Clock Frequencies and Boost Clock Analysis

Most modern processors feature a capability called "Boost" or "Turbo" that automatically overclocks the CPU beyond the nominal clock frequency provided certain conditions related to thread count, power draw, and temperatures are met. Our testing on this page investigates what actual real-life frequencies can be achieved in such scenarios. The data below presents the minimum, maximum, and average clock frequency of a given core/thread-count combination for a typical heavy workload. We start with one thread and go all the way up to the CPU's maximum thread count while at the same time measuring the average clock frequency for these timed testing runs.


Like all other Intel processors, the Core i9-9900K sustains its boost frequencies very well. With only a single thread active, it will boost up to 5.0 GHz, but as soon as another core starts getting loaded, clocks will drop to 4.7 GHz, where they remain with up to 10-threads active. Even beyond that, clocks stay high.

When not loaded at all, the processor's idle clock is 800 MHz.