Need a good reason to update your computer in 2019? Speed improvements might well be it, and it’s bringing better WiFi, too.
Intel has new chips on the way, and while that might typically mean better performance for new computers, it’s going to come with some other features, too. Faster storage, improved WiFi performance, security changes, and enhanced graphics are all just part of the changes, as Intel let loose on what we can all expect in Intel Core ninth-generation.
“Our new 9th Gen platform is designed to delight gamers, creators and performance users by giving them more of what they want,” said Intel’s Fredrik Hamberger.
“We are bringing desktop-caliber performance with up to 5 Ghz and 8 cores in a range of thinner systems and new level of connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 so users can game or create where they want.”
The approach with this new chip is more power in a chip, so much that Intel will offer a range of Core i5, i7 and Core i9 processors offering as much as 5GHz of performance to laptops, bringing desktop level power down to a portable.
There are some great reasons as to why, and they include gaming and creative applications, such as 3D animation and video editing, all of which can lean on processing power to get things done.
Intel’s ninth-generation mobile chips are focused heavily on this, with technology build to handle 4K transcoding and video editing, and taking advantage of Intel’s Optane memory technology when available, which can improve the speed of a system.
WiFi improvements are also part of the package, with the new WiFi 6 technology also included. Also known as 802.11ax, WiFi 6 delivers speed improvements when used with a new 802.11ax router, and these are gradually appearing. Netgear launched one in Australia only recently, and you can expect more as time goes on, as well. You can even find WiFi 6 on at least one phone, with the technology included on Samsung’s Galaxy S10 range.
For Intel’s ninth-generation Core processors, WiFi 6 means the computers it arrives on can achieve gigabit speeds over WiFi, helping file transfers and game speeds, and potentially doing away with that pesky network cable once and for all.
You’ll find these chips on a range of laptops from the usual suspects, including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Razer, Acer, and Asus, though Apple hasn’t yet revealed plans.
While we expect Apple to show its new computers later this year, you can expect the iPhone and MacBook maker to take advantage of the new chips, which would also potentially provider 802.11ax WiFi and more powerful processors to the MacBook Pro line of computers.
The launch of the mobile ninth-gen Intel Core chips is just one part of Intel’s release, with desktop chips also included, ranging now between Core i3 to Core i9, while updated low-end chips in the Pentium Gold and Celeron range are also included, though not necessarily with the same level of performance made available in the high-end Core chips.
Expect to see them in systems shortly, where we expect to bench them accordingly.
