Intel's upcoming Core i9-12900KS Alder Lake Desktop CPU is going to be a beast of a chip with a 5.5 GHz boost clock & an insane power requirement.
Intel's Flagship Alder Lake Desktop CPU, The Core i9-12900K, Rocks 5.5 GHz Boost Clock & 150W TDP, Priced at Over $750 US
At CES 2022, Intel confirmed that they will be bringing the Core i9-12900KS, a heavily-binned variant of the Core i9-12900K CPU, to the consumer segment. This chip is designed purely for the high-end enthusiast and overclocking community and as such, it rocks some beastly specs.
12th Gen #IntelCore desktop processors are topping Best CPU lists and widely available to gamers and enthusiasts. And we're not done yet. Next stop: Up to 5.5GHz. pic.twitter.com/mEUreGSixF
— Intel Technology (@IntelTech) January 3, 2022
Intel Core i9-12900KS 16 Core / 24 Thread Desktop CPU
The Intel Core i9-12900KS will be the flagship chip in the 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU lineup. It will feature 8 Golden Cove cores and 8 Gracemont cores for a total of 16 cores (8+8) and 24 threads (16+8).
The P-cores (Golden Cove) will operate at a maximum boost frequency of up to 5.5 GHz with 1-2 active cores and 5.2 GHz with all-cores active while the E-cores (Gracemont) will operate at 3.90 GHz across 1-4 cores and up to 3.7 GHz when all cores are loaded. The CPU will feature 30 MB of L3 cache.
The main change is that to accommodate the higher frequency, Intel has upped the base TDP by 25 Watts over the Core i9-12900K. As such, the 12900KS will feature a base TDP of 150W and the max turbo power rating has also been bumped by 19W to 260W (vs 241W).
With the specs out of the way, what's the pricing going to be like? Well, the chip is currently listed with preliminary pricing of $780 (Tray) & $790 US (Boxed) over at ShopBLT. It is likely that the final pricing should end up close to the $750 US figure which makes the 'KS' variant around 150 US more expensive than the standard 'K' variant. Now those who want those high boosts and all-core boost frequencies to break world records will definitely be willing to pay for these pre-binned chips but standard gamers should find no big gains for the extra price that the 'KS' variant should come at.
Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake Desktop CPU Specs
| CPU Name | P-Core Count | E-Core Count | Total Core / Thread | P-Core Base / Boost (Max) | P-Core Boost (All-Core) | E-Core Base / Boost | E-Core Boost (All-Core) | L3 Cache | TDP (PL1) | TDP (PL2) | Expected (MSRP) Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9-12900KS | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 3.4 / 5.5 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 2.4 / 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 30 MB | 150W | 260W | $739 US |
| Core i9-12900K | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 3.2 / 5.2 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 2.4 / 3.9 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 30 MB | 125W | 241W | $599 US |
| Core i9-12900 | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 2.4 / 5.1 GHz | TBA | 1.8 / 3.8 GHz | TBA | 30 MB | 65W | 202W | $489 US $464 US (F) |
| Core i9-12900T | 8 | 8 | 16 / 24 | 1.4 / 4.9 GHz | TBA | 1.0 / 3.6 GHz | TBA | 30 MB | 35W | 106W | $489 US |
| Core i7-12700K | 8 | 4 | 12 / 20 | 3.6 / 5.0 GHz | 4.7 GHz | 2.7 / 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 25 MB | 125W | 190W | $419 US |
| Core i7-12700 | 8 | 4 | 12 / 20 | 2.1 / 4.9 GHz | TBA | 1.6 / 3.6 GHz | TBA | 25 MB | 65W | 180W | $339 US $314 US (F) |
| Core i7-12700T | 8 | 4 | 12 / 20 | 1.4 / 4.7 GHz | TBA | 1.0 / 3.4 GHz | TBA | 25 MB | 35W | 99W | $339 US |
| Core i5-12600K | 6 | 4 | 10 / 16 | 3.7 / 4.9 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 2.8 / 3.6 GHz | 3.4 GHz | 20 MB | 125W | 150W | $299 US |
| Core i5-12600 | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 3.3 / 4.8 GHz | 4.4 GHz | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 65W | 117W | $223 US |
| Core i5-12600T | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 2.1 / 4.6 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 65W | 74W | $223 US |
| Core i5-12490P | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 3.0 / 4.6 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 20 MB | 65W | 74W | ~$250 US |
| Core i5-12500 | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 3.0 / 4.6 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 65W | 117W | $202 US |
| Core i5-12500T | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 2.0 / 4.4 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 35W | 74W | $202 US |
| Core i5-12400 | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 2.5 / 4.4 GHz | 4.0 GHz | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 65W | 117W | $192 US $167 US (F) |
| Core i5-12400T | 6 | 0 | 6 / 12 | 1.8 / 4.2 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 18 MB | 35W | 74W | $192 US |
| Core i3-12300 | 4 | 0 | 4 / 8 | 3.5 / 4.4 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 12 MB | 60W | 89W | $143 US |
| Core i3-12300T | 4 | 0 | 4 / 8 | 2.3 / 4.2 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 12 MB | 35W | 69W | $143 US |
| Core i3-12100 | 4 | 0 | 4 / 8 | 3.3 / 4.3 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 12 MB | 60W 58W (F) | 89W | $122 US $97 US (F) |
| Core i3-12100T | 4 | 0 | 4 / 8 | 2.2 / 4.1 GHz | TBA | N/A | N/A | 12 MB | 35W | 69W | $122 US |
| Intel Pentium Gold G7400 | 2 | 0 | 2 / 4 | 3.7 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6 MB | 46W | N/A | $64 US |
| Intel Pentium Gold G7400T | 2 | 0 | 2 / 4 | 3.1 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 6 MB | 35W | N/A | $64 US |
| Intel Celeron G6900 | 2 | 0 | 2 / 2 | 3.4 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 46W | N/A | $42 US |
| Intel Celeron G6900T | 2 | 0 | 2 / 2 | 2.8 GHz | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4 MB | 35W | N/A | $42 US |
News Source: Momomo_US
