Launched Intel Core i9-12900KS desktop processor with a maximum speed of 5.5 GHz

Intel Core i9-12900KS has debuted as the chipmaker’s new high-end desktop processor to take on AMD. Intel claims its new offering is the “world’s fastest desktop processor” – capable of delivering a maximum turbo frequency of 5.5GHz. Technically, the Intel Core i9-12900KS is an unlocked version of the existing Core i9-12900K. It has the same 16-core design with 24 threads that was available on the standard Core i9 flagship processor. However, Intel has upgraded the base power to 150W from 125W available on the Core i9-12900K to deliver faster clock speed on up to two cores.

Intel Core i9-12900KS Processor Price and Availability

The Intel Core i9-12900KS price starts at $739 (about Rs 56,100) and the new processor will be available from April 5. Details on the Indian price of the Core i9-12900KS will come later.

Last year, Intel Core i9-12900K was launched at a starting price of $589 (around Rs. 44,700).

Intel Core i9-12900KS Specifications

Announced at CES 2022 in January, the Intel Core i9-12900KS is designed as a special-edition processor, aimed at enthusiasts and gamers looking to “maximize the performance” of their PC. The processor is capable of reaching up to 5.5 GHz on up to two cores, which is faster than the maximum clock speed of 5.2 GHz available on the 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900K processor .

Along with the new maximum turbo frequency, the Core i9-12900KS comes with Intel Thermal Velocity Boost technology that allows overclocking while maintaining CPU temperature. The new chip also features Intel Adaptive Boost Technology to improve gaming performance by enabling higher multi-core turbo frequencies, the company said.

Intel offered its 16-core design on the Core i9-12900KS which brings eight P cores and eight E cores, just like the Core i9-12900K.

Intel Core i9-12900KS also includes support for up to DDR5 4800 MT/s and DDR4 3200 MT/s. Additionally, it is compatible with existing Z690 motherboards and includes support for PCIe Gen 5.0 and 4.0.

By bringing the Core i9-12900KS, Intel is essentially giving professional gamers another choice. The new processor, however, has AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D as a competitor which arrives in April itself. AMD projects the new Ryzen model as the “world’s fastest gaming processor”, although it claims to have a maximum clock speed of 4.5 GHz, which is lower than the maximum speed of 5.5 GHz available on the Intel model.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, however, comes with a new 3D stacking V-Cache technology that helps deliver up to 96MB L3 cache. Unlike the Core i9-12900KS which has a 30MB cache .

That said, we’ve yet to see the actual performance of both processors to understand how good they might be for their target audiences.

Alongside the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, AMD has the 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X as the top chip that could give the latest Intel processor a tough fight. The Ryzen 9 model has 16 cores and a maximum clock speed of 4.9 GHz, as well as a 64 MB L3 cache and a base power of 105 W which can be increased up to 142 W.