All posts by Ali

Intel Core i9-10900K, AI Edit

February 6, 2026CPU reviewsAli

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.

Resources:
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i9-10th-gen-core-i9-10900k-comet-lake-lga-1200-desktop-cpu-processor/p/N82E16819118122?scrlybrkr=7a7e08ea

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

Intel Core i9-10900K

February 4, 2026CPU reviewsAli

The Intel Core i9-10900K CPU is a great CPU for a home motherboard that you need a fast CPU for. The CPU itself uses a LGA 1200 socket, has 10 cores and 20 threads, has a base clock speed of 3.7 GHZ, and a turbo of 5.3 GHz. Due to this specific CPU being an older model from Intel, it’s a little pricier ($519.12 as of 2/4/26) and is a little harder to find due to the fact that they quit making certain CPU types after awhile.

The specific motherboard I selected for this CPU was the MAG B460 Tomahawk (shown below) from the manufacturer MSI. It’s form factor is an ATX, it supports dual channel, and non-ECC, unbuffered memory. It has 6 SATA ports and 2 M.2 slots, has one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 3.0 slot, and 2 PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.

Besides the higher end price for this specific CPU, it is one of the faster CPUs that you can use for that specific motherboard. PassMark gave this CPU a rating of 22,359 for the multi-thread, and a rating of 3,111 for the single thread. It is a really nice CPU that you can use if you want your PC to run fast.

List of complete Specs for the Intel Core i9-10900K are as follows:

Class: Desktop

Socket: FCLGA1200

Clockspeed: 3.7 GHz

Turbo Speed: 5.3 GHz

Cores: 10 Threads: 20

Typical TDP: 125 W

Cache per CPU Package:
L1 Instruction Cache: 10 x 32 KB
L1 Data Cache: 10 x 32 KB
L2 Cache: 10 x 256 KB
L3 Cache: 20 MB

NOTE: This review is part of a classroom project.

Resources:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i9-10900K+%40+3.70GHz&id=3730

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B460-TOMAHAWK/Specification

MEG Z890 Unify-X

December 9, 2025Motherboard reviewsAli

Alt view image 2 of 10 - MSI MEG Z890 UNIFY-X LGA 1851 Intel Z890 ATX Motherboard

The MEG Z890 Unify-X is a motherboard that is sold by MSI. It’s currently (as of 12/9/25) listed for $899.99 on Newegg. The motherboard itself has a plethora of things that you could add to it, along with great processors that go with the motherboard itself, and is a fairly decent motherboard for a gaming PC.

The socket itself is a LGA 1851, and supports a list of Intel Core Processors from series 2, a few select processors that can be used include and are not limited to the Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 288V, the Intel Core Processor Ultra 9 Processor 285T, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285K. The rear I/O port consists of eight USB 3.2 slots, four USB-C ports, Flash BIOS, clear CMOS, and smart button buttons, keyboard and mouse plugins, a network port as well as Wi-Fi, analog audio and S/PDIF audio.

The motherboard is a little lacking on terms of ram slots, only having two slots for DDR5 with a memory cap of 128GB. The memory slots support non-ECC and unbuffered memory, and it also supports dual-controller and dual-channel mode. However, to make up for the lack of ram slots, the motherboard has six M.2 slots underneath a heat sync, and six SATA ports. The motherboard has four expansion slots, three PCIe x16 slots and one PCIe x1 slot.

Generally, this is a decent motherboard to have for a gaming PC with powerful and efficient processors that you can buy to go with it, a plethora of M.2 slots, and six SATA ports. Expansion slots are slightly limited, but with what’s on the motherboard there is a decent amount of things you can add to it, and the rear I/O port has lots of things that you can use to hook other things to the PC itself.

References:

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MEG-Z890-UNIFY-X/Specification

https://www.newegg.com/msi-meg-z890-unify-x-atx-motherboard-intel-z890-lga-1851/p/N82E16813144683?srsltid=AfmBOoprzyfeuV7GGk-DkjY8zQ2ffKK55b4licer8NkkzlWZies9oFZm

Note: This review is part of a classroom project.