The Swan Song of Raptor Lake With A Super Fast 6.2 GHz Turbo

For quite a few generations of their desktop processor releases, Intel has made out there a collection of high-performance particular version “KS” CPUs that add a bit of additional in comparison with their flagship chip. With lots of curiosity, primarily from the fans on the lookout for the quickest processors, Intel’s newest Core i9-14900KS represents a super-fast addition to its 14th Technology Core lineup with out-of-the-box turbo clock speeds of as much as 6.2 GHz and represents the final processor to finish an period as Intel is eradicating the ‘i’ from its legendary nomenclature for future desktop chip releases.

Reaching speeds of as much as 6.2 GHz, this units up the Core i9-14900KS because the quickest desktop CPU on this planet proper now, no less than when it comes to frequencies out of the field. Constructing on their ‘common’ flagship chip, the Core i9-14900, the Core i9-14900KS can also be utilizing their refreshed Raptor Lake (RPL-R) 8P+16E core chip design with a 200 MHz larger increase clock velocity and likewise has a 100 MHz bump on P-Core base frequency. 

This new KS sequence SKU exhibits Intel’s drive to supply a fair quicker various to their desktop common Ok sequence choices, and with the Core i9-14900KS, they look to present the most effective silicon from their Raptor Lake Refresh sequence with extra efficiency out there to unlock to those that can. The caveat is that reaching these ridiculously quick clock speeds of 6.2 GHz on the P-Core comes at the price of energy and warmth; conserving a processor pulling upwards of 350 W is a problem in its personal proper, and customers have to issue this in if even considering a KS sequence SKU.

In our earlier KS sequence evaluation, the Core i9-13900KS reached 360 W at its peak, significantly greater than the Core i9-13900K. The Core i9-14900KS, constructed on the identical core structure, is anticipated to surpass that even additional than the Core i9-14900K. We purpose to check Intel’s closing Core i sequence processor to the most effective of what each Intel and AMD have out there, and it is going to be fascinating to see how a lot efficiency will be extrapolated from the KS in comparison with the common Ok sequence SKU.

Intel Core i9-14900KS: Raptor Lake At 6.2 GHz From The Field

Over the previous few years, AMD and Intel engineers have been competing neck-and-neck to finest one another in several metrics, such because the variety of cores, IPC efficiency, and worth. A cocktail of core depend and frequency typically earns flagship standing by itself, though that is often reserved for the highest SKU of any CPU household. Intel and AMD sometimes cram new silicon to attempt to beat one another in each metrics, together with an abundance of cores with huge and daring clock speeds. Over the past couple of years, each Intel and AMD have experimented to the brink with what their silicon can do to get forward of their friends, and the Intel Core i9-14900KS is not any completely different in that regard.

So what makes the Intel Core i9-14900KS worthy of a particular version SKU? Properly, initially, it has a most increase clock velocity on two of the Efficiency (P) cores as much as 6.2 GHz; that is quick, pushing the Raptor Lake silicon to its limits on ambient cooling strategies. Excessive overclockers can far surpass 6.2 GHz, however the important thing for the KS sequence is powerful silicon that may deal with these overclocks. It does not essentially imply all Core i9-14900KS chips will manually overclock additional than Core i9-14900K chips. Nonetheless, utilizing a binning course of to gleam out the weak silicon for the KS sequence means you are probably in a stable place to discover a higher pattern. 

Exterior of the 200 MHz bump to P-Core dual-core turbo clock speeds over the Core i9-14900K, each chips are nearly an identical, as we noticed between the earlier era Core i9-13900KS and Core i9-13900K. Technically, the 14th Gen sequence is, for probably the most half, simply the Thirteenth Gen refreshed with a greater voltage-to-frequency (V/F) curve, barely larger overclocks on the first 14th Gen Ok sequence chips, and, for the KS sequence, industry-leading turbo frequencies that no firm can come near rivaling.

One other enchancment over the Core i9-14900K is a 100 MHz bump to E-core base frequencies, as much as 4.5 GHz on the Core i9-14900KS. Each chips characteristic an an identical 36 MB L3 cache, with Intel’s UHD 770 built-in graphics. The large distinction, which ties into the upper bump on the P-core turbo and base frequencies, is a shift in TDP scores to a base TDP of 150 W, up 25 W over the bottom TDP on the Core i9-14900K.

The Core i9-14900KS, as proven in CPU-Z

On prime of that is an Excessive Energy Profile, which motherboards additionally implement. This profile has a peak TDP of 320 W, which is of course larger than the rated 253 W TDP of the Core i9-14900KS, however it’s also able to as much as 400 A. That is Intel’s really helpful specification for this chip, however as we all know from our reporting of issues of instability with Intel’s 14th and Thirteenth Gen chips, the chance of premium Z790 motherboards going far past these specs could be very excessive.

