Even if Apple might be moving away from Intel’s chips for its future, Intel is still releasing some cool hardware worth of your consideration.
The processor manufacturer on Tuesdayintroduced a range of new eighth-generation Core processors appropriate for future MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac models.
The company also introduced the first-ever Core i9 processor for notebooks. With six cores and 12 threads, Intel says the Core i9 is the highest-performance notebook processor it has ever designed. The H-series processor has a 2.9GHz base clock speed with a Turbo Boost frequency of up to 4.8GHz.
The Core i9 requires 45 watts of power to run, making it appropriate for Apple’s refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro which could be released as early as this year. Apple’s most recent update of the MacBook Pro lineup was seen with Kaby Lake processors at WWDC in June 2017.
The Core i9 processor allows for use with up to 32GB of RAM, which seems unlikely given that the DDR4 RAM found in current MacBook Pro units is still not supported. Back in 2016, Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller said 32GB of standard DDR4 RAM would compromise battery life.
The eighth-get Core processors also include Intel’s new quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 processors. These units feature base clock speeds between 2.3GHz and 2.7GHz and integrated Iris Plus graphics. These 28W chips, part of the U-series, are suitable for future 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini models.
Intel has stated that that new Core i5, i7, and i9 processors are based on its Coffee Lake platform and are created with a 14nm++ process, which allows the chips 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 the same discrete graphics, based on its internal benchmark testing.
The new Coffee Lake chips also allow for a quad-core 13-inch MacBook Pro should Apple decide to release one. Apple’s current 13-inch MacBook Pro utilizes dual-core processor models.
Intel also announced its eighth-gen Core processors for desktops today. The two chips suitable for future 4K and 5K standard iMac models include six-core Core i5-8600 and Core i5-8500 chips with base clock speeds of 3.1GHz and 3.0GHz respectively.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.