max) fps +15%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
281.5 (281min - 284max) fps +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
265 (265min - 266max) fps +5%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
251.5 (250min - 253max) fps
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
250 (250min - 250max) fps -1%
Pass 2
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
168 (168min - 169max) fps +90%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
149 (149min - 149max) fps +69%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
129 (129min - 129max) fps +46%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
88.2 (88min - 88.2max) fps
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
68.8 (68.3min - 69max) fps -22%
WinRAR - Result
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
9739 KB/s +49%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
8550 KB/s +31%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
7539 KB/s +15%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
7409 KB/s +13%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
6536 KB/s
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
5903 KB/s -10%
TrueCrypt
AES Mean 100MB
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
14.6 GB/s +83%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
12.2 GB/s +53%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10.8 GB/s +35%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10.6 GB/s +33%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
8 GB/s
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
5.6 GB/s -30%
Twofish Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
3.6 GB/s +157%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.9 GB/s +107%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
2.6 GB/s +86%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2.1 GB/s +50%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1.4 GB/s
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
0.629 GB/s -55%
Serpent Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.3 GB/s +180%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1.7 GB/s +107%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1.5 GB/s +83%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
1.2 GB/s +46%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
0.82 GB/s
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
0.43 GB/s -48%
Geekbench 5.5
Multi-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12363 Points +71%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
11414 Points +57%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10498 Points +45%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
7248 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
5855 Points -19%
Single-Core
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1449 Points +13%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1306 Points +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1286 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1250 Points -3%
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
1217 Points -5%
Geekbench 5.0
5.0 Multi-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12976 Points +79%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
11407 Points +58%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
11135 Points +54%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
7237 Points
5.0 Single-Core
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
1440 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1315 Points +3%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
1281 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1247 Points -3%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
6348 Points +9%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
6308 Points +8%
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
5916 Points +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
5821 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5749 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
5575 Points -4%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
48962 Points +72%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
43058 Points +52%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
42241 Points +49%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
35586 Points +25%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
28391 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
23810 Points -16%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
22140 Points +39%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
21016 Points +32%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
18585 Points +16%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
18531 Points +16%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
15961 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
11938 Points -25%
7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
99467 MIPS +146%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
76732 MIPS +90%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
70968 MIPS +76%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
56406 MIPS +40%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
40379 MIPS
7z b 4 -mmt1
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
5954 MIPS +13%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
5794 MIPS +10%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5340 MIPS +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
5289 MIPS
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
5185 MIPS -2%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
21 fps +72%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
17.2 fps +41%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
15.8 fps +30%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
12.2 fps
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
8.02 fps -34%
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
0.593 sec *
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
0.542 sec * +9%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
0.528 sec * +11%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
0.524 sec * +12%
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
76 s * -65%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
56.5 s * -23%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
53.6 s * -16%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
46.06 s *
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
255 Points +7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
239 Points 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
239 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
760 ms *
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
709 ms * +7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
706 ms * +7%
3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Physics
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
31881 Points +60%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29374 Points +47%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
27656 Points +39%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
26419 Points +32%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
19942 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
13739 Points -31%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
32004 Points +60%
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
29805 Points +49%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
28453 Points +42%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
26016 Points +30%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
20040 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
13701 Points -32%
2560x1440 Time Spy CPU
Intel Core i9-10900K
i9-10900K, 3700 MHz
14326 Points +73%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12404 Points +50%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
11700 Points +41%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
11375 Points +37%
Intel Core i5-10600K
i5-10600K, 4100 MHz
8290 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
i5-9600K, 3700 MHz
6071 Points -27%

* ... smaller is better

Comet Lake-S vs. Cinebench R15 Loop

Our first look at the stability of the new Intel parts comes from running the multi-core version of Cinebench R15 in a continuous loop. The all-in-one liquid cooler from Alphacool has no trouble keeping the CPUs cool in our open-air test bench. The benchmark results are relatively stable and there are no drops in performance to speak of. The results of the Intel Core i5-10600K are a bit more closely bunched together.

