Intel Launches $699 Core i9-13900KS, the World’s First 6 GHz 320W CPU: Available Now
It may be nowhere near the 30 GHz Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger predicted in 2002, but Intel’s Core i9-13900KS Special Edition processor currently retails for $699 and hits 6 GHz without overclocking. It’s the world’s first consumer CPU that works. With a base power specification of 250W, he’s officially qualified as the most power-hungry desktop CPU of all time. It peaks at 320W in the new Extreme Power Delivery profile.
Notably, the 13900KS’ peak of 6 GHz is 300 MHz faster than the 5.7 GHz of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors, but AMD has a special series of Ryzen 7000X3D chips to face off against the 13900KS in the title of World’s Fastest Gaming CPU. there is.
AMD’s competing chips are arriving next month, and we fully expect AMD to sample its chips to the press for review on its yet-to-be-announced launch date. Making the announcement without providing samples to the press naturally leads to speculation that they don’t expect the chip to maintain its gaming performance lead over AMD’s upcoming X3D processors. It positions the 13900KS as the “World’s Fastest Desktop Processor” and doesn’t use the “World’s Fastest Gaming Processor” tag it has adopted for other chips in the past.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Manufacturer’s suggested retail price | Cores/Threads (P+E) | P-Core Base/Boost Clock (GHz) | E-Core Base/Boost Clock (GHz) | Cache (L2/L3) | TDP/PBP/MTP | memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9-13900KS | $699 | 24/32 (8+16) | 3.0 / 6.0 | 2.2/4.3 | 68MB (32+36) | 150W/253W/320W | DDR4-3200 / DDR5-5600 |
| Core i9-13900K/KF | $589 (K) – $564 (KF) | 24/32 (8+16) | 3.0 / 5.8 | 2.2/4.3 | 68MB (32+36) | 125W/253W | DDR4-3200 / DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X3D | ? | 16/32 | 4.2/5.7 | – | 144MB (16+128) | 120W/162W | DDR5-5200 |
| Ryzen 9 7900X3D | ? | 12/24 | 4.4/5.6 | – | 140MB (12+132) | 120W/162W | DDR5-5200 |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D | ? | 8/16 | 4.x/5.0 | – | 104MB (8+96) | 120W/162W | DDR5-5200 |
The Core i9-13900KS is functionally identical to the 13900K, currently the fastest gaming chip in the world, but the extra ‘S’ in the name indicates that this is a premium binning silicon that hits 6 GHz on two cores. indicates that there is 12900K.
The chip also features a Processor Base Power (PBP) rating of 150W, which is 25W higher than the 13900K, making it the world’s most power hungry desktop PC processor by base TDP. Intel specifies a maximum turbo power (MTP) spec of 253W, but the new Extreme Power Delivery profile bumps that up to 320W with an ICCMax of 400A. The processor is fully guaranteed to operate at this peak power consumption.
Intel recently demoed a chip that hits 6 GHz on two cores with standard off-the-shelf Corsair AIO liquid cooling, but didn’t specify the size of the cooler (the company said “a 360mm AIO cooler works great. performance”). ). The chip’s peak frequency relies on Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) technology. This means that the chip must be below a predefined temperature (70°C) to reach the 6 GHz peak. Naturally, a custom liquid cooling system will give you the greatest benefit.
The Intel Core i9-13900K recently achieved the highest ever frequency world record of 8.812 GHz, beating out the previous record holder AMD’s legendary FX-8370 by 90 MHz. Intel chose premium binned 13900K silicon for his 13900KS, so it is guaranteed to be the best silicon the company has to offer. This makes this chip very attractive to overclockers. Because if he pays an extra $110 for the KS model, he’ll improve his odds in the silicon lottery and practically be sure to get a cherry-his chip (see below for a video explained by Intel Fellow Guy Therien). embedded). binning mechanism). These chips are available in limited quantities, but Intel has not released a firm estimate of the number of units available.
Intel has stated that it will raise the prices of its CPUs to reflect the inflationary environment, bizarrely leaving the new 13th Gen Raptor Lake at its original price while the previous 12th Gen CPU prices has already been raised—at least for now. So the 13900KS is $124 cheaper than the current price of the previous generation Core i9-12900KS which peaked at 5.5 GHz. For the record, the 12900KS originally debuted at $739, so the 13900KS’ $699 price tag is $40 less than the previous generation model’s debut price.
Intel’s previous KS model came in a special package, but Intel has yet to share details about the 13900KS.
Interestingly, the Core i9-13900KS’ 6 GHz achievement sets a record for a shipping desktop PC processor, but it falls short of the high peak once predicted. As mentioned above, Pat Gelsinger, who was Intel’s CEO and CTO at the time, in 2002 predicted that processors would reach 30 GHz by 2010. , which slowed progress tremendously.
But after years of stagnating frequencies and limiting core counts, we see the fierce competition between Intel and AMD pushing the boundaries again. Incredible power consumption from both players comes at an increasing cost, but that’s good for all of us.
The Core i9-13900KS is available now at retailers for 1,000 units at a price of $699 (Intel’s recommended price for high volume buyers, but prices are usually higher in stores initially). You can also find Intel’s new fastest chips in systems from Intel’s channel and his OEM partners. You can expect to see reviews here soon.
