Monday, October 28th 2019

Intel Announces Core i9-9900KS, World's Best Processor for Gaming Made Better

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Oct 28th, 2019 09:12 Discuss (130 Comments)

Intel today announced full details and availability for the new 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS Special Edition processor. Delivering up to 5.00 GHz all-core turbo frequency out of the box for the ultimate gaming experience, the 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS will be available beginning Oct. 30, with recommended customer price starting at $513. This special edition processor will be available for a limited time only and can be found at retailers worldwide.

"Intel has raised the bar for desktop gaming with the new 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS Special Edition processor. Based on the 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K architecture, it's the world's best gaming desktop processor made even better and created specifically for extreme gamers who want the most performance possible. This processor demonstrates another innovation milestone for Intel, following last year's limited edition 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8086K," said Frank Soqui, Intel vice president and general manager of the Desktop, Workstation and Channel Group. The i9-9900KS processor is unlocked and boasts eight cores and 16 threads, up to 4.00 GHz base frequency, 127 W TDP, 16 MB Intel Smart Cache, and up to 40 platform PCIe lanes for gaming and overclocking.

Key Features and Capabilities:

Up to 5.00 GHz all-core turbo frequency; up to 4.00 GHz base frequency, which allow games to run faster when they scale across more cores for higher frame rates
Eight cores, 16 threads, 127 W TDP, 16 MB Intel Smart Cache, and up to 40 platform PCIe lanes
Compatible with existing Z390 motherboards
Up to 27% faster mega-tasking when you simultaneously game, stream and record compared with a 3-year-old PC
Up to 35% more frames per second compared with a 3-year-old PC
Up to 17% faster 4K video editing compared with the previous generation and up to 78% faster compared with a 3-year-old PC
One-year warranty
Overclock confidently with new and enhanced features like Intel Performance Maximizer, which makes it easy to dynamically and reliably custom-tune the unlocked processor based on the processor's individual performance DNA

Gamers and overclocking enthusiasts will be able to take performance to the max with the 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS Special Edition processor. Only select chips from Intel wafers can achieve this specification to run up to 5.00 GHz all-core turbo. Quantity is limited for this special edition product.The Small Print:
Performance results are based on testing as of August 10, 2019 and may not reflect all publicly available security updates. See configuration disclosure for details. No product can be absolutely secure. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more complete information about performance and benchmark results, visit http://www.intel.com/benchmarks.
As measured by in-game benchmark mode performance (score or frames per second) where available, or frames per second where benchmark mode is unavailable. PC Gaming Processors Compared: 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS, 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900K, Intel Core i9-9980XE Extreme Edition, Intel Core i9-9960X X-series, Intel Core i9-9940X X-series, AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD Ryzen 7 3800X, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, and AMD Ryzen 7 2700X. Prices of compared products may differ. Configurations: Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 or 4x4GB DDR4 (2666, 2933 or 3200 per highest speed of the corresponding processor), Storage: Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS Windows 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6). Results: 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS scored better on the majority of the 20+ game titles tested.Intel Core i9-9900KS is a special edition of Intel Core i9-9900K, with even better performance.
1Altering clock frequency or voltage may damage or reduce the useful life of the processor and other system components, and may reduce system stability and performance. Product warranties may not apply if the processor is operated beyond its specifications. Check with the manufacturers of system and components for additional details.
2As measured by gameplay FPS on PUBG (Season 4 - "PC Update 4.1") - 1080p High Settings comparing 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS vs. 6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700K. Measured on platforms with Intel Core i9-9900KS Processor, PL1=127W TDP, 8C16T, Turbo up to 5.0GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z390 A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 2666, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 1105 vs. Intel Core i7-6700K Processor, PL1=95W TDP, 4C8T, Turbo up to 4.2GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z170MPLUS A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 4x4GB DDR4 2133, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 3805
3As measured by gameplay FPS on Total War: 3 Kingdoms - Campaign - 1080p High Settings comparing 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS vs. 6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700K. Measured on platforms with: Intel Core i9-9900KS Processor, PL1=127W TDP, 8C16T, Turbo up to 5.0GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z390 A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 2666, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 1105 vs. Intel Core i7-6700K Processor, PL1=95W TDP, 4C8T, Turbo up to 4.2GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z170MPLUS A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 4x4GB DDR4 2133, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 3805
4As measured by Adobe Premiere Pro CC Transcode4Kvideo SW workload comparing 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS vs. Intel Core i7-8700K. Measured on platforms with: Intel Core i9-9900KS Processor, PL1=127W TDP, 8C16T, Turbo up to 5.0GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z390 A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 2666, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 1105 vs. Intel Core i7-8700K Processor, PL1=95W TDP, 6C12T, Turbo up to 4.7GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z390 A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 2666, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 1105
5As measured by Adobe Premiere Pro CC Transcode4Kvideo SW workload comparing 9th Gen Intel Core i9-9900KS vs. 6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700K. Measured on platforms with: Intel Core i9-9900KS Processor, PL1=127W TDP, 8C16T, Turbo up to 5.0GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z390 A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 2x8GB DDR4 2666, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 1105 vs. Intel Core i7-6700K Processor, PL1=95W TDP, 4C8T, Turbo up to 4.2GHz, Motherboard: MSI Z170MPLUS A Pro, Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 2080Ti, Gfx version: 430.86, Memory: 4x4GB DDR4 2133, Storage: 480GB Intel Optane SSD 900P, OS: Windows* 10 Pro 1903 v175 19H1(RS6), BIOS Version 3805
6Intel is providing a one-year warranty on both the box and tray versions of this processor due to its limited volume.
The Recommended Customer Price ("RCP") is pricing guidance for Intel products. Prices are for direct Intel customers and are subject to change without notice. Taxes and shipping, etc. not included. Prices may vary for other package types and shipment quantities, and special promotional arrangements may apply. Listing of these RCP does not constitute a formal pricing offer from Intel. Please work with your appropriate Intel representative to obtain a formal price quotation. Purchases of Intel products are subject to Intel's Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale.

