The Intel Core i9-10900K is a strong choice for a home desktop build if you need a fast, reliable CPU. This processor uses the LGA 1200 socket and features 10 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz and a turbo boost of up to 5.3 GHz. Because this is an older, discontinued Intel model, it can be a bit pricier than expected for its age (around $519 as of 2/4/26) and somewhat harder to find, since Intel no longer manufactures this specific CPU.
The motherboard I selected for this CPU is the MSI MAG B460 Tomahawk (shown below). It uses an ATX form factor and supports dual-channel, non-ECC, unbuffered memory. The board includes six SATA ports and two M.2 slots, along with one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 3.0 slot, and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. While the B460 chipset does not allow CPU overclocking, it pairs well with the i9-10900K for users who want strong out-of-the-box performance without manual tuning.
Despite the higher price for this specific CPU, it is one of the fastest processors you can use on a B460 motherboard. In my testing and research, PassMark gives the i9-10900K a multi-thread score of 22,359 and a single-thread score of 3,111. In everyday use, the system felt very responsive, with fast load times and smooth multitasking. Overall, it’s a solid CPU choice if you want your PC to run quickly and handle demanding applications well.
List of complete specs for the Intel Core i9-10900K are as follows:
Class: Desktop
Socket: FCLGA1200
Clock Speed: 3.7 GHz
Turbo Speed: 5.3 GHz
Cores: 10
Threads: 20
Typical TDP: 125 W
Cache per CPU package:
L1 Instruction Cache: 10 × 32 KB
L1 Data Cache: 10 × 32 KB
L2 Cache: 10 × 256 KB
L3 Cache: 20 MB
NOTE: This review is part of a classroom project.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B460-TOMAHAWK/Specification
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i9-10900K+%40+3.70GHz&id=3730