Head over to Comet Lake; your computer will thank you

No masks are required to visit Comet Lake, and it’s coming to a store near you.

We are talking about technology, so anything is possible. But, of course, it’s not really a lake with water. Comet Lake is a code name for an amazing product from computer giant Intel. It refers to a new central processing unit (CPU), the brain of a computer.

Since the secret is out, I don’t really need to use the code name for a 10th generation processor chip that boasts substantial escalation of speed, reliability and options. Lots of options. These new chips are now available for the desktop/tower computer.

I’ll bet most of you are running older generations of Intel chips, and that’s fine for now. But you really need to explore the possibilities of current technology. According to TweakTown, a website reporting on such things, “Intel has really squeezed the 14nm node for all its (sic) worth it seems, like clock speed increases and scaling core counts starting to reach the edge of what can fit on the package and still be adequately cooled.”

Intel’s new CPU increases clock speed to 4.1GHz (from about 3.4GHz), with turbo boost 3.0 bringing a temporary speed jump to 4.8GHz. Yikes. The chip has a decent price point and an advanced memory that makes throughput better (or how many 1s and 0s go through the CPU). It’s available for the i3, i5, i7 and the latest i9. Look for the i5-10400K for the best bang for the buck and best results.

With a pedigree like this, who needs AMD? In my opinion, they lie and don’t honor their warranties. I’ve had first-hand experiences.

The bad news: You need a new motherboard because the 10th Gen is not compatible with older LGA1151 sockets. That means the new chip won’t plug into the older motherboard sockets that hold the CPU. But fear not my fellow computer buffs, the new motherboards are awesome. But that’s a story for another time.

Comet Lake is worth the effort to investigate, especially if your computer is older than four years. If you are a gamer, photo enthusiast or engineer, you’ll want this.
Go explore, but stay safe.

For more information, visit tweaktown.com/reviews/9465/10th-gen-intel-core-i9-10900k-i5-10600k-cpu/index.html.

William Claney is an independent tech writer and former owner of Computers USA in the Clayton Station. Email questions or comments to willclaney@gmail.com.