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130 Comments on Intel Announces Core i9-9900KS, World's Best Processor for Gaming Made Better

#101

EarthDog

kapone32I am sure somewhere in the small print that this will say warranty voided if OC by user.

You don't have to read the small print. Intel does not support/warranty overclocking regardless without buying their extra overclocking warranty. The Performance Tuning Protection Plan.

AMD doesn't cover overclocking either AFAIK.

#102

biffzinker

Techspot has their review up.
www.techspot.com/review/1936-intel-core-i9-9900ks/

System Power Consumption:

No difference from the 9900K when overclocking the 9900KS

TechspotJust like the Core i9-9900K, the 9900KS seems to struggle with 5.2 GHz. With a bit more tweaking it might be possible to get it stable in heavy workloads but we're almost certain 5.3 GHz is out of the question.

Our Core i9-9900KS ran all cores at 5.1 GHz by default on the Aorus Ultra and temperatures using an AIO were reasonable. Paying the small price difference for the 9900KS if you’re after a high performance version of the 9900K, isn’t terrible though the 1-year warranty kind of sucks.

If you were already in the market for a Core i9-9900K processor and you were keen to overclock it, then the 9900KS makes sense.

#103

kapone32

EarthDogYou don't have to read the small print. Intel does not support/warranty overclocking regardless without buying their extra overclocking warranty. The Performance Tuning Protection Plan.

AMD doesn't cover overclocking either AFAIK.

Yes I know it states that when you open Ryzen Master. but seriously paying for a warranty on a 1 year CPU.......priceless

#104

EarthDog

kapone32Yes I know it states that when you open Ryzen Master. but seriously paying for a warranty on a 1 year CPU.......priceless

I mean if you are going to overclock and can bork it doing so, why not? The PTPP goes for the K series and other CPUs with a 3 year warranty. Why not is my take? At least if it dies you can get a new one without being shady and playing dumb. Otherwise, you don't pay the $30(?) dollars and be shady on return or eat it in case it does fail. It's an option...doesn't mean anyone has to use it. ;)

#105

kapone32

EarthDogI mean if you are going to overclock and can bork it doing so, why not? The PTPP goes for the K series and other CPUs with a 3 year warranty. Why not is my take? At least if it dies you can get a new one without being shady and playing dumb. Otherwise, you don't pay the $30(?) dollars and be shady on return or eat it in case it does fail. It's an option...doesn't mean anyone has to use it. ;)

Understood it is just like the extra warranty Amazon sells you when you buy hard drives well anything electronic really.

