Intel continues its tradition of releasing special editions of flagship processors with the KS suffix in the name. This time, the company prepares to launch the Core i9-12900KS model, as revealed by a now delisted page on Newegg (via Anandtech).
Newegg has spilled the beans on the upcoming KS model by listing all the key specs of the CPU. Moreover, the retailer has been accepting preorders for a short time before taking down the page off its website.
The Intel Core i9-12900KS will remain the same 16-core/24-thread CPU with eight performance and efficiency cores (only performance cores have hyperthreading, hence the odd core-to-threads ratio). The main difference is slightly better boost speeds. According to the listing on Newegg, the Intel Core i9-12900KS will offer +100 MHz on E-core turbo clocks and +300MHz on P-core turbo clocks.
Those extra MHz are not free. Besides a hefty price tag of $799 (the Core i9-12900K is $589), the upcoming CPU has a higher base power of 150W compared to 125W in the Core i9-12900K. Turbo power remains unchanged at 241W. Here is how the upcoming Intel Core i9-12900KS compares to its siblings in the 12th gen lineup:
| Intel Core i9-12900KS | Intel Core i9-12900K | Intel Core i7-12700K | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cores | 16 (8E+8P) | 12 (4E+8P) | |
| E-Core Clocks | 2.4 GHz | 2.7 GHz | |
| E-Core Turbo | 4.0 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| P-Core Clocks | 3.2 GHz | 3.6 GHz | |
| P-Core Turbo | 5.5 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 5.0 GHz |
| Base Power | 150 W | 125 W | |
| Turbo Power | 241 W | 190 W | |
| L3 Cache | 30 MB | 25 MB | |
| Price | $799 | $589 | $409 |
Of course, owners of the regular Intel Core i9-12900K can get the exact specs by overclocking their processors on compatible motherboards. With the new KS model, Intel will guarantee its buyers that the processor can operate at the marketed clocks out of the box with no tuning required.
Intel is yet to confirm the existence of the Core i9-12900KS and its shipping date. Newegg claimed the CPU would be available on March 10, which, as you may guess, is not quite true anymore.