Intel officially presented the Core i9-13900KS processor today. The new flagship of the 13th generation Core desktop line initially received a frequency formula of 3.2/6.0 GHz for productive cores. The symbolism of this model lies precisely in the fact that it is the first x86 chip that accelerates to 6 GHz in normal mode without additional overclocking.

The Core i9-13900KS uses a hybrid layout with 8 performance cores (P-Cores) supporting Hyper-Threading and 16 energy-efficient E-Cores. So the full configuration of the top model is 8/16 (3.2/6.0 GHz) + 16 (2.2/4.3 GHz) and 36 MB L3. The base TDP is 150W, which is 25W higher than the Core i9-13900K. But the value of PL2 remained at the same level – 253 W. However, the Core i9-13900KS supports the new “Extreme Config” profile, which increases PL1/PL2 to 320W.

The flagship of the line has 16 PCI-E 5.0 lanes and 4 PCI-E 4.0 lanes for connecting drives. Standard support for DDR5-5600/DDR4-3200 memory modules is declared. And the best platforms for working with a top CPU, according to the manufacturer, will be motherboards based on Intel Z790 and Intel Z690 with updated BIOS versions.

Recommended price of Core i9-13900KS is $699. It is $110 more expensive than the Core i9-13900K, which has the same functional equipment, but the maximum frequency “out of the box” is limited to 5.8 GHz. Almost half a dollar for each next megahertz… The things you do for the sake of a spectacular “six”.

Colleagues from the HardwareUnboxed resource have already been able to test Core i9-13900KS. We will present the results obtained in games in Full HD mode when using the GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card.

As you can see, the increase in performance compared to that for the Core i9-13900K is minimal. Core i9-13900KS allowed to get only 1.8% more frames/s. Even using DDR5-7200 memory provided a more significant acceleration. Of course, it was reasonable to expect more from an acceleration of 200 MHz at already initially such high operating frequencies. So we can once again emphasize that the Core i9-13900KS is rather a landmark model, which according to a certain criterion remains unattainable for the competitor.

The desired 6 GHz is not easy for the processor. Even when using a liquid cooling system, Core i9-13900KS temperatures can reach 100C under multi-threaded load. However, HardwareUnboxed’s testing used an engineering sample, so perhaps retail samples will perform better. But the most powerful cooling system for such a processor is mandatory.

As for performance, it is very interesting to wait for the confrontation between Intel’s top models with Ryzen 7000X3D, which should once again surprise thanks to the radical increase in the cache memory of the third level. By the way, there is a funny situation with the official start of sales of models with 3D V-Cache. AMD initially set the “action” for February 14, and then immediately canceled the specified date, offering to follow the reports.

Coming back to the Core i9-13900KS, it’s already available from today, but initially only to select retailers and in limited quantities. Well, that’s pretty predictable for a Special Edition version. However, the chips will also be available in the OEM channel for partners who will offer the ultimate system units based on the new Intel flagship.