Intel 9th generation processor launch live blog: Intel's Desktop Launch Event 2018 as it happened

Intel has just held a launch event where it announced the 9th generation of its Core processors, also known as Intel Coffee Lake Refresh.

The event began on October 8 at 10:00 EDT (07:00 PST/15:00 BST/0:00 October 9 AEST). Of course, we were there, bringing you the latest news as it happened.

If you missed the excitement, read on for a blow-by-blow account of what Intel showed off.

Intel Desktop Launch Event 2018 live blog

All times in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

11:06 - The Intel Core i9-9980XE is 3.0GHz to 4.4GHz while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX is 3.0GHz to 4.2GHz. So you're getting faster speeds over Intel's cores.

And now Intel is holding a Q and A session, so we'll end this live blog FOR REAL this time. Thanks for reading, and look out for our reviews as soon as we get some time with the new processors!

11:01 - According to Intel, the 18-core Intel Core i9-9980XE does 27% faster rendering in Maya, up to 108% faster video editing in premiere and a 13% faster game build time in Unreal Engine. This is because of (again, according to Intel), Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Generation's memory latency, as well as Intel being able to produce a much faster processor with higher base/boost clock speeds.

10:59 - However, Intel is claiming that it can do more with fewer cores. According to the presentation "Performance is the balance of architecture, design and frequency". Now, Intel is comparing the 18-core Intel Core i9-9980XE to the 36-thread AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX.

10:55 - Disappointingly, there's no new Turbo Boost Max Technology, Intel is still going with version 3.0 that lets you push the processor's two fastest cores.

10:54 - Intel's new 9th Generation Core-X family includes nine new CPUs. Up to 18-cores, still behind on the AMD Ryzen Treadripper 2nd Gen. Looks like AMD has won the "most cores" fight then! But Intel doesn't seem that bothered with fighting them on that front.

10:52 - Here's some of the presentation Intel is showing us. Enlarge the image to see the details on the new X-Series processors that are coming.

10:51 - Intel is hyping up its Core X CPUs, and how they are "blazing a trail".

10:49 - Intel is now talking about its high-end desktop processors, including the Intel Xeon W-3175X that was mentioned before.

10:45 - Not bad prices. We're not getting info on performance. All the performance numbers are versus last generation. So you can see 10% better performance in Encore and 34% faster video editing in Adobe Premiere. Game-wise you get 10% more frames per second in Hitman. Nice!

10:43 - On to prices now:

• Intel Core i9-9900K $488
• Intel Core i7-9700K $374
• Intel Core i5-9600K $262

10:42 - This new generation uses 14nm++ process. For the 8-core chips there are now 33% more cores than previous generations, and are 400MHz faster across all cores.

10:40 - Intel is now going over its completely new 9th Generation CPUs that include an Core i9, Core i7, Core i5. We're getting more info here than during the main demonstration. Soldered heatsink is back. No more TIM (thermal interface material).

10:37 - The livestream is over but we're still here getting a deep dive into Intel's new CPU lineups.

10:35 - Oh, maybe it's not over! The livestream is done, but Intel are now going into more indepth details about the processors and the new desktops that will be running it. Keep this page open while we update you with the stuff INTEL DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE (maybe). We're checking with Intel.

10:33 - And it's over! Now we'll elbow our way to the front of the queue to try out these new CPUs! Keep an eye out for our hands on reviews on TechRadar soon!

10:32 - They are wrapping up now. Intel wants to make PC the best platform for gaming and creating.

10:31 - October 19 will be when the CPUs are available. There'll be loads of pre-built desktop PCs from Intel's partners. They will be giving away nine VIP esports tickets as well. If you like esports, check out Intel's Core i9 website on November 5.

10:28 - We're now getting a demo of how well the Intel Core i9 9900K handles games. Two games, in fact. They are playing two games at once on one PC. Crazy!

10:25 - 9th gen core processors are real! Fake shock! But exciting. Testing against the most popular games in the world compared to Intel's previous CPUs. "The results are absolutely clear. The Intel Core i9 9900K is the best gaming processor in the world. Period."

10:23 - Quite glad that bit's over. Bit awkward. But can't fault Intel's commitment to esports.

10:22 - The future of gaming seems like esports will continue to dominate. Traditional sports and gaming will continue to "cross pollinate". Technology has also caught up to content creators.

10:21 - We've talked to Intel a lot about esports. The company is very committed to esports. Looks like that's not changing any time soon.

10:20 - Fortnite, virtual reality, it's all kicking off when it comes to gaming, according to Intel and its guests. We agree. It's never been a better time to be a PC gamer!

10:17 - Srivatsa now welcoming professional CS:Go gamer, and some another esports player that I am not going to try to spell their "handle" correctly. Sorry.

10:15 - This is stuff we've heard before from Intel. How multi-core and multi-thread processors can help developers, and gamers, multi-task intensive tasks, such as gaming and streaming at the same time. "Seamlessly, with no impact to their gameplay" according to Srivatsa.

10:13 - Similar to Nvidia's event earlier this year when it showed off the RTX 2080 graphic card, Intel is showing us how its hardware can help game developers create even more realistic and impressive games.

10:12 - Now we're getting some demos on how the platform will help creators.

10:10 - Intel X-series offers power for creators no matter what their use case is. "Our most scalable" processors, according to Intel.

10:09 - The new Xeon W-3175X will ship this December.

10:07 - Now getting a sample of Tangent Studio's work. Looks good!

10:06 - David Hearn is now on the stage talking up how Intel's hardware helped him and his company (Tangent Animation) create 3D animations in Blender.

15:04 - First off showing its 28-core, 64-thread Xeon processor. For professionals. It's going to be super powerful, and super expensive. Intel is confident it will help power content makers.

10:03 - "Technology has changed the world, and the PC is at the center of this."  Srivatsa now listing Intel's achievements in 2018. 

10:01 - Here we go! Anand Srivatsa, vice president and general manager in the Client Computing Group takes to the stage.

09:57 - We've now taken our seats and are waiting for the event to begin. IT'S ALL SO BLUE.

09:52 - Under ten minutes to go now! Who's excited? OK, processors aren't the sexiest products in the world, but we've been loving the recent arms race between Intel and AMD, so it will be great to see how Intel responds to AMD's 2nd generation Ryzen CPUs. There's also some desktops set up with the new hardware, so we should get a chance to give them a go when the presentation is over.

09:38 - Well, this photo above settles the debate about whether or not we'll be seeing Intel's 9th gen processors today! Hopefully today's event goes into detail on what kind of performance boost we get compared to the 8th generation.

09:33 - Another photo from inside the venue. Intel is clearly proud of its history, as these framed motherboards from various years shows. Expect this event to touch on some of the highlights of Intel's past.

09:28 - Look where we are! Just over half an hour until the event kicks off and we find out what Intel has in store for us. Let's just hope no one at Intel has upgraded to the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and lost the presentation (too soon?).

09:01 - While Intel has been pretty tight-lipped about what the Desktop Launch Event 2018 is going to be about, there have been plenty of rumors that we'll see Intel's 9th generation (Coffee Lake Refresh) chips. While we're waiting for the event to start, check out our roundup of all the news and rumors we've heard so far about these processors.

08:43 - Intel has been hyping up today's event, which starts in less than an hour and a half, so we're expecting some big announcements. We're currently en route to where the event is being held in New York. Fingers crossed for some new desktop processors!