Avoid this "new" Intel CPU for gaming - it's a really old chip in disguise

A curious new Intel CPU has just been released that not only doesn't use the company's latest Arrow Lake architecture, but is in fact based on Intel's aging Comet Lake architecture from five years ago. This is the tech used in Intel's 10th-gen CPUs from 2020, and it's really dated now. Forget PCIe 5.0, the Intel Core i5 110 doesn't even support PCIe 4.0 - you'll be looking at PCIe 3.0 speeds for any GPUs or SSDs you use with this chip.

As such, this isn't a chip you're likely to find in our best gaming CPU guide any time soon. In fact, you'll also have a hard time finding a new motherboard to support it - even the older LGA1700 boards on our best gaming motherboard guide won't accommodate it. Instead, this CPU uses the LGA1200 socket, which Intel hasn't used since its 11th-gen Rocket Lake CPUs were launched back in 2021.

First spotted by X (formerly Twitter) user momomo_us, the new chip appears on the official Intel Ark specs website, where it's listed with a $200 price and a Q3 2025 launch date. While it still has Intel's old Core i5 branding in the name, this new CPU also has a three-digit model number, which is much more in line with the numbering of Intel's current Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake chips. Comet Lake chips had five-digit model numbers, such as the Core i9 10850K, at the time of their original release.

Intel Core i5 110 specs

This new chip has very conservative specs when compared to even some of the original Comet Lake chips. It only has six cores and 12 threads via Hyper-Threading, with a 2.9GHz base clock and just a 4.3GHz top turbo boost clock speed.

If you already own a Core i5 10600K system from five years ago, you'll be better off sticking with what you've got, as this older chip has a higher 4.8GHz boost clock and the same number of cores. As far as I can see, the new CPU's specs are practically identical to those of the Core i5 10400, which launched for the same $200 price in 2020.

On the plus side, it only has a 65W TDP, so you won't need an over-the-top CPU cooler to keep it in check. This chip could potentially be used as a low-cost drop-in upgrade for older LGA1200 systems that are still in circulation, perhaps based on old Pentium or Core i3 CPUs. For most people, though, I'd advise steering clear of it, especially if you see it in a new gaming PC.

If you are looking to upgrade your processor, check out our guide to buying the best CPU cooler to make sure you can keep its temperatures under control.

Should Intel be releasing new CPUs based on tech this old? Let us know your thoughts on our community Discord server.