Still pretty much based on the original Skylake architecture - third Skylake refresh if you keep count - or as Intel calls it, the Coffee Lake Refresh, the new 9th Generation Core CPUs are still built on a 14nm manufacturing process, but bring a couple of changes mostly in number of cores, clocks and L3 cache amount.

While the 8th generation Core flagship, the Core i7-8700K (and the anniversary Core i7-8086K), stuck to six-cores and twelve threads, Intel has now upped the core game, pushing its flagship Core i9-9900K to eight-cores with a total of sixteen threads. It still retains the 95W TDP, works at 3.6GHz base and 5.0GHz Turbo clock, and has 2MB of L2 per core (for a total of 16MB).

While the Core i9-9900K got a significant boost, the Core i7-9700K is a bit of a let down, as Intel has decided to keep Hyper-Threading limited its flagship Core i9 series, so the Core i7-9700K will eight cores and eight threads, have the same 95W TDP, 3.6GHz base and 4.9GHz Turbo clock, and 12MB of L3 cache.

The Core i5-9600K is a six-core SKU, also without Hyper-Threading, same 95W TDP, 3.7GHz base and 4.6GHz Turbo clock and 9MB of L3 cache.

All three 9th generation Core SKUs support 2666MHz DDR4 memory and come with the same GT2 integrated graphics as the Intel's 8th generation, with 24 EUs and maximum GPU clock of up to 1200MHz (1150MHz for the Core i5-9600K). It will still be named as the UHD Graphics 630.

Intel also learned from some of its earlier mistakes and has decided to use soldered thermal interface material (STIM) on these three 9th generation Core CPUs, which should provide increased thermal conductivity between the CPU and the IHS, provide better heat dissipation, and make the de-lidding unnecessary.

Plenty of motherboards with Z390 refresh chipset

The Z390 motherboards have been ready for quite some time, which is why we have seen so many leaks, and this does not come as a surprise as it is pretty much a refresh of the Z370 chips. Both the Z370 and the Z390 will support the new 9th generation CPUs (with a BIOS update for the Z370) and the updates are minor, as you get more native USB 3.1 Gen2 ports and integrated 802.11ac WiFi.

A bit higher prices, launching October 19th

According to Intel's official information, the 9th generation K-series CPUs will be on retail/e-tail shelves on October 19th and reviews should be up around that date as well. The RCP (1K) price is set at $488 for the Core i9-9900K, $374 for the Core i7-9700K,  and $262 for the Core i5-9600K. Retail prices are a bit different and Newegg already has them up for $579.99, $419.99, and $279.99, respectively.

Motherboards are already available and range from $129.99, all the way up to $599.99.