More details of Intel’s fastest ever desktop processor have emerged from benchmark database OCCT and the Core i9-14900KS looks set to hit a staggering 6.2GHz out of the box, making it the fastest CPU the company has made for desktop PCs.
The new processor will sit above the current Core i9-14900K flagship, adding 200MHz to its peak boost frequency, which is usually only seen across one or two cores at the same time.
Even so, this can boost lightly threaded performance and games can see a small uplift as a result. Intel has offered KS models of its flagship CPUs for several generations, usually speed-binning select chips that can hit higher frequencies. They then sell them at higher prices and are usually only available in limited quantities some time after the initial launch of that generation of processors.
For those with an LGA1700 motherboard, it’s a straight drop-in, although older 600-series chipset motherboards may require a BIOS update. The Core i9-14900KS doesn’t offer any physical benefits or upgrades over the Core i9-14900K, though, using the same 24-core, 32-thread specification.
As well as a 200MHz higher peak boost frequency, it’s also likely there will be an increase in the frequency all the P and E-cores on the new CPU can reach too. For example, the Core i9-13900K could push all its P-cores to 5.6GHz, while the 13900K could only typically hit 5.5GHz. The Ocbase data points at all P-cores being able to reach 5.9GHz. Again, that’s 200MHz higher than the 14900K could usually achieve across all its P-cores in one go.
s a result, multi-threaded workloads will see a performance boost out of the box as well. The down side to all this extra frequency is an increased power consumption. It has the same 150W base TDP as the 13900KS, which is an increase of 25W over the standard 14900K, but the actual power consumption under load is likely to be much higher.
The extra performance will likely see it close the gap between it and AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is widely considered to be the best overall gaming CPU and costs around $400. The Ryzen 9 7950X costs $520 and 7950X3D $600 with the Core i9-14900K sitting at $550 currently. It’s looking likely that the Cire i9-14900KS will cost at least $700, which is where previous KS models have launched.
In its defence, it will offer far better performance outside of games compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and offer more consistent gaming performance than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D out of the box. For this reason, KS CPUs have often been a target for those that want maximum performance with no tinkering or tweaking needed and aren’t too concerned about value. For now, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement and performance numbers.
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