10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K
- iGPU:
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Boost/Base Clock:
- 3.6 GHz Base/Boost (varies by workload)
- Core/Thread Count:
- 10 Core / 20 Thread
- Cache:
- 20MB L3 + 2.5MB L2 + 640KB L1
- TDP:
- 125 W
- CPU Process Node:
- 14 Nanometers
- CPU Socket:
- FCLGA1200
- CPU Series:
- Comet Lake, 10th Gen Intel Core
- Memory Support:
- DDR4-2933
- Form Factor:
- Desktop
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Manufacturer: Intel Last updated: September 9, 2026
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10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K Review
The 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K is a 10-core, 20-thread desktop processor built on Comet Lake, running within a 125 Watt TDP on the LGA1200 socket, unlocked for overclocking.
Sitting just below the flagship i9-10900K, this chip shares the same 10-core, 20-thread layout at a typically lower price, with a slightly reduced boost clock ceiling that most buyers won't notice in real-world use.
Intel UHD Graphics 630
A basic integrated GPU intended for display output and light desktop use; this chip is built primarily for buyers pairing it with a discrete GPU.
How Is the Core i9 10850K in Terms of Performance
Sharing the flagship 10900K's 10-core, 20-thread layout at a typically more accessible price, this chip delivers very close to flagship performance with only a modest reduction in peak boost clock most buyers won't notice in practice.
Benchmarks
The benchmarks below are published results for specific applications. They are measured separately and do not feed the two scores above.
Puget Bench for Photoshop v1.0 - points (More is Better)
- Apple M5 Max15043.83 points
- Apple M5 Pro14885.21 points
- Apple M512095.89 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D12088.31 points
- Intel Core i9-14900KF10029.96 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K7098.88 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900KF6892.97 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K (this product)6335 points
Puget Systems runs a fixed set of real Photoshop jobs: opening and saving large files, resizing, content-aware fill, blurs and filters. A higher score means less waiting on the tasks a retoucher repeats all day.
Photoshop is decided mostly by how fast a few cores are, not how many there are, so a chip with fewer but faster cores often beats one with more cores. Treat a gap under about 5 percent as something you would never notice while working.
Puget Bench for Premiere Pro v1.0-1.1 - points (More is Better)
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900KF8213.67 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K8123.47 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10920X8063.5 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K7881.73 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980XE7835.06 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K (this product)7227.4 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS7211.33 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900X7135.4 points
Plays back and exports 4K and 8K timelines across several camera codecs, with effects and multi-stream sequences, in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Export time rewards more cores, but much of the timeline work runs on the hardware decoder and the graphics card instead of the processor. A small gap here rarely changes how the edit feels.
Puget Bench for DaVinci Resolve v1.0-1.2 - points (More is Better)
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10900K7805.2 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980XE7088 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 109006352 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K (this product)6101.6 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K6038.67 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10920X5853.67 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K5670.25 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10700K5033.4 points
Grading, effects, AI tools and export in DaVinci Resolve Studio, across the codecs a colourist actually works in.
Resolve leans harder on the graphics card than on the processor, so the CPU difference here is usually smaller than the difference your GPU choice would make. Use it to rule out a bottleneck, not to pick a winner.
Puget Bench for Premiere Pro v2.0 - points (More is Better)
- Apple M5 Max149750.46 points
- Intel Core i9-14900KF129174.45 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D126611.82 points
- Apple M5 Pro106874.78 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K82202 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K (this product)78258 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700K77118.8 points
- Apple M672843.55 points
Plays back and exports 4K and 8K timelines across several camera codecs, with effects and multi-stream sequences, in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Export time rewards more cores, but much of the timeline work runs on the hardware decoder and the graphics card instead of the processor. A small gap here rarely changes how the edit feels.
Puget Bench for Lightroom Classic v1.0-1.1 - points (More is Better)
- Apple M5 Max11549.6 points
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D10942.9 points
- Apple M5 Pro10909.17 points
- Apple M56668.19 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11700K6167.4 points
- 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K (this product)5769.67 points
- 11th Gen Intel Core i5 11600KF5499.67 points
- 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K4635.96 points
Measures a full Lightroom Classic catalogue workflow: importing, building previews, scrolling the library, exporting JPEGs and running the AI tools such as Denoise.
Import and export spread across every core, so core count counts for more here than it does in Photoshop. The AI tools lean on the graphics card, so a CPU gap matters less if you pair either chip with a strong GPU.
Benchmarks
Cinebench R23 multi-core scores of 15,552 and single-core scores of 1,316 sit very close to the flagship i9-10900K's comparable figures. Geekbench 5 multi-core scores of 11,426 confirm this chip delivers near-flagship desktop performance.
Our verdict
Reviewed by Burooj Alam. Rated by us, not by users.
Best for
- Desktop gaming and content creation builds wanting near-flagship 10-core performance at a typically lower price than the i9-10900K
Not for
- Buyers specifically chasing the absolute highest available clock speed, the flagship i9-10900K, covered elsewhere on this site, edges ahead there
Specifications
What these specs meanIdentity
| Brand | Intel |
|---|---|
| Product Line | Core i9 |
| Model Number | 10850K |
| Codename | Comet Lake |
| Release Year | 2020 |
Segment and platform
| Market Segment | Desktop |
|---|---|
| Microarchitecture | Comet Lake, 10th Gen Intel Core |
| Socket | FCLGA1200 |
| Socket Status | Mature |
| Process Node | 14 nm |
Core configuration
| Total Cores | 10 |
|---|---|
| Performance Cores | 10 |
| Efficiency Cores | 0 |
| Total Threads | 20 |
| SMT Enabled | Yes |
Clock speeds
| P-Core Base Clock | 3.6 GHz |
|---|---|
| P-Core Boost Clock | 5.2 GHz |
| Unlocked Multiplier | Yes |
Cache
| L2 Cache | 2.5 MB |
|---|---|
| L3 Cache | 20 MB |
Power and thermal
| Base Power | 125 W |
|---|---|
| Max Turbo Power | 250W |
Memory
| Memory Type | DDR4-2933 |
|---|---|
| Max Memory Speed | 4 MT/s |
| Memory Channels | 2 |
| ECC Support | No |
Graphics and AI
| Integrated Graphics | Yes |
|---|---|
| iGPU Model | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| iGPU Compute Units | 24 |
Expansion
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 |
|---|---|
| PCIe Lanes | 16 |
Commercial
| Launch MSRP | 453 USD |
|---|---|
| Retail Availability | Retail |
| Form Factor | Desktop |
|---|---|
| TDP | 125 W |
| iGPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
FAQs
What are the key specifications of the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K?
The 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K has 10 cores and 20 threads, a 3.6 GHz base and 5.2 GHz boost clock, 20 MB of L3 cache and a 125 W TDP. Integrated graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630. Socket: FCLGA1200.
Will the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K work with my current setup?
The 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K lists CPU Socket is LGA1200. Check that against the hardware you already own before buying, since this is the field that most often decides whether a part fits.
Who is the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K best suited to?
Best suited to: Desktop gaming and content creation builds wanting near-flagship 10-core performance at a typically lower price than the i9-10900K.
What are the drawbacks of the 10th Gen Intel Core i9 10850K?
Not the best fit for: Buyers specifically chasing the absolute highest available clock speed, the flagship i9-10900K, covered elsewhere on this site, edges ahead there.
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