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Intel Core i9-10900

Intel Core i9-10900: A Comprehensive Review of the 2020 Processor in 2025

As of April 2025

Key Specifications: Architecture and Performance

Codename and Manufacturing Process

The Intel Core i9-10900, released in 2020, belongs to the Comet Lake-S family and is built on a 14nm manufacturing process. Despite the dominance of 7nm and 5nm chips by 2025, the 14nm processor remains relevant due to architectural optimizations.

Cores, Threads, and Cache

- 10 cores / 20 threads (Hyper-Threading);

- Base frequency: 2.8 GHz, maximum in Turbo Boost: 5.2 GHz;

- L3 Cache: 20 MB.

Performance

- Geekbench 6: 1690 (single-core), 8379 (multi-core).

For comparison, contemporary processors in 2025 (e.g., AMD Ryzen 7 8700G) score around 2200 in single-core tests, but the i9-10900 remains competitive in multi-threaded tasks.

Key Features

- Thermal Velocity Boost – automatic overclocking at low temperatures;

- Intel UHD Graphics 630 – integrated graphics for basic tasks;

- Support for up to 128 GB DDR4.

Compatible Motherboards: Socket and Chipsets

LGA 1200 Socket

The processor requires motherboards with the LGA 1200 socket. By 2025, such motherboards are no longer in production, but new units are still available in stock:

- Budget: ASUS Prime H510M-K ($90–110) – for office builds;

- Gaming: MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon WiFi ($220–250) – overclocking and PCIe 4.0 (though the processor only supports PCIe 3.0);

- Professional: Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Xtreme ($300+) – powerful VRM and cooling.

Selection Tips

- Z490/Z590 chipsets support RAM overclocking;

- H470/B460 limit memory frequency (up to 2933 MHz);

- Check for BIOS updates for compatibility with i9-10900.

Supported Memory: DDR4 and Limitations

The processor works only with DDR4 (DDR5 is not supported). Recommendations:

- For gaming: 16–32 GB DDR4-3200 (e.g., Corsair Vengeance LPX, $60–120);

- For work tasks: 64–128 GB DDR4-2933 (important to enable XMP in BIOS).

Important: On motherboards with H510/B460 chipsets, the maximum frequency may be limited to 2666 MHz.

Power Supply Units: Power Calculation

With a TDP of 65W, the i9-10900 is energy efficient, but requires a quality PSU:

- Without a discrete GPU: 300–400W (e.g., be quiet! Pure Power 11 400W, $55);

- With GPU level NVIDIA RTX 4070: 600–750W (Seasonic Focus GX-650, $90);

- For overclocking: 750+W with 80+ Gold certification (Corsair RM750x, $120).

Tip: Avoid cheap PSUs – unstable power supply can shorten component lifespan.

Pros and Cons: Why Should (or Should Not) You Buy in 2025?

Advantages:

1. High multi-threaded performance – suitable for rendering and streaming;

2. Low power consumption for a 10-core CPU;

3. Integrated graphics for backup use.

Disadvantages:

1. Outdated 14nm manufacturing process – heats up under load (requires a good cooler);

2. No support for PCIe 4.0 or DDR5;

3. Price ($250–300) – for the same amount, you can buy a new Ryzen 5 8600G with PCIe 5.0.

Use Cases: Who is the i9-10900 Relevant For?

1. Gaming: Paired with RTX 4060/4070, it delivers 60+ FPS at 1440p (Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2). However, in CPU-intensive games (like Microsoft Flight Simulator), it lags behind the new Ryzen 7.

2. Work Tasks: Video editing in Premiere Pro, 3D rendering in Blender. Users report stability during long sessions.

3. Multimedia: Streaming through OBS – 10 cores can handle encoding and gaming simultaneously.

Example: A video editing studio based on i9-10900 + RTX 3060 + 64 GB RAM processes 4K video without lag.

Comparison with Competitors: AMD vs Intel

- AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (2020): 12 cores / 24 threads, 7nm, Geekbench 6 Multi ~9000. Price: $280. Plus – PCIe 4.0, minus – higher TDP (105W).

- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (2022): 8 cores / 16 threads, 5nm, Geekbench 6 Multi ~11000. Price: $300. Faster in games but more expensive.

- Intel Core i5-13600K (2023): 14 cores, hybrid architecture. Geekbench 6 Multi ~12000. Price: $320.

Conclusion: The i9-10900 is worthwhile only when purchasing used components or upgrading an old system.

Assembly Tips: How to Avoid Mistakes

1. Cooling: Use a tower cooler (Noctua NH-D15, $100) or AIO (NZXT Kraken X53, $130). The stock cooler won't manage under load!

2. Case: Choose models with good ventilation (Lian Li Lancool 216, $100).

3. Storage: NVMe SSD with PCIe 3.0 (Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB, $80) – the processor does not support PCIe 4.0.

4. Upgrade: Don’t plan to switch to DDR5 – it's a dead-end.

Conclusion: Who is the Core i9-10900 Suitable for in 2025?

This processor is worth considering:

- Owners of old PCs on LGA 1200 for an upgrade without replacing the motherboard;

- Enthusiasts building a budget workstation for editing or rendering;

- Those who value stability and proven architecture.

However, if you're starting a build from scratch, it's better to look into modern platforms (AM5 or LGA 1700) with support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.

Prices are current as of April 2025. They are for new devices.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

April 2020

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i9-10900

Code Name

Comet Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

2.80 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

5.20 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

5.00 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Frequency

Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 identifies the best performing core(s) on a processor and provides increased performance on those cores through increasing frequency as needed by taking advantage of power and thermal headroom. Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 frequency is the clock frequency of the CPU when running in this mode.

5.10 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0

Yes

L3 Cache

20 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1200

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

65 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2933

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

45.8 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.20 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2160@30Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

20 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1690

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

8379

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1250

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

7915

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3145

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

23042

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Pentium Gold 8505

1914 +13.3%

Ryzen 5 6600H

1782 +5.4%

Core i9-10900

1690

EPYC 8534P

1641 -2.9%

EPYC 7713P

1572 -7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Xeon Gold 6238R

9306 +11.1%

Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U

8770 +4.7%

Core i9-10900

8379

Ryzen 5 5600GT

7939 -5.3%

Xeon E5-2678 v3

7467 -10.9%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Ryzen 7 3800XT

1334 +6.7%

Core i5-1140G7

1290 +3.2%

Core i9-10900

1250

Core i5-10505

1207 -3.4%

Xeon W-3275M

1174 -6.1%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Ryzen 5 PRO 7640U

8931 +12.8%

Core i7-12700H

8372 +5.8%

Core i9-10900

7915

Xeon Gold 5120T

7565 -4.4%

Core i3-14100F

7188 -9.2%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Xeon W-11855M

3274 +4.1%

Ryzen 5 5500GT

3210 +2.1%

Core i9-10900

3145

Core i7-10700

3059 -2.7%

Xeon W-1250P

2978 -5.3%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Core i9-11900K

25322 +9.9%

Ryzen 7 7735HS

24219 +5.1%

Core i9-10900

23042

Core i9-10850K

22516 -2.3%

Xeon E7-8891 v3

21615 -6.2%