Four Intel KF CPUs Without iGPUs Listed
Nearly a decade ago, Intel started putting graphics onto the CPU. Since then, it has been a complaint by some in the gaming community. Some users perceive the iGPU as wasted space that could be put to better use. Perhaps in a move to placate those customers, the company is planning some chips without iGPUs. Ahead of the launch, we now have some leaked prices for 4 of these KF special processors. These chips either physically lack or have disabled the iGPU portion. The leaks are from Norwegian and Finnish retailers.
Given the costs of spinning up a new production line, Intel probably just disabled the iGPU. This means the underlying die will likely be the same as the normal chips with iGPUs. It does save Intel some cash since they can still use bad iGPU dies. Leaving out the iGPU can cut die size in half though if it is a new die. With AMD pushing core counts up, this may be a factor to consider. Going forward as Intel moves the iGPU off die, this will make more sense. However, it does not look like there will be many benefits for users.
Cutting Out iGPUs Give Little Initial Benefit
The Intel Core i9 9900KF, i7 9700KF, 9600KF and 9400F have been the ones leaked so far. Unfortunately, the clock speeds are just the same as the regular K chips in most cases. The only chip with a speed bump is the i5 9600KF with a 100mhz boost over its 9600K counterpart. The 9400F will likely feature a minor bump at most. It looks like there is little benefit to turning off the iGPU portion when it comes to base clock speeds.
At the same time, it is not like Intel is selling these chips for less than the usual ones. This may be due to the premium “enthusiast” nature of not having an iGPU. Intel will likely be pushing these chips to workstation and gamers who already have dGPUs. Right now, the leaked prices are about the same as the regular chips. This may change as prices tend to drop after launch. The one market that might like these new chips is the overclocking community as cutting out the iGPU make improve luck in the silicon lottery with fewer variables to worry about.
