Intel’s Core i9-10850K 10 Core CPU On Sale For $400 US, Offering More Cores Than AMD Ryzen at a Cheaper Price

Hassan Mujtaba
In April 2020, Intel announces new desktop processors as part of the 10th Gen Intel Core processor family, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

It looks like the tides have turned and Intel CPUs are now being sold at cheaper prices compared to AMD's Ryzen offering while featuring a higher number of cores and threads. The Core i9-10850K is the prime example of this which offers higher cores, threads, and clock speeds than AMD's 8 core & 16 thread Ryzen 7 5800X.

Intel Core i9-10850K CPU With 10 Cores Now Cheaper Than AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X With 8 Cores

The Intel Core i9-10850K was launched back in July 2020 for a price of $450 US. The chip was meant to be an alternative to the Core i9-10900K which was facing yield issues and supply shortages when it launched. Almost every tech outlet that had tested the chip called the Core i9-10850K as the best gaming CPU for its price and performance. It delivered the same performance as the expensive i9-10900K for $50 US lower and now, the chip can be found for a price of around $400 US which puts it in a very competitive position against AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X.

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The Intel Core i9-10850K can be seen listed at various retailers for a price lower than AMD's 8 Core Ryzen 7 5800X. The lowest price it's listed for is $399.99 US and that's over at Microcenter. Retailers including Amazon & Newegg have the chip listed for a lower price point than what it was being sold at launch. At Microcenter, the Ryzen 7 5800X is listed for $449.99 US which is $50 US higher than i9-10900K.

Intel Core i9-10850K CPU Specifications

Summing up the specs, the Intel Core i9-10850K CPU (BX8070110850K) features 10 cores and 20 threads. The final clock speeds for the chip are configured at 3.60 GHz base (3.70 GHz on the Core i9-10900K) & 5.2 GHz boost (5.3 GHz on the Core i9-10900K). The CPU retains 20 MB of L3 & a total of 2.5 MB L2 cache.

A photo released on April 30, 2020, shows a die from a 10th Gen Intel Core processor. (Source: Intel Corporation)

The TDP for the Core i9-10850K is the same as the Core i9-10900K, set at 125W (PL1) default state and 250W (PL2) boost state. The CPU is compatible with the LGA 1200 socket featured on both the Z490 and Z590 series motherboards.

Intel 10th Gen Unlocked CPU Specs:

CPU NameCores / ThreadsBase ClockSingle-Core Boost ClockTurbo Boost Max 3.0 (Single-Core)All Core Boost ClockCacheTDPPrice
Intel Core i9-10900K10/203.7 GHz5.1 GHz
5.3 GHz (Velocity)
5.2 GHz4.8 GHz
4.9 GHz (Velocity)
20 MB125W$488 US
Intel Core i9-10900KF10/203.7 GHz5.1 GHz
5.3 GHz (Velocity)
5.2 GHz4.8 GHz
4.9 GHz (Velocity)
20 MB125W$472 US
Intel Core i9-10850K10/203.6 GHz5.2 GHzN/A4.8 GHz20 MB125W$453 US
Intel Core i7-10700K8/163.8 GHz5.0 GHz5.1 GHz4.7 GHz16 MB125W$374 US
Intel Core i7-10700KF8/163.8 GHz5.0 GHz5.1 GHz4.7 GHz16 MB125W$349 US
Intel Core i5-10600K6/124.1 GHz4.8 GHzN/A4.5 GHz12 MB125W$262 US
Intel Core i5-10600KF6/124.1 GHz4.8 GHzN/A4.5 GHz12 MB125W$237 US

For this price, the Intel Core i9-10850K is an impressive chip considering it has more horsepower than the Ryzen 7 5800X at a lower price point and even offers better single-core performance than the more expensive Ryzen 9 3900X. The Ryzen 9 5900X on the other hand is on a whole different level but at the same time, costs much more too. With that said, Intel is going to launch its next-gen Rocket Lake CPUs in March with the new flagship 11900K CPU being the highlight but the recently leaked benchmarks point out that the 10 core 10th Gen parts might retain a slight edge over their Cypress Cove based successors.

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