0100200300400500600700800900100011001200130014001500160017001800190020002100220023002400250026002700280029003000310032003300340035003600370038003900Tooltip
Intel Core i5-10600K Intel Core i5-10600K, Intel Core i5-10600K: Ø1408 (1402.92-1413.73)
Intel Core i9-10900K Intel Core i9-10900K, Intel Core i9-10900K: Ø2598 (2576.32-2623.98)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD Ryzen 9 3900X: Ø3013 (2997.15-3049.71)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3950X: Ø3967 (3957.65-3990.42)
Intel Core i5-9600K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Intel Core i5-9600K, Intel Core i5-9600K: Ø998 (983.72-1005.76)
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX Intel Core i9-9900KS, Intel Core i9-9900KS: Ø1952 (1736.19-2159.71)

Productivity Benchmarks

Here, both chips perform equally well. In daily use, you will not be able to tell whether you are using the Intel Core i5-10600K or the Intel Core i9-10900K. There are no clear winners or losers in the synthetic benchmarks.  

PCMark 10 - Score
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8112 Points +11%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7869 Points +8%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7641 Points +5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7309 Points 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7279 Points
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
6261 Points -14%
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5388 Points +5%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5349 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5240 Points +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5148 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5115 Points -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4983 Points -3%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10910 Points +5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10402 Points +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10383 Points 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10349 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10245 Points -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
8057 Points -22%
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5820 Points +12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5404 Points +4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5345 Points +3%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5212 Points
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5185 Points -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
4740 Points -9%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
172.2 fps +9%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
158.2 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
157.6 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.8 fps -3%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
144.9 fps -8%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
79.3 fps -50%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
264.9 fps +2%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
263.3 fps +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
259.1 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
254.8 fps -2%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
250.1 fps -3%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
28.51 fps -89%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
196.1 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.9 fps -1%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
192.4 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
190.9 fps -3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.3 fps -4%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
115.3 fps -41%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.8 fps 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.6 fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.5 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.1 fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
86.4 fps -9%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
50.1 fps -47%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.7 fps +11%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
184.6 fps +9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
172.2 fps +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
169.4 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.8 fps -9%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
80.3 fps -53%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.77 fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.72 fps 0%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.69 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.18 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
27.81 fps -3%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
12.64 fps -56%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
157.2 fps +10%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
154.5 fps +8%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
142.7 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
134.8 fps -6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
133.9 fps -6%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
60.8 fps -57%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
225.2 fps +5%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
224 fps +4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
218.4 fps +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
215.5 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
214.3 fps -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
157.1 fps -27%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
297.4 fps 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
296.9 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
284.5 fps -4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
283 fps -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps -8%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
128.9 fps -57%
SPECviewperf 13
Solidworks (sw-04)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
166.2 fps +8%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.9 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.2 fps 0%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
152.8 fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
149.9 fps -3%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
97 fps -37%
Siemens NX (snx-03)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
477.8 fps +2%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
472.9 fps +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
469.1 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
460 fps -2%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
450.6 fps -4%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
51.4 fps -89%
Showcase (showcase-02)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
195.1 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.1 fps -1%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.1 fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
191.8 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
186.8 fps -4%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
115.4 fps -41%
Medical (medical-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90.3 fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90 fps 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
89.7 fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.7 fps -1%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.5 fps -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
38.09 fps -58%
Maya (maya-05)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
407.9 fps +5%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
405.9 fps +5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
394.9 fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
394.9 fps +2%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
387.5 fps
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
196.1 fps -49%
Energy (energy-02)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.3 fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.2 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.4 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.3 fps -2%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.3 fps -2%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
15.2 fps -71%
Creo (creo-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
339.2 fps +2%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
336.3 fps +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
331.7 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
328.8 fps -1%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
327.9 fps -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
109.5 fps -67%
Catia (catia-05)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
362.1 fps +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
355.2 fps +4%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
346.2 fps +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
341.7 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
339.4 fps -1%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
233.5 fps -32%
3ds Max (3dsmax-06)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
294.4 fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX
292.5 fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
285.1 fps -3%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
280.4 fps -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps -7%
Intel Core i5-9600K
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
130.4 fps -56%

Still the Fastest Gaming CPU

Intel still offers the world’s fastest gaming CPU. The Intel Core i9-10900K can achieve very high frame rates as long as it is not GPU-bound. However, once you introduce a GPU bottleneck by increasing the resolution or graphics settings the performance advantage that it has evaporates. Nevertheless, the Intel Core i9-10900K is still the CPU of choice for those who need or want the highest frame rates possible. The Intel Core i5-10600K falls slightly behind the highest-end model, but it is still an exceptional gaming CPU. Both Intel chips deliver better gaming performance with an Nvidia Titan RTX than the two Ryzen 9 CPUs from AMD. 

