Intel unleashes its 11th generation of desktop CPUs

The 11th Gen Intel Core S-series desktop processors (code-named "Rocket Lake-S") launched worldwide today, led by the flagship Intel Core i9-11900K. Reaching speeds of up to 5.3 gigahertz with Intel Thermal Velocity Boost, the Intel Core i9-11900K is aimed squarely at gamers and PC enthusiasts.

The 11th Gen Intel Core S-series desktop processors have been engineered on the new Cypress Cove architecture. The new architecture brings up to 19% gen-over-gen instructions per cycle improvement for the highest frequency cores. The CPUs include Intel UHD graphics featuring the Intel Xe graphics architecture for rich media and intelligent graphics capabilities.

With its new 11th Gen desktop processors, Intel desires to push desktop gaming performance to the limit and deliver the most amazing immersive experiences for players everywhere.

The flagship 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900K, performs at speeds up to 5.3 GHz, with eight cores, 16 threads, and 16 megabytes of Intel Smart Cache. The unlocked 11th Gen Intel Core desktop processor supports fast memory speeds with DDR4-3200 aimed at smooth gameplay and seamless multitasking. 
Improvements in this generation include:

• Up to 19% gen-over-gen IPC performance improvement.  
• Up to 50% better integrated graphics performance with Intel UHD graphics featuring Intel Xe graphics architecture.
• Intel Deep Learning Boost and Vector Neural Network Instructions support accelerating artificial intelligence inference— improving performance for deep learning workloads.
• Enhanced overclocking tools and features for flexible overclocking and tuning performance and experience.

Intel has collaborated with more than 200 of the top game developers to bring a host of game engine, middleware, and rendering optimisations to applications. This enables developers to take advantage of 11th Gen Intel Core S-series processors to deliver exciting gaming experiences.

11th Gen Intel Core desktop processors introduce new overclocking tools and features for more flexible tuning. This generation includes real-time memory overclocking which enables changes to DDR4 frequency in real-time. There is extended memory overclocking support for H570 and B560 chipsets allowing users to experience overclocking, Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), and AVX-512 voltage guard band override. An all-new integrated memory controller allows for wider timings and Gear 2 support (in addition to Gear 1 support).

The new Gen Intel Core S-series is designed to deliver rich media experiences, from AAA gaming to high-definition streaming. Additional features include DDR4-3200 MHz support, 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, Intel Quick Sync Video, enhanced media (10bit AV1/12bit high-efficiency video coding decode and end-to-end compression), enhanced display (Integrated HDMI 2.0, HBR3), and discrete Thunderbolt 4± and Intel Wi-Fi 6E support.

Intel's 11th Gen range adds thirty new CPUs including new Pentium Gold, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 chips. The touted top clock speeds range from the humble Pentium Gold G6405T's 3.6 GHz to the breathtaking 5.3 GHz of the Core i9-11900K.