Range-Topping Intel Core i9-10980HK Comet Lake CPU For Notebooks Spotted

Intel teased its next-generation Comet Lake CPUs at CES, this time focusing on the 10th-generation H-series processors. Intel didn't divulge many details at the time, but courtesy of a test submission found by hardware detective Tum_Apisak, we may have a few new details about the range-topping Intel Core i9-10980HK. Of course, as with all hardware submission before the actual launch, do take the information with a pinch of salt, as these specifications could be subject to change.

Nevertheless, the specifications in the Geekbench submissions (one, two, and three) are believable figures. The Core i9-10980HK reportedly features eight CPU cores with hyperthreading for a total of 16 threads, and packs a base frequency of 3.1 GHz. The submission reports the maximum frequency 4.38, 4.92, and 4.98 GHz across the three submissions.  L3 Cache is also listed at 16 MB, with 256 KB of L2 cache and 32 KB for both instruction and data cache per core. 

Intriguingly, none of the reported maximum frequencies surpass the 5.0 GHz mark, which Intel proudly advertised during its presentation back at CES. That promise could remain true, so we'll assume for the time being that the sub-5 GHz frequencies in the GeekBench submissions are a consequence of the highest achieved frequencies during the benchmarking process and not indicative of the chip's actual maximum boost clocks.

For now, this is all we know about the upcoming Intel Core i9-10980HK. Intel hasn't confirmed an exact shipping date yet, but Intel's Executive VP & GM of the Client Computing Group, Gregory Bryant, tweeted a few days ago that the Comet Lake-H CPUs would ship this quarter.