Intel has announced that the Core i9-13900KS CPU is now available for purchase, and bills it as the fastest desktop processor in the world.
A supercharged version of the 13900K Raptor Lake was missing at CES 2023, oddly enough, but was later spotted at online retailers in Europe and Asia right after the show, leading us to believe its launch was just around the corner — and we weren’t wrong.
We already knew the specs of this processor, and that it’s up to 6GHz out of the box—no overclocking needed—so the only detail left to fill in was the official recommended price, which Intel has now given us.
So for those with chunky wallets, the MSRP is listed at $699 in the US (about £575, AU$1,000 – but don’t expect the currency conversion to reflect regional pricing, naturally).
Note that the main turbo clock speed of 6GHz is compatible with Intel’s TVB (Thermal Speed Boost), which means it’s only a short-term boost while temperatures allow.
An overclocker’s dream, no doubt
Although TVB is a limited facility as stated – the 13900KS won’t run at 6GHz for that long at stock – it’s still impressive that a desktop processor can reach that speed by default. Enthusiasts will be able to significantly overclock this chip with proper cooling, and undoubtedly reach much faster clocks – and possibly set new records.
Remember, Raptor Lake is impressive overclocking silicon, evidenced by the levels the 13900K itself has already been pushed to: over 9GHz, no less (with liquid nitrogen), the fastest overclock ever seen in a desktop chip.
Given the price, you can hardly call it cheap, but its Alder Lake equivalent—the 12900K—hits the shelves costing $739, so at $699 for the 13900K it’s actually 5% cheaper.
We were expecting this peppy flagship to cost about the same as the Alder Lake KS version (if not a little more), so that’s a pleasant little surprise here. (Not, of course, that it’s remotely affordable—but you wouldn’t expect that with a limited edition Core i9).
Of course, being a limited-edition CPU—and very likely a target for speculators—we don’t know if the 13900KB will actually sell at MSRP. He could become a victim of price gouging and inflation, at least right out of the gate.