The CPU in your computer determines many of the features you enjoy and it can be one of the main sources for speed. Of course new processors are regularly released and each year the speed increases. Today we’ll look at one of the latest and greatest. Yes, I’ll include an Amazon link that earns me a tiny commission. No, I didn’t get a free chip (electronic, potato or otherwise).

A little over a year ago I wrote Building a Fast Computer Starts With These Parts and it listed the Intel Core i9-9900K Desktop Processor as the CPU of choice. In fact, I build a computer using that exact processor a couple of months after that post was written. Now Intel has updated it by adding more cores, more threads and more speed with the Intel Core i9-10900K. Prices of the new version are basically the same as the last version, but there is a shortage and you may see sellers asking far more on Amazon.

The number of cores has increased from 8 to 10 and the threads from 16 to 20. That alone allows the chip to process more in less time. Base clock speed has been bumped from 3.6 to 3.7 GHz and the max speed has increased from 5.0 GHz to 5.3 GHz. Smart Cache size has increased from 16 MB to 20 MB.

All of these changes are incremental so I won’t be running out to replace my current processor. But if you are due for a new computer, this CPU would be an excellent choice. No, it won’t be the least expensive, but being able to work faster makes it worth the premium over lesser chips.