Effectively a souped-up version of the original Core i9-13900K, the 13900KS features 24-cores comprising eight P-Cores and 16 E-Cores, which also provide a total of 32-threads. Moreover, it also has a 150W TDP or processor power base, 36MB of Intel Smart cache, and a total of 20 PCIe lanes. The latter made up of 16 PCIe 5.0 and four PCIe 4.0 lanes. As a point of note, Intel CPUs labelled with the “KS” moniker at the back are usually made from hand-picked, pre-binned cores that offer the best power and operating efficiency. [Image: Intel / YouTube.]What sets the 13900K apart from its non-K counterpart is its maximum boost clock speed. Out of the box, the CPU is capable of running at a maximum turbo boost of 6GHz, currently making it the only processor on the market to do so and without the aid of liquid nitrogen (LN2). What is not clear is whether or not, the chipmaker’s earlier 12900KS, this speed applies to a single P-Core or to two P-Cores simultaneously. Moving on, the 13900KS will support DDR5 memory at speeds of up to 5600MT/s, as well as DDR4 memory at speeds of up to 3200MT/s. For another matter, the CPU is also compatible with not just Z790 motherboards, but also previous generation Z690 motherboards, so long as they have been updated with the latest BIOS.
As for pricing, the Intel Core i9-13900KS will retail for US$699 (~RM3030), making it more expensive than the 13900K but still slightly cheaper than its direct competitor, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. At the time of writing, we have reached out to Intel for local pricing. (Source: Intel)
