Intel just launched Core i9-13900KS — the world’s fastest CPU

Intel has released the Intel Core i9-13900KS, which is the first consumer-grade desktop CPU to hit 6GHz without overclocking. The company previously said it would release a processor capable of hitting 6GHz during its Technology Tour 2022 event in Israel. Intel didn’t name the CPU in question at the time, though many in the tech community guessed it would be the then-upcoming i9-13900KS. As it turns out, that turned out to be the case.

The 13th gen Intel Core i9-13900KS uses the company’s Thermal Velocity Boost technology to achieve 6GHz out of the box. It has a higher TDP (thermal design power) than the i9-13900K, which is 125W compared to the Core i9-13900KS’ 150W, though both chips can exceed 250W at max turbo power. The Core i9-13900KS peaks at 320W in a new Extreme Power Delivery Profile, which means this CPU is not only fast but extremely power-hungry.

As The Verge (opens in new tab) notes, the Core i9-13900KS is very similar to the i9-13900K. Both chips have 24 cores (eight performance, 16 efficiency), 32 threads, 36MB of Intel’s L3 smart cache and 20 PCIe lanes. However, where the 13900K has a core frequency of 3.0Hz, the i9-13900KS has a base of 3.2GHz.

So what does all this mean for you? A faster chip to be sure, at least compared to the standard i9-13900K, though we can’t say for certain how much faster until we’ve seen comparisons from independent sources. In some cases, folks who may have otherwise overclocked their PCs may not need to since the Core i9-13900KS hits 6GHz out of the box. Though, we’re sure hardcore PC enthusiasts will take a stab at overclocking Intel’s new super-fast processor.

The Intel Core i9-13900KS is available now for $699. While that price is certainly steep, it’s $124 less than the current price of the older 12th gen Intel Core i9-12900KS, according to sibling site Tom’s Hardware (opens in new tab). The new CPU is also $40 less than the Core i9-12900KS when it originally launched. Hopefully there’s enough supply to ensure the Core i9-13900KS’ price remains steady for the foreseeable future.