#106

John Naylor

When the competition doesn't include IGP, the KF became a great option for less money... great option for gamers who edit photos and videos ... the 9900k was faster in these appklications to begin with and now it's cheaper.... good news for 3900x folks also as it will inevitable force the price down. Now with the KS, I'll ahve to take a wait and see approach amd see how well it compares with the KF OC results

#107

efikkan

John NaylorWhen the competition doesn't include IGP, the KF became a great option for less money... great option for gamers who edit photos and videos ... the 9900k was faster in these appklications to begin with and now it's cheaper.... good news for 3900x folks also as it will inevitable force the price down. Now with the KS, I'll ahve to take a wait and see approach amd see how well it compares with the KF OC results

Seriously, who needs the power of a i9-9900K(S) but not a dedicated graphics card?
The only reason why Intel include IGP for the K-models is they use the same dies for OEM focused models, where IGP is a huge selling point.
I hope Intel in the future makes slightly different dies optimized for the custom builders (K-models) with no IGP, perhaps some cache tweaks etc. or something that is better use of that die space. It's such a waste when 99% of the buyers will never use that IGP…

#108

John Naylor

IGP is a great selling point ... relevant question however is, why pay an extra $50 if you don't need it. And since the 3900x doesn't have one, that makes Intel better and cheaper for most uses

IGP is popular among gamers who have a 2nd screen for browser, utilities, game data, etc

#109

efikkan

John NaylorIGP is popular among gamers who have a 2nd screen for browser, utilities, game data, etc

So what is the purpose of this? To prevent the second screen from turning black when launching a game?
From what I've seen monitors hooked up to different GPUs can cause some serious stutter.

#110

EarthDog

John NaylorIGP is popular among gamers who have a 2nd screen

It is? I've never done that when I had an IGP. Just ran it off the discrete GPU.

It's been years since amd or Intel touted that technology.

#111

candle_86

John NaylorIGP is popular among gamers who have a 2nd screen for browser, utilities, game data, etc

This isn't 2004 anymore, you can run 3 screens per card and have only one display for gaming the other 2 for other tasks, the days of needing multiple GPU's for multiple monitors ended with Nview and Hydravision

#112

ratirt

efikkanAll microprocessors go through binning, which only means they sort it by "quality".
i9-9900KS is not more binned than i9-9900K, just a higher (or different) bin.

Exactly. So why I have a feeling, that the binning process is not qualification but enhancement of a chip considering some people's posts here? 4x binning to make it better binned or better quality?
Isn't that weird?

biffzinkerNo difference from the 9900K when overclocking the 9900KS

Maybe not so different but the power consumption is up a fair bit and shorter warranty. That is a bummer considering these chips are to be maxed out or exceed specs noticeably. I guess, they are taking some precautions for broken chips.

#113

anachron

ratirtMaybe not so different but the power consumption is up a fair bit and shorter warranty. That is a bummer considering these chips are to be maxed out or exceed specs noticeably. I guess, they are taking some precautions for broken chips.

The power consumption is only up when you compare the 9900k to the 9900ks at respective stock speed. When overclocking, the 9900ks actually consume less power for the same clock than the 9900k due to better binning (less voltage to achieve same clock speed).

#114

ratirt

anachronThe power consumption is only up when you compare the 9900k to the 9900ks at respective stock speed. When overclocking, the 9900ks actually consume less power for the same clock than the 9900k due to better binning (less voltage to achieve same clock speed).

I did not see the power consumption measurement while OC. For me the stock 9900 consume a lot power to begin with. 9900KS consumes even more at stock than 9900K. It will consume way more when OC'ed. Maybe the KS will consume less when OC'ed to 5.2Ghz in comparison with 9900K but it will still consume more than at its stock state. I'm sure the consumption for the 9900KS when OC'ed will go over 300Watts easily or maybe even 350.

#115

Tsukiyomi91

350W for the 9900KS + OC?? I wonder how much does a binned 9900KS pulls though? 330 or so? But for how much more of a premium?

#116

ratirt

Tsukiyomi91350W for the 9900KS + OC?? I wonder how much does a binned 9900KS pulls though? 330 or so? But for how much more of a premium?

This is nice to watch. It does show a lot of the KS version of 9900 series CPU.

#117

efikkan

ratirtExactly. So why I have a feeling, that the binning process is not qualification but enhancement of a chip considering some people's posts here? 4x binning to make it better binned or better quality?

Isn't that weird?

After a wafer is cut, each chip is validated and put in different "bins" based on quality, thereby the name "binning". This process is done once (unless done by a third party), repeating it will not make the chip better.
I don't know where this "4x binning" comes from, it makes no sense.

