Intel Core i9-13900KS announced with world’s first 6.0 GHz maximum turbo frequency

Intel today announced its flagship Core i9-13900KS desktop processor, which is a special edition model of the 13900K. The 13900KS is the world’s first desktop processor to reach a maximum turbo frequency of 6.0 GHz right out of the box.

The main difference between the 13900K and 13900KS is the 200 MHz bump on the maximum turbo clock speed from the already impressive 5.8 GHz to 6.0 GHz. This is achieved through pooled silicon, ensuring that only the best parts go into making the 13900KS. The 13900KS has a higher base power limit of 150W compared to the 125W of the 13900K and while the maximum turbo limit is the same at 253W, the 13900KS supports the Extreme Power Profile, which increases the limit of power up to 320W to help achieve those higher clocks. speeds.

While Intel’s claims are completely valid, several conditions are necessary to be able to achieve this clock speed. While Intel claims the limit can be reached with standard consumer motherboards using standard AIO liquid coolers and the 6.0 GHz figure can be reached without any overclocking, Intel’s test video showed that the 13900KS only hit that number on a few P cores for short durations during a 7-Zip benchmark.

That not only means you’re not hitting that 6.0GHz on all P-cores, but how consistently you can hit that figure even on just two cores varies depending on a number of factors.

Other than that, the 13900KS is exactly identical to the 13900K in all other specs, including E-core clocks and cache count. However, due to the pooled silicon, the 13900KS should perform better under exotic cooling for extreme overclocking. But if that’s not your use case, you’re better off using the 13900K instead.

The 13900KS is available today for $699.

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