In today’s announcement, Intel announced the Core i9-13900KS desktop processor, a special edition model of the 13900K. It is the world’s first desktop processor with a 6.0GHz turbo frequency out of the box.
Besides the 200MHz boost in turbo clock speed, the main difference between the 13900K and 13900KS is the 5.8GHz to 6.0GHz boost. By using binned silicon, only the best parts go into making the 13900KS. The 13900KS supports the Extreme Power Delivery Profile, which raises the power limit up to 320W to help achieve the higher clock speeds, while the 13900K only supports the base power limit of 150W.
Despite Intel’s claims, there are several provisos that need to be met to achieve that clock speed. Intel claims that it can reach 6.0GHz with standard consumer motherboards using standard AIO liquid coolers and that no overclocking is needed, but Intel’s test video showed that the 13900KS only hit that number on a couple of P-cores during a 7-Zip benchmark for short periods of time.
Therefore, you cannot hit 6.0GHz consistently across all P-cores, and the consistency with which you can hit it across even two cores varies.
Besides that, all other specifications, including the E-core clocks and cache count, are identical between the 13900KS and 13900K. Although binned silicon should perform better under exotic cooling for extreme overclocking, it is binned silicon. If that’s not your use case, you’d be better off with the 13900K.
For $699, you can purchase the 13900KS today.
