In an article extolling the benefits of PC gaming, Intel executive John Bonini (VP and GM of Client Computing Group Desktop, Workstations and Gaming) confirmed that the company’s 11th Gen Core desktop processors (i.e., Rocket Lake-S) would be launching in Q1 2021. That lines up well with yesterday’s reports, which suggested that the 14 nm CPUs would debut by the end of March.
“Our 10th Gen Intel Core processors continue to provide excellent performance and a stable platform for even the most demanding games,” wrote Bonini. “Ultimately, I believe there’s a great 10th Gen option that addresses the needs for every type of gamer — from casual players, to the most dedicated and passionate enthusiasts.”
“Though as you’d expect, we’re constantly looking ahead at what’s next and how we can make our desktop CPUs even better. With that said, I’m also happy to confirm that the next generation 11th Gen Intel Core desktop processors (codenamed “Rocket Lake”) is coming in the first quarter of 2021 and will provide support for PCIe 4.0. It’ll be another fantastic processor for gaming, and we’re excited to disclose more details in the near future. There’s a lot more to come, so stay tuned!”
Bonini also pointed out that Intel still holds the crown in terms of processor frequency. “Intel’s current generation of processors — led by the Core i9–10900K on desktop and the Core i9–10980HK on mobile — achieves an industry-leading 5.3 GHz,” he boasted.
It’ll be interesting to see how Intel’s upcoming Rocket Lake-S lineup fares against AMD’s Ryzen 5000 Series (Zen 3), which we’ll be learning more about tomorrow. Rumors are that red team have made some significant advances in the clock speed department, so Intel may have to revise its marketing materials.