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Intel has announced that the Core i9-13900KS CPU is now on sale and billed as the world’s fastest desktop processor.
The supercharged version of the 13900K Raptor Lake flagship was strangely missing from CES 2023, but was then spotted at online retailers in Europe and Asia just after the show, leading us to think launch was imminent – and we weren’t wrong.
We already knew the specs of this processor and that it gets a 6 GHz boost out of the box – no overclocking required – so the only detail left to fill in was the official RRP, which Intel has now provided us with.
So for those with fat wallets, the MSRP is pitched at $699 in the US (that’s about £575, AU$1,000 – but don’t expect a currency conversion to reflect regional prices, of course).
Note that the turbo clock speed of 6 GHz matches Intel’s TVB (Thermal Velocity Boost), which means it’s only a short-term boost as long as the temperature allows.
Undoubtedly an overclocker’s dream
While TVB is a limited facility as noted – the 13900KS won’t run at 6GHz for that long in stock – it’s still seriously impressive for a desktop processor to get this speed out of the box as standard. Enthusiasts will be able to significantly overclock this chip with proper cooling, no doubt achieving much faster clocks – and possibly setting new records.
Remember, Raptor Lake is impressive silicon for overclockers, evidenced by the levels the 13900K itself has already been pushed to: over 9GHz, no less (with liquid nitrogen), the fastest overclock ever seen with a desktop chip.
Looking at the price, you can hardly call it cheap, but the Alder Lake equivalent – the 12900KS – hit the shelves at $739, so the $699 price tag for the 13900KS is actually 5% cheaper.
We expected this pepped-up flagship to cost as much as the Alder Lake KS version (if not a bit more), so this is a little pleasant surprise here. (Not that it’s remotely affordable, of course, but you wouldn’t expect that with a Core i9 limited edition).
Of course, being a limited edition CPU – and potentially a target for scalpers – we don’t know if the 13900KS will actually sell at MSRP. It could fall victim to price gouging and inflation, at least right out of the gate.