Intel Enthusiast Gaming Build: CPU
While all of the components we are selecting here today are what we would go with, and priced from vendors we trust, it is always a good idea to shop around as deals on these, or other good options, pop up from other reliable vendors all the time. With that said, let’s dive right into the first order of business.
CPU
Intel Core i9-10900K $499.99 (Currently $599.99)
60 FPS
- King Of The Intel Hill In Gaming Performance
- 5.3GHz Max Turbo
30 FPS
- 10 Core Product, If That Matters For Other Things You Do
- Toasty TDP
- No HSF Included
CPU Alternate
Intel Core i9-10900F $422.99 (Currently $429.99)
60 FPS
- Close Second To i9-10900K
- 5.2GHz Max Turbo
30 FPS
- Lower Base Clocks Than i9-10900K (2.8Ghz)
- Lower Max Turbo Than i9-10900K (100MHz difference)
- 10 Core Product, If That Matters For Other Things You Do
- No HSF Included
So, starting off our Summer update we have a changing of the guard among Intel processors. Which, to be honest, is a good thing since the Core i9-9900KS was never a “real” product anyway. Slotting in as our number 1 choice now is the much more real i9-10900K from Intel’s latest refresh. There is no doubt about it that the Core i9-10900K is the current “champ” of the Enthusiast portion of Intel’s lineup when it comes to high-end gaming in this price range. In fact, our own Dan Dobrowlski opined; “In a way, the 10900K is extremely impressive given that its another modified Skylake. As a gaming processor, it works very well and should be worth consideration for that role in a way the 9900K never could. See, the 9900K was the fastest gaming processor, but it had no real lead over AMD. In some cases, the 10900K absolutely does. The 9900K had the problem of being on a dead-end socket. In contrast, LGA 1200 is brand new today, and indications are that it will have some legs to it by Intel standards. It may very well last the remainder of AM4’s life span. That’s something to consider.” Sure, you can get a product that has a higher core count from Intel and drop it in here, but that isn’t a decision that is going to yield you much in the way of gaming performance at this time.
For those looking to shave some cost of their system, but not sacrifice much in the way of performance, the Core i9-10900F makes an excellent alternate pick. You end up giving up on the base clock speed a bit, but you do keep almost the same Max Turbo speeds as with the Core i9-10900K. On top of that, both chips seem to be overclocking friendly so that lower base clock probably won’t hinder your gaming action much if you stretch this processor’s legs a bit.