Intel has officially announced its new Core i9-12900KS processor, an unlocked version of its flagship Core i9-12900K processor that pushes the maximum boost frequency to 5.5GHz for what the company claims is the world’s fastest desktop processor.
The Core i9-12900KS shares much in common with its predecessors, including the same 16 cores (split between eight performance cores and eight efficiency cores), 24 threads, and 30MB of L3 cache.
But Intel boosted the base power from 125 watts to 150 watts and allowed the Core i9-12900KS to run unlocked. This allows up to 5.5GHz (compared to a maximum speed of 5.2GHz over the Core i9-12900K).
Earlier in March, AMD claimed the title of the world’s fastest gaming processor when it announced the availability of the new Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor. Like Intel, AMD is offering an upgraded version of its old model (Ryzen 7 5800).
But AMD has also introduced new 3D V-Cache technology to deliver speeds it claims to beat the Core i9-12900K.
The new Intel processor comes at a price of $ 740
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is cheaper than the Core i9-12900KS, at $449 compared to Intel’s $739.
But Intel claims it outperforms AMD by its processing frequency. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D promotes a maximum boost frequency of 4.5GHz, compared to the new Intel chip’s maximum frequency of 5.5GHz.
And for an actual comparison between the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the Core i9-12900KS. It should wait until both chips arrive in April.
AMD also gets another shot at being crowned later this year as well. That’s when Ryzen 7000 desktop chips arrive in the second half of 2022.
The Core i9-12900KS will be available starting April 5th at a recommended consumer price of $740. That’s a significant increase over the $590 recommended price for the Core i9-12900K processor, which is nearly impossible to find at the company’s recommended price.
In other words, you should probably expect to have to pay an extra price of over $740 for the Core i9-12900KS when it arrives next month.