



It looks as though we're starting to get some clarity regarding Intel 's upcoming high-end, mainstream Core processors. We've seen plenty of evidence that a new octa-core Coffee Lake-S processor is on its way, and now a new report suggests that the processor will adopt Core i9 branding.

According to the new report, there will be processors representing Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9 product families. There will apparently be three processors represented, at least initially:

Core i9-9900K with 8 cores and 16 threads

Core i7-9700K with 6 cores and 12 threads

Core i5-9600K with 6 cores and 6 threads

The Core i9 name had previously been reserved for the Core-X HEDT processors, but has since been used in hexa-core mobile parts (a la the Core i9-8950HK). So, bringing Core i9 to the mainstream desktop market doesn't sound like too much of a stretch, especially if it truly is an octa-core processor. This would put Intel's top mainstream processor on more even footing with AMD's mainstream Ryzen family, which is available with up to 8 cores (16 threads) in its current iteration.

The new processors would be supported by Intel's Z390 chipset, which may or may not end up being a rebranded Z370 with optimizations to insure consistent power delivery (especially when overclocking). As we reported earlier, the Z390 was originally spec'd to include native 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and USB 3.1 Gen2 support. However, going with a Z370 rebrand with some minor tweaks would provide Intel with a more value-oriented alternative in the increasingly competitive desktop processor market.

Right now, we're taking all of this information with a big grain of salt until we can get some further confirmation.