Intel seemingly just teased its upcoming Core i9-13900KS – a gaming CPU that can reach 6Ghz without overclocking. While the blue team is, for whatever reason, keeping official product names under wraps, the gaming PC giant is more than happy to flaunt its impressive clock speeds on camera.
We’ve already got several Intel Raptor Lake chips running in the best gaming CPU race, but the Core i9-13900KS is expected to take the lead. Leaked benchmarks suggest the newcomer could provide 9% better multicore performance than an unlocked Core i9-13900K, and it’s apparently 47% faster than the previous-gen Alder Lake flagship.
In a new Intel ‘Sneak Peek’ video, Gaming Technical Marketing Lead Jason Xie takes an unnamed 6Ghz CPU for a spin that they “can’t name just yet.” The clip confirms that it’s the same chip mentioned at previous product events, but avoids actually calling it the Core i9-13900KS.
The demo setup pairs the mysterious Raptor Lake CPU with a fairly ordinary Corsair AIO liquid cooler and an Asus Z790 motherboard, and Xie says no “tricks” are used to achieve the lofty clock speed. Proof of the feat is provided using Intel’s XTU software, which clearly shows the chip running at 6GHz.
Of course, Xie rightfully caveats that actually maintaining 6Ghz using the Raptor Lake CPU is dependent on factors like power budget, thermals, or even operating system constraints. Nevertheless, the processor will hit that speedy sweet spot as advertised, and it should help pile the pressure on AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7000X3D.
We’re still waiting for an official Core i9-13900KS release date and price, and Intel is evidently keeping its high-spec CPU close to its chest. That said, the above performance demo might be something of a good omen, as could mean it’s almost ready to roll onto the PC gaming scene.