If every letter has a special meaning for a feature in a product, and a product portfolio offers a mix and match of those features, then eventually a combination of letters will end up with a secondary meaning. Today we’re seeing the beginning of the Kentucky Fried version of Intel: in the latest changelog to AIDA64, a well-known utility for system identification and testing, the company behind the software has added in the hooks and details for the Core i9-9900KFC.

This CPU is as-yet unannounced by Intel. Software houses like the one behind AIDA, as well as OEMs, have to design software (and hardware) in advance of future products, and so they need to know the specifications and details in advance as well. It just so happens that sometimes those parts get listed in updates and changelogs, which is the case here.

No other details other than the name are given, although we can infer a few things. Intel’s K processor line means that the processor will be overclockable, and the i9-9900 means that it will be using the fastest speeds of the generation. F processors are new to Intel’s lineup, and mean that the processor doesn’t have integrated graphics, and users will need a discrete graphics card to use the chip.

The letter causing confusion however, is the C. In the past, Intel used ‘C’ to designate the Broadwell CPUs that had improved integrated graphics. This would fly in the face of the ‘F’ part of the name. However, those C processors also contained a small amount of eDRAM to act as a buffer between the L3 cache and the CPU. In our testing of those processors, it only really gave extra performance to integrated graphics workloads, which is where those Broadwell processors were focused.

But if the naming holds true here, then Intel might be set to offer eDRAM on its high-end eight core processors. Given that we saw benchmark performance increases only on a couple of benchmarks, it will be interesting to hear what Intel has to say about the added benefits are here. Having a non-integrated graphics part with extra hardware to improve graphics performance is like a double edged sword, except with no swords and two hilts.

But at least it is deep fried and from Kentucky, right? This chip needs some dip.

We've reached out to the people behind AIDA, and Intel, for extra clarity on this processor.

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Source: AIDA64

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  • Ryan Smith - Saturday, February 16, 2019 - link

    Presumably the C stands for "crispy", but we'll see.
  • bobhumplick - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    the edram did have performance improvements in some cpu only areas. i think compiler speed was one of them
  • 0ldman79 - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    Monero mining is highly dependent on the CPU cache. It's one area where my FX whips my Xeon.

    Gotta wonder how small data calculations like that would work with the large L4.
  • PeachNCream - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    I don't know of too many people still running mining hardware at this point given the energy and hardware costs tend to outpace gains so that cache may not be a significant factor in purchase decisions at least in that specific use case. Perhaps if crypto currencies find a floor that will change, but speculative trades and selling hardware to people still not quite caught up with the current state of affairs appears to be the best two courses to attain wealth.
  • Hul8 - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    The "C" may well stand for "(C)ache", but in this case, rather than "more (C)ache" it may mean "less (C)ache".

    These could be salvaged dies with some of the L3 cache faulty - therefore with some of it disabled.
  • drexnx - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    maybe it'll only have an L3 cache with secret blend of 11 megaherbs and spices instead of 16MB?
  • Rocket321 - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    Megaherbs is the best thing I will hear today.
  • Yaldabaoth - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    It will be in the new Intel NUC, "Famous Canyon". This device is an inverted dome-shaped ultra-compact PC. All the parts are dumped inside and jumbled together in a distasteful way.
  • GreenReaper - Monday, February 18, 2019 - link

    Reminds me how I was a fan of the Win9x-era (Plus! pack?) "Inside Your Computer" wallpaper:
    https://technology.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1246...

    I see someone did an updated version (hopefully I don't have any of those valves in mine!):
    https://www.deviantart.com/dgtldesigner/art/Inside...
  • Ashinjuka - Friday, February 15, 2019 - link

    If it's really eDRAM, I bet it's a big performance boost for the Linux Colonel.

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