The upcoming Core i9 14900KS CPU has proven up at a number of European retailers. Intel’s newest binned KS mannequin is bound to be its quickest gaming chip. Although it is seemingly to make use of a whole lot of energy and pump out volcanic quantities of warmth, the value seems to be inside expectations, if solely going by i9 13900KS pricing.
The listings had been noticed by the ever-sleuthing @momomo_us. They present each boxed and tray variations of the monster chip at French retailer PC21 for €768 and €752 respectively. That is seemingly on the excessive facet, however with a roughly 1:1 USD to Euro worth conversion plus tax, a price ticket of $699 for the 14900KS appears believable.
Just some days in the past, our man Jacob wrote about some leaked efficiency numbers and speculated the 14900KS would launch someday within the subsequent few months. However with retailer listings beginning to pop up, it is wanting extra like weeks at this level. Some grain-of-salty rumors recommend a launch as quickly as mid-March. That is firming up now, as shares must be shipped out to distributors and retailers forward of a tough launch.
Given we all know the 14900KS is a binned 14900K, there will not be any surprises in retailer. It will have greater clocks, greater energy consumption, and a bit extra efficiency for its premium worth.
In line with the leak final week, the 14900KS could have a most increase clock of 6.2GHz and a base energy of 150W—25W greater than that of the 14900K. However when all of the P-cores are loaded up, peak energy can attain above 400W. That is loopy innit? Good luck with that on a few of the cheaper LGA 1700 boards.
KS chips aren’t geared toward mainstream patrons. They’re limited-edition binned chips geared toward overclockers and lovers who care about one of the best efficiency above all else. These patrons could have high-end motherboards and cooling to match. Should you do not, you may see a whole lot of throttling and find yourself with efficiency that is worse than that of a 14900K.
I would not pay the premium for a 14900KS or settle for the elevated loaded energy consumption and better warmth output over a 14900K, however I do perceive why KS chips exist. I’ve no beef with Intel providing the choice for people who need it.
The 14900KS may have to be quick too, as AMD is reportedly readying its Zen 5 CPU household for launch within the second quarter of 2024. A Computex launch can be logical.
