Disappointing Intel Core i9-10900 benchmarks leak, it doesn't look like it'll beat AMD Ryzen

(Image credit: Future)

We've been waiting for new desktop processors from Intel for what feels like an eternity. And while they're surely on their way, some new benchmarks have leaked that have tempered our expectations a bit. 

Spotted by the folks over at Wccftech, these benchmarks appeared on Hong Kong tech site XFastest, and they don't look too hot for Intel. However, what might be holding this processor back is that it's rocking a tiny 65W TDP, which is much less than the 95W that its predecessor the Intel Core i9-9900K features. It is important to note, though, that the Intel Core i9-9900 has the 65W TDP. 

Because of this low TDP, the 10 cores on this supposed processor don't boost super well when pushed to their limits, and even on single-core tests it doesn't hit the 5GHz that the Core i9-9900 or 9900K would. Again, we can't even be sure if these benchmarks are real, but if they are it could very well be because Intel is cramming an extra 2 cores in there without shrinking the manufacturing process down from 14nm.

Anyways, this growth in core count with an apparent reduction in clock speeds results in some pretty disappointing benchmark results. For instance, in Cinebench R20, the apparent Intel Core i9-10900 manages a paltry score of 3,714 points. Out of curiosity we ran Cinebench R20 on our AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with Google Chrome, Tidal and Photoshop still open and we managed a score of 6,519 points. This is the chip Intel is going to have to top on the high-end if it wants to remain relevant in the desktop space, and if these leaked benchmarks are any indication, we're not getting our hopes up. 

Still, we won't know whether or not these are even the final specs. Assuming that this chip is real, it's very possible that Intel will raise clocks before the final release – especially since temperatures were only hitting around 68C. Either way with all the Intel Comet Lake-S leaks we've been seeing recently, we can only assume an official reveal is right around the corner, and we can't wait to see what Intel actually has in store. 

Bill Thomas

Bill Thomas (Twitter) is TechRadar's computing editor. They are fat, queer and extremely online. Computers are the devil, but they just happen to be a satanist. If you need to know anything about computing components, PC gaming or the best laptop on the market, don't be afraid to drop them a line on Twitter or through email.