After a somewhat premature unveiling by Newegg a couple of days ago, Intel today officially announced the Intel Core i9-12900KS CPU. The newest special edition processor from Team Blue offers slightly higher clocks for performance and efficiency cores in various scenarios.
The unlocked i9-12900KS processor is the ultimate processor for enthusiasts and gamers who want the fastest processor available. With 16 cores (eight Performance-cores and eight Efficient-cores) and 24 threads, and up to 5.5 GHz max turbo frequency, 150W processor base power and 30MB Intel® Smart Cache for even more gaming power and performance.
The Intel Core i9-12900KS is a binned version of the Intel Core i9-12900K. It can operate at higher speeds out of the box without additional overclocking. That also means owners of the original Core i9-12900K should not feel bad because their CPUs can achieve the exact specs on compatible motherboards (assuming the cooling provides enough headroom for higher clocks).
Here are the main differences between the Intel Core i9-12900KS and Core i9-12900K.
| Intel Core i9-12900KS | Intel Core i9-12900K | |
|---|---|---|
| E-Core Base Clocks | 2.5 GHz (+100 MHz) | 2.4 GHz |
| E-Core Max Clocks | 4.0 GHz (+100 MHz) | 3.9 GHz |
| P-Core Base Clocks | 3.4 GHz (+200 MHz) | 3.2 GHz |
| P-Core Max Clocks | 5.2 GHz (+100 MHz) | 5.1 GHz |
| Intel Turbo Boost 3.0 Max Clocks |
5.3 GHz (+100 MHz) | 5.2 GHz |
| Max Clocks (two binned cores) |
5.5 GHz (+300 MHz) | 5.2 GHz |
| Base Power | 150 W | 125 W |
Other than higher clocks across all cores and modes, the Intel Core i9-12900KS is identical to its sibling. Buyers will get a processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, 30 MB of L3 cache, DDR4-3200/DDR5-4800 memory support, and PCIe 4.0/5.0 compatibility.
Intel plans to sell the Core i9-12900KS beginning April 5 at $739 MSRP.
2 Comments - Add comment