Intel today introduced the first ever Intel Core i9 processor for laptops at its global Beijing event. “The 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor is the highest-performance laptop processor Intel has ever built to deliver the best gaming and content creation experience on the go,” said that company.
Intel also announced a new Intel Core platform extension that brings together the benefits of 8th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Optane memory, rounded out its family of high-performance desktop CPUs and chipsets that deliver modern standby and ambient computing capabilities, and shared new details on the 8th Gen Intel Core vPro platform.
The vPro platform allows business owners to remotely manage large deployments of PCs used by employees. It also includes hardware-based biometric authentication and encryption, secure booting with malware protection and BIOS integrity verification, and identity theft mitigation. Thin-and-light laptops with 8th Gen processors and vPro will be available first, followed by mainstream laptops, desktops, and workstations.
The new 8th Gen Intel Core i9, i7 and i5 processors for laptops are based on the Coffee Lake platform and leverage the 14nm++ process technology enabling them to deliver up to 41% more frames per second in gameplay or edit 4K video up to 59 percent faster than the previous generation with same discrete graphics.
At the top of the stack, the 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor is optimized to push the limits of performance. It is the first mobile Intel processor with six cores and 12 threads. It comes fully unlocked and features the new Intel Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB), which opportunistically and automatically increases clock frequency up to 200 MHz if the processor temperature is low enough and turbo power budget is available. This translates to a turbo frequency of up to 4.8 GHz.
Intel also introduced new 300 Series Chipset, which adds integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi that is 2 times faster than standard 2×2 802.11AC 80 MHz (867 Mbps). Intel Optane memory is available across both 8th Gen Intel Core mobile and desktop platforms. Intel has also introduced a new Data Drive Acceleration feature that delivers a boost to a large secondary HDD data drive. This provides up to 4.7 times the game loading4 and 1.7 times faster media loading.5
Intel Core i5+, i7+ and i9+ badges are now seen on select systems to indicate that the include combination of Intel Core performance with the acceleration of Intel Optane memory.