Intel has released a world first: A consumer CPU that runs at 6 GHz, without overclocking. The Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition is a beast of a chip, and it probably won’t surprise you to learn it’s power-hungry as well. At a base level, the CPU draws 250W in power, but can be boosted to draw up to an astonishing 320W in the new Extreme Power Delivery Profile. But of course, it doesn’t come cheap. The Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition starts at $699.
The Core i9-13900KS Special Edition has a grand total of 24 cores and 32 threads, in a configuration of 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores. The P-cores will handle the toughest tasks, while the E-cores are the workhorses that run your everyday, low demand tasks. It’s two of those P-cores which give the Core i9-13900KS Special Edition the "S" in its name, and set it apart from Core i9-13900K by offering the 6 GHz speeds. Otherwise, the two CPUs are largely identical, aside from the power requirements, which are, unsurprisingly, much higher on the Core i9-13900KS Special Edition.
The Core i9-13900K recently claimed the world record for all-time frequency, hitting a monstrous 8.812 GHz, and you have to imagine the Core i9-13900KS Special Edition will be capable of reaching similar heights, if only in specially built rigs.
We won’t have long to wait to see whether Intel’s new chip keeps its title as the most powerful chip. The Core i9-13900KS Special Edition is 300 MHz faster than AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series, but AMD is releasing a special series of Ryzen 7000X3D CPU at some point next month. Will Intel’s new chip hold its ground, or will AMD’s new range ascend to similar heights? You’ll have to keep an eye open to find out.
Intel’s new Core i9-13900KS Special Edition is now available, from the sky-high price of $699. That’s over $100 more than the Core i9-13900K, and since they offer similar specs (without the record, of course), you might be tempted to settle for the Core i9-13900K to save some money. However, if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a CPU already, can you really balk at $100 extra?