Performance Rating - Percent
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
98.9 pt
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
92.9 pt
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
91.3 pt
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
83.2 pt
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
81.5 pt
Borderlands 3
1280x720 Very Low Overall Quality (DX11)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
191.1 fps +15%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
166 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
164 fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
159 fps -4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
155 fps -7%
1920x1080 Badass Overall Quality (DX11)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
117 fps +3%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
114 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
112 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
109 fps -4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
107 fps -6%
Metro Exodus
1280x720 Low Quality AF:4x
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
220 (124.13min - 328.3max) fps +5%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
210 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
180.9 (102min - 280max) fps -14%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
159 (93.09min - 238.27max) fps -24%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
151 (88.4min - 229.52max) fps -28%
1920x1080 Ultra Quality AF:16x
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
109 (54.08min - 184.88max) fps 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
109 (55.97min - 176.52max) fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
101.8 (54min - 161max) fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
98.8 (49.5min - 151.52max) fps -9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
97.1 (47.45min - 144.72max) fps -11%
Far Cry New Dawn
1280x720 Low Preset
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
151 (114min - 207max) fps +3%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
147 (112min - 209max) fps 0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
147 (112min - 212max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
135 (103min - 194max) fps -8%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
122 (94min - 177max) fps -17%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
116 (82min - 183max) fps +6%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
109 (77min - 171max) fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
98 (70min - 139max) fps -10%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
94 (68min - 147max) fps -14%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
92 (64min - 140max) fps -16%
Forza Horizon 4
1280x720 Very Low Preset
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
246 fps +11%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
232 fps +5%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
222 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
209 fps -6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
190 fps -14%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
193 fps +3%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
187 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
185 fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
173 fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
158 fps -16%
Far Cry 5
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
193 (151min - 263max) fps +23%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
184 (145min - 244max) fps +17%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
157 (125min - 208max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
154 (120min - 201max) fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
141 (115min - 182max) fps -10%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
149 (110min - 200max) fps +18%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
131 (97min - 172max) fps +4%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
126 (86min - 173max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
120 (94min - 159max) fps -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
112 (86min - 146max) fps -11%
X-Plane 11.11
1280x720 low (fps_test=1)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
149 fps +12%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
148 fps +11%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
133 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
127 fps -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
125 fps -6%
1920x1080 high (fps_test=3)
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
109 fps +13%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
106 fps +10%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
96.8 fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
92.8 fps -4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
91.2 fps -6%
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
1280x720 Lite Quality
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
221 (135min - 247max) fps +10%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
219 (138min - 247max) fps +9%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
201 (101min - 247max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
187 (115min - 243max) fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
179 fps -11%
1920x1080 High Quality
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
142 (88min - 220max) fps +1%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
140 (80min - 214max) fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
127 (70min - 206max) fps -9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
122 (84min - 184max) fps -13%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
120 fps -14%
Dota 2 Reborn
1280x720 min (0/3) fastest
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
198.8 (172min) fps +16%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
183 (161.1min) fps +7%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
171.6 (149.6min) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
162.1 (142.4min) fps -6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
160.5 (139.7min) fps -6%
1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
172.2 (143min) fps +16%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
154.5 (135.2min) fps +4%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
148.1 (128.3min) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
136 (119.1min) fps -8%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
130.8 (115min) fps -12%
The Witcher 3
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
518 (463min - 597max) fps +25%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
426 (398min - 477max) fps +3%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
413 (379min - 462max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
388 (341min - 450max) fps -6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
344 (318min - 389max) fps -17%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
140 (126min - 155max) fps
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
139 (129min - 151max) fps -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
138 (125min - 151max) fps -1%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS
130 (111min - 140max) fps -7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
126 (108min - 141max) fps -10%

