Intel is planning to launch F-series versions of its 10th-generation Comet Lake chips alongside K-series and standard CPUs, bringing the total count of new-generation CPUs to 18, with as many as four versions of the same CPU in some cases. The F-series alternatives have the same core counts, clock speeds, and TDPs, but they will be sold with no onboard graphics, which could make them slightly cheaper.
The F-series alternative CPUs were first introduced with Intel’s eighth and ninth generation Coffee Lake CPUs, with the Core i3-8100F, i3-9350KF, i5-9400F, and i9-9900KF. They debuted at the same price as their counterparts with graphics, but over time we’ve seen the price of the CPUs with deactivated onboard GPUs fall to around $25 less than the non-F alternative. That’s not always the case. Sometimes the discounts can be greater, sometimes less. In general though, F-series CPUs tend to be a little cheaper. As you might expect, considering they offer less for your money.
But they also make for a more confusing CPU lineup. If you look at the standard specifications for Intel’s upcoming Comet Lake lineup, there is nothing obvious to differentiate the F-series from the non-F series, and it brings the count of new CPUs to 18, as VideoCardz reports, despite the minimal differences between some models.
As Informatico Cero’s slide leak confirms, the 10900KF is a 10-core CPU with support for 20 threads, a base clock of 3.7GHz, a “Max Turbo 3.0” boost clock of 5.2GHz, and an all-core turbo of 4.8GHz. The 10900K is a 10-core CPU with support for up to 20 threads, a base clock of 3.7GHz, a “Max Turbo 3.0” boost clock of 5.2GHz, and an all-core turbo of 4.8GHz. But it has on board graph
There’s the 10900, which has the same cores, the same threads, but a slightly lower base and boost clock, and a near-half TDP if the 10900K and KF. Then there’s the 10900F, which is the same, but without graphics. And that’s just the very top-tier CPU in the lineup. There are other instances of 2-3 versions of the same CPU. That’s great for choice, and will mean there’s a CPU for everyone in the new generation — if you don’t want to buy one of the hot new AMD Ryzen 3000 CPUs that is — but it also makes for a messy and confusing lineup, even when you have plenty of specifications to compare chips on.
