Intel's 14nm+++ desktop CPUs are making a comeback — chipmaker inexplicably resurrects Comet Lake from five years ago with 'new' Core i5-110

Intel 10th Generation Core CPUs
(Image credit: Intel)

It appears that Intel is experiencing a sense of nostalgia, as the chipmaker (via momomo_us) has introduced the Core i5-110 processor, based on Comet Lake. Comet Lake is a stroll down memory lane for many of us, as these 14nm+++ chips were introduced around half a decade ago.

While the Core i5-110 is clearly a Comet Lake part, Intel markets the new chip under the Core Series 1 moniker. The Core Series 1 mainly comprises mobile and embedded Raptor Lake chips. However, Intel has used the series to mask some of its rebadged processors, such as the Core 5 120, which the chipmaker also silently launched. Therefore, the Core i5-110 is the second desktop chip (that we know of) that Intel has added to the Core Series 1 family.

Intel Core i5-110 Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Processor

Cores / Threads

Base / Boost Clock (GHz)

L3 Cache (MB)

TDP (W)

MSRP

Core i5-110

6 / 12

2.9 / 4.3

12

65

$200

Core i5-10400

6 / 12

2.9 / 4.3

12

65

$200 - $210

The Core i5-110 is a rebadge of the previous Core i5-10400, launched in 2020. The specifications are identical for the two 14nm+++ chips in every way. Both are 65W processors with an Intel UHD Graphics 630 engine that operates between 350 MHz and 1.1 GHz, supporting up to 128GB of DDR4-2666 memory.

The Core i5-110 is a desktop processor, meaning it is compatible with an LGA1200 socket and either an Intel 400-series or 500-series motherboard. However, Intel has introduced two new sockets since LGA1200, so it's a mystery just how many consumers still have a LGA1200 motherboard that can accommodate the Core i5-110.

Despite the Core i5-110 being a blatant rebrand, Intel is still charging the same price for the chip as it was when it launched five years ago. The RCP (Recommended Customer Price) for the Core i5-110 is $200, which falls within the same range as the Core i5-10400's $200 to $210. It's an insane price considering that 14nm+++ chips should be dirt cheap to produce by now.

At $200, the Core i5-110 is supposed to be a value processor, but it's hard to see the value in it.

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Zhiye Liu
News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician

Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • User of Computers
    yeah... one of my friends found this and sent it to me a couple of days ago. Not sure what it's doing
    Reply
  • S58_is_the_goat
    Intel: we are very close to releasing 18a... but here's a 14nm chip to keep you occupied.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    If you would've asked someone, about 10 years ago, if Intel would re-release a CPU from 5 (technically 6?) years go then, I wonder how much you would have been laughed out of the room.

    Holy cow.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • mikeebb
    I have a i5-10400F (with RTX 3060/12gb) in a desktop. Works fine. No problem with Win11 or Linux Mint 22.2. In most real-world ways, outperforms a 11th gen i7 (processor Xe GPU) in a Lenovo laptop. Main issues are with peripherals, since the period motherboard (MSI Z-490 Pro) motherboard has limited number and performance (USB 3.1, tops) peripheral connections. Count me as impressed by this rebrand (to clear backstock? Can't believe they're actually producing this again...) only if they can convince somebody to produce new motherboards with current peripheral support (haha the olde chip appears to support only PCI3?).

    n.b. also, count me as confused by Intel's branding overall. Way back, they had Core, then Core2; then went back to Core i-3/5/7/9; and now a gaggle of Core-somethings with no clear way to tell what's up or down in terms of performance (such as it is - if I do a new desktop soon it'll almost certainly be AMD). Now here's a multi-generation backtrack with yet another new Core name. Even ignoring their design/production fumbles, their marketing has gone into the ditch and is having trouble crawling out.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    -Fran- said:
    If you would've asked someone, about 10 years ago, if Intel would re-release a CPU from 5 (technically 6?) years go then, I wonder how much you would have been laughed out of the room.

    Holy cow.

    Regards.
    Back then intel still had dual cores with 2 threads, not each, just overall....that was like 15 year old tech back then.
    Also they were releasing the same thing for 10 years so it wouldn't have been that much of a shock.
    mikeebb said:
    Count me as impressed by this rebrand (to clear backstock? Can't believe they're actually producing this again...) only if they can convince somebody to produce new motherboards with current peripheral support (haha the olde chip appears to support only PCI3?).
    They must have had requests by OEMs for this thing, otherwise it doesn't make any sense at all. I mean it makes sense to make a super cheap CPU and to sell it for full price, but the expecting anybody to buy it part doesn't make any sense unless they are already sold.
    Reply
  • artk2219
    The pricing is less than ideal, but my biggest question is, where are they getting the LGA 1200 boards for this? Are there new LGA 1200 boards still being produced? If so, where? Because i have like three I5 10505's that could use a board.
    Reply
  • Scanphor
    That's a really bizarre move - would be interesting to read the actual backstory lol

    To some degree its also a sign of how much CPUs have plateaued in a lot of real world use case situations over the last, what 5 years particularly it feels like possibly longer
    Reply
  • jg.millirem
    Fab flounder. Intel doesn’t have enough modern, wanted, good product to keep the machines busy.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    Why god whyyyyyyy...
    Why not bring back the 10800xe with new support

    Intel miss the opportunity every time.
    Reply
  • fiyz
    jg.millirem said:
    Fab flounder. Intel doesn’t have enough modern, wanted, good product to keep the machines busy.
    That's exactly what I was thinking...

    "Our stock is dipping, we need some hype news for the sheeple"
    -CEO of a publicly traded company
    Reply