Intel Core i9-10900K + Nvidia Titan RTX

low med. high ultraQHD4K
The Witcher 3 (2015) 518 400 265 139 103
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 198.8 181 174.2 172.2 158.9
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 221 187 142 65.4
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 149 130 106 91.9
Far Cry 5 (2018) 193 169 159 149 137 83
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 204 180 173 165 122 67
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) 246 218 216 193 164 117
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) 151 120 113 98 97 85
Metro Exodus (2019) 220 175 136 109 86.4 55.1
Borderlands 3 (2019) 191.1 166.7 139 117 85 46.5

Intel Core i5-10600K + Nvidia Titan RTX

low med. high ultraQHD4K
The Witcher 3 (2015) 413 371 258 140 101
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 171.6 160.6 155.2 148.1 146.1
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 201 176 140 64.5
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 133 118 96.8 83.7
Far Cry 5 (2018) 157 139 132 126 121 81
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 178 161 156 149 122 66
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) 222 200 200 187 164 117
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) 147 125 120 109 113 83
Metro Exodus (2019) 210 164 135 109 86.3 53.9
Borderlands 3 (2019) 166 143 130 114 86 47.9

Energy Consumption - 10 Cores Exact Their Toll

The Intel Core i5-10600K during the stress test
The Intel Core i5-10600K during the stress test
The Intel Core i9-10900K during the stress test
The Intel Core i9-10900K during the stress test

The energy consumption is what most people talk about when they talk about the new Comet Lake-S processors. The Intel Core i9-10900K can draw up to 250 watts for 56 seconds. The power consumption of the Core i9-10900K in the multi-core Cinebench R15 continuous loop amounts to approximately 269 watts. This result means that Intel’s 10-core chip draws more power than AMD’s 16-core processor in the same benchmark. Here, the energy consumption of the mid-range Core i5-10600K is much lower, amounting to 173 watts. 

In the Prime95 stress test, the 10-core chip drew 275 watts and the 6-core part consumed 204 watts. Here, Intel outdid itself. The Core i9-10900K draws more power than the Core i9-9900KS, but this should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Under load, even an all-in-one liquid cooler from Alphacool struggles to keep the Intel Core i9-10900K cool enough. The ten-core chip reached 88 °C (190.4°F) in our stress test. The Core i5-10600K ( 158°F) is easier to cool. During the stress test, it only got up to about 70 °C.

Please Note:

Because the power consumption varied greatly on the MSI Z490 Unify, we used the Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Master to measure the power draw.

Power Consumption
1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
423.6 (400min - 442max) Watt * -9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 87.4 W)
419.1 Watt * -8%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
396.2 (380min - 475max) Watt * -2%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
387.6 (381min - 461max) Watt * -0%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
386.9 (380min - 404max) Watt *
Intel Core i5-9600K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i5-9600K
363.7 (403min) Watt * +6%
Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
275.7 (254min - 385max) Watt * -35%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
259.6 (231min - 317max) Watt * -27%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
204.4 (191min - 261max) Watt *
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
198.8 (185min - 240max) Watt * +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 87.4 W)
193.6 Watt * +5%
Intel Core i5-9600K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i5-9600K
145.9 (143min - 155max) Watt * +29%
Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-9900KS, Nvidia Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
295.4 (291min - 298max) Watt * -71%
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G (Idle: 52.3 W)
268.5 (265min - 270max) Watt * -56%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
219.5 (218min - 225max) Watt * -27%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 87.4 W)
214.6 Watt * -24%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K (Idle: 52.2 W)
172.5 (170min - 176max) Watt *
Intel Core i5-9600K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i5-9600K
134 (132min - 135max) Watt * +22%
Temperatures - CPU Temperature Prime95
Intel Core i9-10900K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-10900K, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G
88 °C +26%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5
83.8 °C +20%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600
74 °C +6%
Intel Core i5-10600K
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i5-10600K
70 °C

