Intel Core i9-10850K edges closer to a shipping product, could be priced to tackle AMD's Ryzen 9 3900X

Intel’s Core i9-10850K first surfaced earlier this month in a Geekbench record that now looks increasingly likely to be authentic. Now the apparent retail box details have also surfaced and at least one retailer has already listed the chip on its website for purchase. Despite this, Intel has yet to make an official announcement about the existence of its latest Comet Lake S-based silicon, which is surprising given its potential strategic value.

The Core i9-10850K is something of an outlier in Intel’s current line up, but there are hints that it might exist to tackle AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X on pricing with suggestions it could match it at between US$415 to US$430. It features the same 10 cores, 20 threads and 20 MB of L3 cache as the i9-10900K model but looks to be clocked a mere 100 Hz slower at 3.6 GHz for its base clock. Its TDP is also likely to sit at the same 125 W, which is the thermal profile for the unlocked ‘K’ models in the Comet Lake S line up.

If the Core i9-10850K is priced either at the same price point as the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, or slightly lower, it will pose an interesting prospect for customers who have until now been thinking that they might opt for team Red this generation. After all, the Ryzen 9 3900X poses a tempting proposition with 12 cores and 24 threads, a 3.8 GHz base clock and support for 24 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. That said, Intel still has the stronger overall reputation and the thought of going team Blue for a Core i9 with overclocking potential for the same dollars could be what is needed to tip the balance back in Intel’s favor.