On top of announcing the first Intel Core i9 processors, the chip-maker took to filling out the rest of its Coffee Lake desktop CPU line.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any new high-end or extreme processors in this announcement. There's a new non-K version of the Intel Core i5-8600 that still comes with six cores and six threads, while below that are the Intel Core i5-8500 and Core i3-8300 to round out the series.
There’s also a full suite of new low-power T-series chips destined for the next generation of all-in-one PCs, which will likely include a new iMac this year, and perhaps an update to the Surface Studio. Despite being designed to sip power, it seems that the T-series of Coffee Lake processors will inherit the higher thread and core counts of their forbears.
Intel 300-series chipsets
Starting in April you can also expect to see more affordable motherboards, as Intel has just announced a bevy of new 300-series chipsets. Thus far every motherboard has featured the premium Z370 chipset, but now those will be joined by boards featuring the more price-conscious H370 and B360 chipsets.
Thankfully, even the lowest-end consumer chipset seems to be relatively well-equipped, with support for 12 PCIe 3.0 lanes, 4 USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports, Intel Optane memory and integrated Intel AC Wi-Fi.
- Intel's new chips should make building a VR-ready PC that bit easier, just in time for the HTC Vive Pro