* ... smaller is better

System power consumption (idle) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (idle) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (Prime95) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (Prime95) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (Cinebench-R15 multi-core loop) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (Cinebench-R15 multi-core loop) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 on the highest settings) - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 on the highest settings) - Core i5-10600K
Stress test with Prime95 - Core i5-10600K
Stress test with Prime95 - Core i5-10600K
System power consumption (idle) - Core i9-10900K
System power consumption (idle) - Core i9-10900K
System power consumption (Prime95) - Core i9-10900K
System power consumption (Prime95) - Core i9-10900K
System power consumption (Cinebench-R15 multi-core loop) - 10900K
System power consumption (Cinebench-R15 multi-core loop) - 10900K
System power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 on the highest settings) - Core i9-10900K
System power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 on the highest settings) - Core i9-10900K
Stress test with Prime95 - Core i9-10900K
Stress test with Prime95 - Core i9-10900K

Overclocking - Not Recommend

Despite the fact that the Intel CPUs are built for maximum performance, we made a few overclocking attempts. All “K” chips offer an unlocked multiplier, which greatly simplifies the overclocking process. In our case, we were able to achieve a stable 5.3-GHz overclock with the Intel Core i9-10900K. However, with this overclock, our system drew 336 watts in the Cinebench R15 multi-core loop, which is 67 watts more than what the stock configuration consumed. When overclocking the Intel Core i5-10600K we saw very similar results. Here, we were able to achieve a 5.0-GHz all-core overclock, with the power draw jumping from 173 watts to 266 watts in the Cinebench R15 multi-core loop.

Cinebench R15 - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
Cinebench R15 - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
system power consumption (Cinebench R15 multi-core loop) - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
system power consumption (Cinebench R15 multi-core loop) - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
Cinebench R20 - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
Cinebench R20 - Core i5-10600K @ 5.0 GHz
Cinebench R15 - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz
Cinebench R15 - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz
system power consumption (Cinebench R15 multi-core loop) - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz
system power consumption (Cinebench R15 multi-core loop) - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz
Cinebench R20 - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz
Cinebench R20 - Core i9-10900K @ 5.3 GHz

Intel Core i9-10900K

Pros

+ great gaming performance
+ great productivity performance
+ low power draw at idle

Cons

- high energy consumption under load
- needs very good cooling
- no PCI Express 4.0

Intel Core i5-10600K

Pros

+ great gaming performance
+ great performance in productivity applications
+ low power draw in idle operation
+ 6 cores and 12 threads

Cons

- high energy consumption under load
- no PCI-Express 4.0

Verdict — Still the world’s fastest gaming CPU

Intel Core i9-10900K and Intel Core i5-10600K - Provided courtesy of: Intel Germany
Intel Core i9-10900K and Intel Core i5-10600K - Provided courtesy of: Intel Germany

With Comet Lake-S CPUs, Intel brings 10-core chips to the mainstream for the first time. However, those who would like to upgrade will have to get a new motherboard, because the LGA 1151 socket has been replaced with LGA 1200. There are four new chipsets, with the Z490 being the top offering. 

Both the Intel Core i9-10900K and the Intel Core i5-10600K did very well in our review. The Core i9-10900K is Intel’s flagship chip on the new socket. It offers a very high level of performance in video games. Thanks to 10 physical cores, the processor performs very well in multi-threaded applications, which gives it an edge over the Intel Core i9-9900KS. However, Intel’s chip fails to outperform its AMD counterparts in many thread-heavy workloads.

The Intel Core i9-10900K is the fastest gaming CPU. However, this is a pyrrhic victory for Intel, because its 10-core CPU draws 250 watts during its 56-second Turbo Boost period.

All in all, Intel brought 32 new processors to the market. We were also able to take a look at the Core i5-10600K, which is Intel’s mid-range offering. It has 6 cores and supports Hyper-threading, which was previously reserved only to high-end models. When compared to the Intel Core i5-9600K, the Core i5-10600K offers a greater level of performance. The mid-range Comet Lake-S chip did very well in our gaming benchmarks as well.

There is a major drawback, though, which has to do with the fact that new CPUs consume a lot of power. Moreover, Intel still uses the 14-nm node to make these chips, which is starting to show its age. We shall see whether Rocket Lake-S chips will be built using the same process or not.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Benchmarking Intel Comet Lake-S CPUs with up to 10 cores
Sebastian Bade, 2020-05-22 (Update: 2020-07-29)