One essential issue to think about is the motherboard distributors and their MCE implementations, which often present extra energy to the chip than Intel specifies to maintain their boards forward of the competitors. The Core i9-14900KS is actually a “particular binned” model of the common Core i9-14900K. Intel is testing a number of batches of chips able to reaching the 6.2 GHz P-Core turbo clock speeds with out encountering crucial errors. Binning is a top quality management course of that separates the weaker chips from the extra succesful silicon, because the chips produced are usually not all created equal.

Cooling is maybe probably the most crucial side to think about with the KS processors, together with the newest Core i9-14900KS. To realize optimum efficiency, customers should use top-of-the-line, high-end cooling options, akin to customized water cooling loops and even Intel’s (now discontinued) cryogenic tailored coolers. Curiously, EKWB now affords their EK-Quantum Delta TEC D-RGB resolution after Intel deserted the event of Cryo cooling. This resolution will probably be higher for taming the Core i9-14900KS than a standard AIO CPU cooler. It is not straightforward to maintain a processor cool whereas pulling 375 W, not to mention hold it cooled for a protracted interval, so customers should contemplate this.

The Core i9-14900KS hitting 6.2 GHz on two P-cores as marketed (Core 4 and 5)

That is additionally why the Intel Core i9-14900KS 6.2 GHz P-Core turbo state depends on Intel’s Thermal Velocity Enhance (TVB) characteristic. This highest clock velocity is unavailable until there may be sufficient thermal headroom to push it larger. In any other case, customers who can not adequately cool the chip for the very best clock speeds are more likely to be restricted to the precise Turbo Enhance Max 3.0 frequency of 5.9 GHz, which is simply 100 MHz larger than the 5.8 GHz restrict on the Core i9-14900K and Core i9-14900KF processors. So, all in all, cooling or greater than enough cooling can hold issues beneath management when the Core i9-14900KS surpasses 375-400 W, which is profit from the extra efficiency made out there by the upper core clock speeds.

Relating to choosing between the Intel Core i9-14900KS, which is at present out there at Amazon for $664, and the common Core i9-14900 Ok, which nonetheless runs quick at 6.0 GHz in comparison with the KS at 6.2 GHz, is offered for $119 lower than the KS, at $545. This worth discrepancy between each chips considerably impacts the present financial local weather. Paying the additional for the Core i9-14900KS ensures that it is able to dealing with the extra clock speeds, given the added calls for on thermal and energy, and it is whether or not or not the potential of extra efficiency outweighs the associated fee. That is what we intend to seek out out on this evaluation of the Core i9-14900KS.

Earlier than we dive into the meat of what’s probably the ultimate evaluation of an Intel processor with the enduring Core i Collection naming, we do need to deal with one thing that has come up between this evaluation and our evaluation of the Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K, and Core i5-14600K revealed final 12 months. 

Considerations About Stability: Intel Deal with 14th and Thirteenth Gen Points

Intel has issued an announcement advising shoppers to not use the Baseline Energy Supply profiles supplied by motherboard distributors via firmware updates. As an alternative, Intel recommends utilizing the Intel Default Settings to realize the marketed clock speeds with out worrying about firmware optimization, which can trigger instability. This has turn out to be a scorching matter (pun meant) as a result of many customers undergo instability on the 14th and Thirteenth Gen Core sequence processors even when utilizing the default settings offered by motherboard distributors, which we be aware are NOT the Intel Default settings.

The Intel Default Settings supply a mixture of thermal specs and energy capabilities, together with voltage and frequency curve settings, primarily based on the motherboard’s capability and energy supply. Intel advises customers with 14th—and Thirteenth-Gen Core sequence Ok, KF, and KS SKUs to not use the Baseline profiles supplied by motherboard distributors.

This does pose questions on the subject of testing and reviewing Intel’s 14th and Thirteenth Gen processors. We’ve been contemplating our standpoint on this, as we’ll sometimes check on the default motherboard settings with reminiscence set to JEDEC specs of the precise processor we’re testing. For this evaluation, we will probably be testing how we often check, as this matches throughout the realm of conserving issues constant.

We are going to regularly take a look at how and the fairest approach to deal with efficiency points, particularly with Intel stating that they suggest Intel Default settings. We take this as an announcement of intent that recommends their default specs, which can undoubtedly have an effect on how we evaluation Intel processors sooner or later. We are going to look to re-test Intel processors utilizing Intel default specs earlier than the launch of Intel and AMD’s subsequent era of processors.