Intel Unveils First Ever Core i9 Processor For Laptops

Intel has taken the wraps of its first ever Core i9 (Coffee Lake) processor for laptops at a global event in Beijing, China.

The launch is the chip giant’s first release of its high performance focused chipset for the mobile sector. Indeed, Intel is describing its Core i9 processor as the highest-performance laptop processor it has ever built.

Of course the Core i9 has been around for a while now. Intel first revealed its 18 core Core i9 Extreme chip, aimed at desktop PCs, almost a year ago now.

Laptop power

But now Intel is offering the Core i9 for the laptop sector to provide those users with “the best gaming and content creation experience on the go.”

Intel has also revealed a Core platform extension that will combine the benefits of 8th Gen Intel Core processors with Optane memory, for desktop users. Optane memory is a smart and adaptable system accelerator for both desktop and mobile platforms, and essentially it increases the performance of SATA-based storage technology.

The chip giant said that its new 8th Gen Intel Core i9, i7 and i5 processors for laptops are based on the Coffee Lake platform.

These new processors utilise the 14nm++ process technology enabling them to deliver up to 41 percent more frames per second in gameplay or edit 4K video up to 59 percent faster than the previous generation with same discrete graphics.

The daddy of the new chips is the beastly 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor, optimised to push performance limits. According to Intel, it is the first mobile processor with six cores and 12 threads.

A video of the new processor can be found here.

“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,” said Intel. “This translates to a turbo frequency of up to 4.8 GHz.”

Intel said the new laptop chips are a respond to increasing demand for fast laptops that can provide desktop-like performance.

“The highest-performance 8th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family also adds a new Intel 300 Series Chipset, which adds integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi for a blazing-fast connection that is capable of being up to 2 times faster than standard 2×2 802.11AC 80 MHz (867 Mbps),” said Intel.

“Consumers will also begin to see a new platform extension with Intel Core i5+, i7+ and i9+ badges on select systems, starting with today’s high-performance 8th Gen Intel Core mobile processors and desktop processors,” said the chip giant. “This indicates they are purchasing a device that has the combination of Intel Core performance with the acceleration of Intel Optane memory.”

Intel troubles

Intel has been going through a torrid time of late, despite a small recovery in the overall PC market in recent years.

At the start of this year, the firm was stung by the Meltdown and Spectre flaws, and matters were not helped that it botched the initial fix for the problem, and dismissed warnings that the fixes would impact the processor performance.

It later admitted that a hardware change in chips shipping later this year would replace the performance-draining software patches.

And Intel is also contending with reports that Apple is considering dropping Intel processors from its Macbook range from the year 2020.

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