How to buy Intel’s new 9th Gen processors

Intel’s new 9th Gen Core i5, i7, and i9 processors are now available for preorder. While we’re still eagerly awaiting the company’s oft-delayed 10nm Cannon Lake CPU, the latest family of processors are bringing some welcomed improvements. From a security standpoint, they are each protected against Meltdown Variant 3 and L1 Terminal Fault issues. More generally, power users can expect a hearty bump up in performance — especially if you buy into the new i9-9900K, which Intel claims is the “best gaming processor in the world. Period.”

If you’re looking to upgrade your current PC, preordering now will guarantee delivery on or around launch day, which is currently set at October 19th. Here are a few places where you can buy a new 9th Gen Intel CPU.

Installing the new CPU into your current rig should be fairly easy, as long as you have the correct motherboard. Like the previous generation, Intel’s 9th Gen maintains the same LGA 1151 socket and requires a motherboard with an Intel 300 Series chipset. Thankfully, those are easy to find and not too expensive, though if you haven’t upgraded your CPU in some time, you’ll have to really uproot your system to make the new processor play nicely.

Of course, if you don’t yet own a powerful PC, plenty of manufacturers were quick to implement Intel’s 9th Gen CPUs into their prebuilt offerings. To name a few examples, Origin already offers its fleet of desktops and laptops with up to the Core i9 preinstalled at checkout. Asus, Maingear, and Dell are also ready with Intel’s latest processor in their upcoming offerings, and more are on the way soon.