Review: Intel Core i9-11900K

Conclusion

Intel brings forth 11th Gen Core desktop processors armed with improved CPU cores and integrated graphics. Codenamed Rocket Lake-S and harnessing key architectures first presented in the mobile space - Sunny Cove cores and Xe graphics - Team Blue's latest chips ought to set the bar higher in every meaningful way.

That's not the case. Severe manufacturing delays and a lack of 10nm capacity push Intel to move both key pieces of technology on to the 14nm process that's been in production since 2014. Backporting architecture designed for that 10nm doesn't play well for a few reasons. Chief amongst them are the related aspects of power and space, as Intel only feels comfortable fitting eight higher-performing, high-frequency CPU cores into the best-in-breed chips.

Think about that for a second; Intel has regressed in core-and-thread count from one desktop generation to the next. The Xe IGP in the prescribed UHD 750 Graphics form don't set the benchmarks on fire, either, and certainly not enough to challenge entry-level discrete cards.

Implications for these design choices are most profound on the range-topping Core i9-11900K. Through improved IPC Intel gains a little in single-thread performance but doesn't push the multi-thread needle any further to the right. Rival AMD is able to punch much harder for heavy-duty workloads and generally match Intel in gaming, all the while consuming fundamentally less power in the process. And let's not forget that while Intel joins the PCIe 4.0 party as a late entrant, the accompanying 500 Series chipset remains mired in PCIe 3.0.

Being even handed, things look up further down the 11th Gen stack. Core i5 and i7 feel like better competitors against comparable Ryzen 5000 Series. But let's not mince words. Intel 11th Gen Core desktop could have been great if built on 10nm SuperFin and had leveraged its attendant benefits alongside the modern Willow Cove architecture. 12- or 16-core models built this way would be worthy of 11th Gen Core status. Intel really needs next-generation Alder Lake, which is pregnant with promise, built on a new socket platform, to come to market sooner rather than later in 2021.

As it is, this Frankenstein range, headlined by the Core i9-11900K, clinging on to the ageing 14nm process, fails to impress.

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The Intel Core i9-11900K is available to buy at Scan Computers.

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