Intel has released a new range of 9000-series processors without the typical on board graphics that have been a part and parcel of Intel's Core range of chips for well over a decade. These new "F" chips have comparable specifications to their non-F counterparts, with the same clock speeds, core counts, cache levels, and TDP requirements, but don't have the integrated greaphics.
This isn't totally unheard of. Intel typically doesn't include integrated graphics with its most powerful CPUs, the ones with the X after their name. But it's odd to see it in mid-range consumer chips like the 9400F, or the 9600KF. As PCGamer reports, these chips don't have any announced prices as of yet, which would suggest that they will end up being sold to OEMs rather than consumers. Presumably they'll be a little cheaper, giving system designers that want to save a few dollars to use those and pair them with a dedicated graphics card or chip instead.
As PCGamer highlights too, it might be Intel's way to making use of faulty stock. If a CPU is crafted and the GPU cores are defective, simply turning them off and selling the chip without them means not taking a loss on those faulty components. This could also be Intel's way of avoiding ongoing shortages with its 9-series which has been plagued by pricing problems as gougers take advantage of limited stock.
As Intel shifts its production over to 10nm Ice Lake CPUs for release in late-2019, it may be trying to make the most of existing 9-series chips in the mean time. If supply issues are likely to continue, shipping these F parts to system builders instead makes a lot of sense.
