Intel is launching its flagship Core i9-14900KS processor today, with clock speeds that boost all the way up to 6.2GHz. That’s 200MHz more than the previous Core i9-13900KS that launched last year and was the first desktop processor to break the 6GHz barrier at stock speeds.
This new Core i9-14900KS will be priced at $699, the same as the previous 13900KS, and will be available in stores today. The 6.2GHz max turbo frequency is an out-of-the-box boost, so there could be room for overclocking to push these speeds even further. The 14900KS has the same 24 cores found on the 14900K, with eight performance cores and 16 efficiency ones. It does run at a 150-watt base power, though, instead of the 125 watts found on the 14900K.
Other than the power and turbo frequencies, the 14900KS is almost identical to the 14900K. It’s essentially a “binned” version that has been selected to run at a higher clock speed. Z790 and Z690 motherboards will support the 14900KS with the latest BIOS updates.
Image: Intel
Intel is promising up to 15 percent better gaming performance from the 14900KS over the 13900KS and up to 73 percent for 3D production multitasking workflows over AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X. It will be interesting to see just how well the 14900KS performs against AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has dominated PC gaming performance recently. Intel’s own benchmarks suggest the 14900KS may well beat the 7800X3D in some games.
The Core i9-14900KS will likely be one of the last LGA 1700 socket processors on the market, as Intel is moving to a new socket for its upcoming generation of CPUs. Retailers will start stocking the 14900KS on shelves today priced at $699. This new processor will also be available inside OEM systems, too.