Intel reluctantly confirms launch date of 11th Gen Rocket Lake-S processors
Intel’s new desktop processors are just around the corner.
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What you need to know
Intel confirmed that its 11th Gen Rocket Lake-S processors will go on sale on March 30, 2021. The company had not previously shared a specific release date, but shared details about the CPU after a German retailer started selling it early (viaTechRadar). Intel did not specifically mention any retailer by name, but it is likely connected to Mindfactory.de putting the cards up for sale early (viaVideoCardz).
You could actually purchase the card early at one point, but that no longer seems to be the case.
Andreas Schilling from hardwareLuxx shared an exchange with Intel on Twitter.
We now have an official sales date:“The sales embargo for 11th Gen Desktop processors (Rocket Lake S) is March 30, 2021 at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET.“We now have an official sales date:“The sales embargo for 11th Gen Desktop processors (Rocket Lake S) is March 30, 2021 at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET."— Andreas Schilling (@aschilling)March 2, 2021March 2, 2021
In that exchange, Intel told Schilling, “We take our embargo agreements seriously. We are aware of a retailer selling unreleased products and are following up as appropriate.”
The company also specified that the 11th Gen Rocket Lake-S CPU will go on sale on March 30, 2021 at 9 AM ET.
Intel didn’t share all of the details about the 11th Gen Rocket Lake-S chips at CES 2021, but it didexplain several aspects of the cards.
The Core i9-11900K is an eight-core, 16-thread chipset with boosted clock speeds of 5.3 GHz. Those clock speeds should deliver a significant boost over preceding processors.
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The Core i9-11900K supports up to DDR4-3200 and has 20 total PCIe 4.0 lanes. It works with Intel’s new 500 series chipset but is also backwards compatible with Intel 400 series chipsets.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
