The 5GHz desktop CPU is official: This is the Intel Core i7-8086K

By published

The Core i7-8086K is going up for sale from June 8.

Intel launched the iconic 8086 processor 40 years ago, with its debut marking a watershed moment in computing history. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 8086, Intel is launching the Core i7-8086K.

The 8086 had a 5MHz frequency, and as an homage to the chipset the Core i7-8086K goes all the way up to 5GHz, becoming the first CPU from the company to do so.

The i7-8086K has a 5.0GHz boost clock with a base clock of 4.0GHz. The hexa-core CPU is built on the same platform as the Core i7-8700K, which goes up to 4.7GHz, but with increased frequencies. The 8086K slots into a 300-series motherboard, and being an unlocked SKU, you'll be able to overclock it beyond 5GHz.

The Core i7-8086K will go on sale starting June 8 — which is the same day the 8086 launched 40 years ago — and Intel has announced that it will give away 8,086 units of the CPU as a way of thanking its community.

You'll be able to enter the contest by heading to Intel's sweepstakes site, which will go live shortly.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda
10 Comments
  • Intel web site is not working
  • Works OK here - although sweepstake not yet open
  • Bazingahhhh!
  • Well... that's cool and all, homage to history, what's making this cpu so speciall if it's based on the 8700k. I mean you can clock any cpu to any freq, the main problem is how you're going to cool that thing down. There've been 5Ghz overclocking vids for quite a while, though they mostly included liquid nitrogen or some other pretty incoventional techniques. So if Intel's not shipping those with the CPU, idk how they're gonna keep that thing from melting.
  • Price I saw was $480 which is a $100 premium over the i-7-8700K processor. Not sure it is worth 25% more for a 300 MHz increase. I would still love to win one in the sweepstakes though.
  • Was 12 when the 8086 was released. Blessed to have been a witness to the innovation of personal computing that has taken place. Wow. Just wow.
  • Are 2GHz used for protection against Spectre and Meltdown out of those 5GHz?
  • Why isn't this called an i9? 😁
  • How much was the 8086 sold for at launch?
  • Taking a stab that it was around 300 dollars*, being that the 8080 cost 360 dollars at its launch in April 1974. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS_Technology_6502#cite_note-Intel_$360-20). It didn't sell well, partly because it was a 16-bit chip in an 8-bit world, so Intel created the less expensive 8088, which was 16-bits internally and 8-bits externally. * I have to write out dollars instead of using the symbol, because WC thinks my comment is spam.