The Intel Core i9-14900KS processor may have just been spotted online thanks to a leaked photo, indicating that Intel may not be quite done with its 14th generation Core series yet.
With Intel understandably focused on the launch of its new Meteor Lake processors, not much attention has been paid to the Raptor Lake Refresh chips since their launch late last year. But a new photo posted by the user on Twitter (or X, if you insist). 9550pro appears to show a rather pristine-looking production version of the i9-14900KS processor, rather than a more cryptic technical example. Since Intel hasn't officially released any details about its potential flagship chip, there's no way to tell if the chip is real, something 9550pro acknowledges in their post.
However, if PCGamesN points out that recent developments indicate that more information may be released soon. If it's on the horizon, the Core i9-14900KS is poised to become Intel's best processor for gaming, but whether it will be able to dethrone the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains to be seen.
The 14900KS is expected to follow the pattern of previous KS processors and offer similar specs to the Core i9-14900K, but with higher clock speeds. Current speculation suggests that it could hit clock speeds of up to 6.20 GHz out-of-the-box, but with the Intel Core i9-14900K lagging behind the best AMD processor for gaming, this chip is probably better off with the enthusiast audience and creative professionals who can. make better use of that extra 200 MHz.
And if past is prologue, the i9-14900KS's higher price will likely mean that enthusiasts will be the only ones willing to spend the money necessary to buy one when it launches.
Last hurray for enthusiasts for Arrow Lake?
With Meteor Lake seemingly limited to laptops and all-in-one PCs for now (it's still uncertain whether a Meteor Lake desktop processor will sell on its own), the Intel Core i9-14900KS could be the last high-end desktop processor to arrive for several months go on sale.
Intel says it's still committed to releasing both Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake in 2024, meaning the Core i9-14900KS won't be the last Intel processor we see on sale this year.
Still, it could be just enough to hold the eager audience until the new chips are released later this year, and given the somewhat lackluster performance gain from generation to generation of the Intel Core i9-14900K, with that extra clock speed that the KS label may bring performance that is more in line with the expectations of gamers and enthusiasts.