#118

trog100

efikkanAfter a wafer is cut, each chip is validated and put in different "bins" based on quality, thereby the name "binning". This process is done once (unless done by a third party), repeating it will not make the chip better.
I don't know where this "4x binning" comes from, it makes no sense.

the first bin could be to see if it make the 9900 grade.. if not it would go into a 9700 bin.. the second bin could be to see if it makes the K grade if not would go in the 9900 bin.. one more bin from the 9900k grade to get the KS grade.. maybe not X4 but more than X1..

i am assuming that lesser chips all come from failed 9900 chips.. or with good yields deliberately crippled chips to meet market demand..

i bought a 9900k chip a while back before all the good or better ones went into the KS bin.. my chip is running 5 g at 1.24 volts i recon my thinking panned out.. but at 1.35 or so to get 5 g i still dont see how they are keeping the KS chip cool enough..

trog

#119

efikkan

trog100the first bin could be to see if it make the 9900 grade.. if not it would go into a 9700 bin.. the second bin could be to see if it makes the K grade if not would go in the 9900 bin.. one more bin from the 9900k grade to get the KS grade.. maybe not X4 but more than X1..

After each chip is tested, they know which bin it goes into, they don't have to re-test it. Then they know which features are defective, the quality of each core, memory controller etc. There is no need to re-test them to find golden samples etc.

#120

ratirt

efikkanAfter each chip is tested, they know which bin it goes into, they don't have to re-test it. Then they know which features are defective, the quality of each core, memory controller etc. There is no need to re-test them to find golden samples etc.

I agree but even if they do retest it is not going to end up in higher grade bin but lower only.
Maybe when evaluation of the 9900K is done and there are chips in that bin they evaluate them again to see if they can do better than what 9900K spec says and they end-up as better quality products?
That kinda explains the KS CPU.
Anyway it seems like Intel has made a market product out of higher quality product than their previous purpose.

#121

medi01

TomgangSure 9900ks will be a bit faster in games

Nothing "sure" about it.
For starters, you'd need to overpower the game in terms of GPU, for even see any difference.
For which TPU ended up running 720p game tests with overprice piece of crap like 2080Ti.
And then, YMMV, lol:

#122

EarthDog

medi01Nothing "sure" about it.
For starters, you'd need to overpower the game in terms of GPU, for even see any difference.
For which TPU ended up running 720p game tests with overprice piece of crap like 2080Ti.
And then, YMMV, lol:

The thing is, Medi, that most people game at 1080p or less... with that notion, many titles can be CPU limited and hold a mid-range+ GPU back. It doesn't take a 2080 Ti and 720p to show how a fast CPU can help push FPS at 1080p. Now, when the resolution gets higher, it really doesn't matter. But for those chasing every FPS, generally, the Intel chip has AMD beat... either by little or by a few/several percent.

But hey, at least you pulled your shit together here and got the right information/graph (though clearly cherry picked for your fanboy purpose)...unlike here.

So tired of the polarizing BULLSHIT at this website and nothing being done about it.

#123

ratirt

I don't think people run games lower than 1080p unless if the graphics is an iGPu and they have no other choice.

#124

efikkan

ratirtI agree but even if they do retest it is not going to end up in higher grade bin but lower only.
Maybe when evaluation of the 9900K is done and there are chips in that bin they evaluate them again to see if they can do better than what 9900K spec says and they end-up as better quality products?
That kinda explains the KS CPU.
Anyway it seems like Intel has made a market product out of higher quality product than their previous purpose.

What bins they use may change as yields change and new products are launched, but at the time of testing they still know everything they need to know to know this is a golden sample etc. If yields change, they can introduce new bins, but they don't "re-bin" CPUs to achieve that, just change which bin chips go into.

medi01Nothing "sure" about it.
For starters, you'd need to overpower the game in terms of GPU, for even see any difference.
For which TPU ended up running 720p game tests with overprice piece of crap like 2080Ti.

I would like to see the guys who buy a RTX 2080 Ti to run games in 720p. :laugh:
CPUs like i9-9900K, i7-9700K, i7-9600K and i7-8700K are already faster than needed for current games and GPUs, bumping the clock more wouldn't do much except for a handful of edge cases. All of these will probably be plenty fast for gaming for several years.

#125

E-curbi

5.2Ghz. :roll: All 8-cores All 16-threads activated. :roll:

Mankind moving forward. (if only by a little bit) :)

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Intel Announces Core i9-9900KS, World's Best Processor for Gaming Made Better

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