Intel is unveiling its 8th Generation Intel Core i9 processor for laptop computers, and it is targeting it at mobile gamers, virtual reality fans, and content creators. The new chip offers “enthusiast level” performance, and it is the fastest laptop processor that Intel has ever built.
The chips are aimed at fueling the growth of the rapidly expanding PC gaming industry with new laptops that can provide desktop-like gaming performance and virtual reality on the run. Overall, the 8th Gen Core i9 is 29 percent better in performance compared to the previous generation 7th Gen Core i7.
Intel also announced a new Intel Core platform extension that brings together the benefits of its processors with Intel Optane memory, a new kind of flash memory for caching. It is also rounding out its family of high-performance desktop CPUs and chipsets which deliver modern standby and ambient computing capabilities, and shared new details on the 8th Gen Intel Core vPro platform for businesses.
The new Core i9, i7 and i5 processors for laptops are based on the Coffee Lake platform and leverage the 14-nanometer-plus process technology. The processors can deliver up to 41 percent more frames per second in gameplay. And they can edit 4K video up to 59 percent faster than the previous generation with same discrete graphics.
At the high end, the 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor is optimized for 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 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, compared to 3.9 GHz for the Core i7 7th Gen processor. Intel is touting the ability of the chip to stream and record without compromising gameplay while still enabling portability.
The chip is also primed for the “smoothest and highest-quality mobile VR” and new Windows Mixed Reality Ultra experiences. The highest-performance mobile 8th Gen Intel Core processor family also adds a new Intel 300 Series Chipset, which adds integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi for a fast connection that is capable of being up to two times faster than standard 2×2 802.11AC 80MHz (867 Mbps).
Intel’s new Optane memory and its Data Drive Acceleration feature that delivers a boost to a large secondary hard disk drive. And it enables up to 4.7 times faster game loading and 1.7 times faster media loading.