Intel's new 9th Gen desktop CPUs ditch integrated GPUs to take on AMD

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Updated: Intel has confirmed that these indeed are the six new desktop chips as well as release date and pricing information for the first F-series CPU.

With the launch of AMD's hotly-anticipated Ryzen 3rd Generation processors just around the corner – with AMD's CES 2019 conference on Wednesday, January 9 – Intel has today used its CES event to finally announce it's adding six more 9th-gen Core processors, ranging from Core i3 to Core i9, set to release soon.

The new line of processors are as follows:

• Intel Core i3-9350KF: 4-cores, 4-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 4.0GHz to 4.6GHz
• Intel Core i5-9400: 6-cores, 6-threads, Intel UHD Graphics 630, clocked at 2.9GHz to 4.1GHz
• Intel Core i5-9400F: 6-cores, 6-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 2.9GHz to 4.1GHz
• Intel Core i5-9600KF: 6-cores, 6-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.7GHz to 4.1GHz
• Intel Core i7-9700KF: 8-cores, 8-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.6GHz to 4.9GHz
• Intel Core i9-9900KF: 8-cores, 16-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.6GHz to 5.0GHz

The new processors join the company's three existing 'flagship' 9th-generation desktop chips, which launched in October last year – the Core i5-9600K, i7-9700K and i9-9900K – as well as the 9th-generation X-series for HEDT systems. 

What's perhaps most intriguing about them is that five of the six new chips are part of a brand new F-series of processors, which have removed (or most likely disabled) the integrated graphics chip that almost every mainstream Intel processor has included up until now. That may be an attempt to reduce costs (as it will allow the chip-maker to sell CPUs with non-functional GPUs) but it will likely also mean these processors run cooler and use less power – and they could be better for overclocking as a result.

Somewhat surprisingly, Intel didn't expressly mention the new F-series in detail at its press conference.

Getting into the details

Intel tells us the first of its new F-series chips, the Intel Core i3-9350K, will arrive this month with more rolling out through the second quarter of this year.

The chipmaker also told us the recommended customer price (RCP) for the 9th Gen Intel Core processors without processor graphics starts at $173 (about £140, AU$240), which is how much the Intel Core i3-9350K.

Without a more traditional Intel Core i3-9350K equipped with integrated graphics to set a benchmark for entry-level pricing for 9th Generation processors, we're not quite sure if these graphics-less CPUs will be more affordable. 

But, if these new GPU-less processors do come at a reduced price, they may be able to tackle AMD's Ryzen family of processors, which largely offer better bang for buck than their Intel equivalents. 

With many mid-range and higher-end PCs still coming equipped with a dedicated graphics card, Intel's integrated chips often go to waste, so offering a range of cheaper, GPU-less processors may help Intel win back some of the value-oriented market segment that it's recently been losing to AMD.

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