Intel’s Core i9-14900KS, a supercharged version of the Raptor Lake Refresh flagship processor, was rumored to be inbound at the start of the year, and now we’ve had another glimpse of this theoretical CPU.
Previously we were treated to a photo of the Core i9-14900KS – a production (finished) version of the chip, we should add – and now we have a leak from the OCCT database (a benchmarking and stability testing tool).
i9-14900KShttps://t.co/6BuMmqbvmY pic.twitter.com/HentGuDkNCFebruary 13, 2024
As spotted by Benchleaks on X (formerly Twitter), the leak provides the purported spec of the 14900KS. As previously rumored, the processor is shown with the capability to boost as fast as 6.2GHz, which is 200MHz swifter than the existing 14900K flagship.
While we need to suitably season all this, the fresh leak again underlines the existence of the 14900KS, as well as indicating it’s a production sample of the silicon. That means a release should be close to hand, in theory – but we can’t get carried away with that speculation yet.
Analysis: Intel KS’ing once again
All signs are pointing to a release for the Core i9-14900KS in the near future, then, which wouldn’t be a huge surprise. After all, Intel has come out with these ‘KS’ flagship versions for the past two generations (ever since Alder Lake arrived with hybrid tech – and before that with the 9900KS, too).
There are certainly those who are doubtful that Intel might need a ‘KS’ version for this generation, but if nothing else, it’s a potential avenue to spin up some more sales among PC enthusiasts who aren’t afraid of weighty price tags.
While the prospect of 8 performance cores running at 6.2GHz with a 14th-gen chip is an enticing one on the face of it, there are reasons to be wary here, naturally.
For starters, this is going to run hot – the leak shows a CPU that reaches almost 410W when pushed, which is an eye-opener. Rumor has it that the base TDP will be 150W, up from 125W for the flagship 14900K (though that baseline power usage can be massively exceeded, as we see in the leak). Whatever the case, that extra 200MHz will come at a price in terms of the power needed to drive the additional clock frequency.
The Core i9-14900KS will demand some serious cooling, then, and as ever with these supercharged flagship variants, it’ll be very pricey as mentioned. That won’t deter the aforementioned enthusiasts, doubtless, but for gamers, there are going to be better choices among the best processors out there - whether that’s a Ryzen 7800X3D, or even a more affordable Ryzen 7700X, which still makes an excellent choice for PC gaming.
The grunt of the 14900KS – if it does emerge – is likely best employed by those tackling more heavyweight tasks or delving into creativity (as well as gaming).
Via VideoCardz
