Intel has announced a price slash for all its F-Series 9th Generation Intel Core desktop processors, but only those with a graphics card will benefit.
Intel’s F-Series chips are essentially identical to the non-F counterparts except from one key area: the integrated graphics engine is disabled.
This means the F-Series Intel Core processors are incapable of functioning without a graphics card, but this won’t be a problem for gamers and professional creatives who likely already own a dedicated GPU.
Related: Intel Core X Series
Bizarrely though, F-Series processors previously weren’t cheaper than those with integrated graphics, so you were paying the same price but for a chip with less versatility and benefits.
Intel has finally amended this issue by slashing the price of F-Series 9th Generation Intel Core CPUs by up to 20%, so you can save money if you’ve already got a discrete graphics card to handle image rendering.
This looks to be a big move by Intel, which has previously been reluctant to reduce the price of current generation processors post launch. The price reduction comes a few months after the launch of the AMD Ryzen 3000 processors, with Intel clearly looking to apply pressure on its long-term rival.
Related: Best Intel Processors
| Processor Number | Base Clock Speed (GHz) | Boost Clock Speed (GHz) | Cores/Threads | Old price | New price |
| Intel Core i9-9900KF | 3.6 | 5.0 | 8 / 16 | $488 | $463 |
| Intel Core i7-9700KF | 3.6 | 4.9 | 8 / 8 | $374 | $349 |
| Intel Core i5-9600KF | 3.7 | 4.6 | 6 / 6 | $262 | $237 |
| Intel Core i3-9350KF | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4 / 4 | $173 | $148 |
| Intel Core i7-9700F | 3.0 | 4.7 | 8 / 8 | $323 | $298 |
| Intel Core i5-9500F | 3.0 | 4.4 | 6 / 6 | $192 | $167 |
| Intel Core i5-9400F | 2.9 | 4.1 | 6 / 6 | $182 | $157 |
| Intel Core i3-9100F | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4 / 4 | $122 | $97 |
The Intel Core i9-9900KF is the most powerful and pricey processor of the range, with Intel quoting $463 and Scan retailing the chip for £469.99, which is £30 cheaper than the Intel C0re i9-9900K.
Intel also announced its new Intel Core X Series CPUs, which are powerhouse processors designed with freelance creatives and enthusiasts in mind. The price and performance for X-Series processors are overkill for gamers and creative dabblers, but more consumer focused 10th Generation Intel Core chips are expected to arrive at a later date.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
