The embargo for Intel's Core i9-12900KS hasn't yet lifted, so reviewers haven't revealed just how fast and how power hungry this high-end CPU is, but it's already landed with one lucky pre-order buyer. The chip was reportedly sold by mistake a little early, possibly for as much as $780, making it a very costly purchase, even if it is as good as Intel claims.
The Core i9-12900KS is a unique CPU with the same 16 cores (8P + 8E) of the Core i9-12900K, but it features a 5.5GHz single core boost clock, and an even more impressive 5.2GHz all-core boost clock. That reportedly gives this CPU around 3% higher performance in single threaded tasks, and a massive 11% improvement in multi-threaded performance over the 12900K, which was already the fastest gaming CPU money could buy.
How that translates into games, remains to be seen, but it should make the Core i9-12900KS the fastest gaming CPU ever made. Possibly until AMD's 5800X3D launches at the end of April.
In the meantime though, the 12900KS should stand head and shoulders above the rest. We'll likely begin to hear more about this CPU in the coming days as the unembargoed buyers leak out information about E core performance, and ultimate power draw and thermal demands.
Reviews will follow in short order as the embargo lifts.
Image source: DAGINATSUKO