Ready for Intel’s New R0 9th Generation ‘Coffee Lake’ CPUs? BIOS Updates Now Available From the Big Four
by Anton Shilov on April 5, 2019 10:00 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- Intel
- Biostar
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- Motherboards
- Asus
- Coffee Lake
- Core 9th Gen
Back in March it turned out that Intel was prepping a new stepping of its Coffee Lake processors that was due to arrive in the second quarter. By now, all leading makers of desktop motherboards have issued BIOS updates for their platforms that enable support of Intel’s 9th Gen Core CPUs featuring a new stepping ID. The processors are reportedly due next month.
ASUS, ASRock, BIOSTAR, GIGABYTE, and MSI, have now released BIOS updates for most of their Intel 300-series motherboards that enable support of Intel’s 9th Gen Core CPUs featuring the R0 stepping ID. These processors are to be released in the second quarter with some sources indicating May as their launch timeframe (something not confirmed officially).
Intel’s currently available 9th Gen Core processors use the P0 or U0 silicon, whereas the 8th Gen Core processors carry the P0 stepping ID. At this pont no-one involved has revealed the differences between the P0 and R0 dies, typically a stepping indicates a new variation in the manufacturing process or new design mask, which may help tweak some function of yield and/or power.
What we do know from previous leaks is that Intel is prepping 32 processors that belong to its Coffee Lake Refresh family. At least some of these CPUs — for example the 35W eight-core Core i9-9900T — will carry the R0 silicon, according to GIGABYTE, which removed any mentions of CPU models featuring the R0 stepping ID from its website after it initially disclosed them.
Expanding the Coffee Lake Refresh family to 41 CPUs with energy-efficient and mainstream Core-branded CPUs, as well as reasonably priced Celeron and Pentium-branded products, will make the lineup generally more competitive. Moreover, the addition of 32 new processors may drive demand for Intel 300-series motherboards, which is why makers of mainboards are inclined to add support for CPUs featuring the R0 stepping ID as soon as possible.
Related Reading
- Intel Readies New Stepping of 9th Gen Core Processors
- Coffee Lake-Refresh Desktop CPU List Surfaces: 35W Core i9-9900T & 8-Core Xeon E-2200 Confirmed
- Intel Details New 9th Gen CPUs for Notebooks: i9-9980HK to i5-9300H
- Intel's First 4.0 GHz Pentium: Pentium Gold G5620 Listed At Retail
Source: ASUS, ASRock, BIOSTAR, GIGABYTE, MSI, Momomo_US/Twitter
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Araemo - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
"ASUS has released BIOS updates for all 300 series motherboards"Prime Z370-A not listed. (Prime Z370-A II is a different board, different bios, etc)
"all 300 series"
Press X to Doubt.
closest - Sunday, April 7, 2019 - link
The new BIOS probably only brings a label change, and nothing that any user would reasonably care about. Also all info is speculation at this point.AT insists on posting the second article in just a few days on the most boring topic of the last decade even if their own assessment is that it's probably a minor tweak to improve yields. So don't take the article or information contained within to seriously, it feels like AT has basically become part of Intel's PR branch at this point. And the rest is Intel trying to look like they exist and launch something.
Good job AT. Can't wait for the reports on CPU box cardboard thickness. Double the pay for people like Andrei, since it's their articles not this ^^ that still gives you any kind of credibility.
closest - Sunday, April 7, 2019 - link
Also nobody else should dare say that it's exceptionally fishy when a site insists on posting multiple article on some non-news like a new CPU stepping (a rarity over the past decade), and fill them only with speculation. Or even that this puff pieces tend to be predominantly about one company.Do it under penalty of having you comments marked as spam :). A while ago AT forgot to cover one of the biggest AMD launch in years for about a week. But a new Intel CPU stepping? Right with us at every step.
Korguz - Monday, April 8, 2019 - link
well.. if you feel that way.. why do you keep coming back here? and what multiple articles?? the most boring topic in the last 10 years?? im sure there were others that fit that bill more then this :-)bobhumplick - Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - link
ummm they never made any claims. what are you tlaking about?goatfajitas - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
Call me when Intel gets out of the "lake". :Pimaheadcase - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
I wonder what makes a new stepping justified to them. Tweaks that multiple to one big stepping, or even a simple change makes no notice they just keep making CPUs?Like if you buy a cpu today, and even though still make them 6 months later with no stepping changes..could the performance be better on the newest one you get 6 months later if just a few changes not worth naming stepping change? Like all the silicon changes for the hacks that could happen..was that really a stepping change or just put out new CPU eventually to fix some of the spectre meltdown stuff.
My brain hurts.
goatfajitas - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
Make it easy. If you are building a PC these days, buy AMD processors.PeachNCream - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
Agreed for desktop PCs, but DIY desktops are slumping along with the rest of the desktop and laptop PC market.goatfajitas - Friday, April 5, 2019 - link
Not really. It is less than its peak in 2011, but still very high, higher than 2006 and earlier. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273495/global-...On top of that Intel has a massive CPU shortage right now and even AMD's parts are getting harder and harder to find in the OEM markets because of the overflow.