Intel Core i9-12900KS 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor

Specification

Intel Core i9-12900KS 12th Gen Alder Lake Processor

The Intel Core i9-12900KS features 16 cores (8 P-cores and 8 E-cores) and insane 5.5 GHz max turbo frequency, making it the ultimate processor for gamers, content creators and more who want the fastest performance.

Take the next evolutionary leap. Powered by the performance hybrid architecture, which, for the first time in a desktop processor , incorporates two types of cores — Performance cores (P-cores) and Efficient cores (E-cores) — in a single processor , the 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900KS processors deliver optimized single-thread performance and multi-tasking efficiency for complicated modern workloads. The 12th Gen also ushers in DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 for a new level of platform performance.

Revolutionary performance and multitasking:

• With the highest clock speeds and a groundbreaking new architecture, you’ll be able to push your gameplay to new heights while secondary apps run seamlessly in the background.
• Up to 5.5 GHz Max Clock Speed(1)
• 16 Cores (8 Performance-cores, 8 Efficient-cores)
• 24 Threads (16 on Performance-cores, 8 on Efficient-cores)
• Unlocked and overclockable(2)

Intel 12900KS PROCESSOR FEATURES

• 16 (8P+8E) cores and 24 threads
• 3.4 base GHz. 5.5 max GHz
• Unlocked and overclockable
• Intel Thermal Velocity Boost, Intel Adaptive Boost Technology, PCIe Gen 5.0 & 4.0 support and DDR5 and DDR4 support
• Compatible with Intel 600 series chipset based motherboards

INTEL CORE i9-12900KS PROCESSOR REVIEWS

Intel‘s Core i9-12900K arrived last year as the fastest gaming CPU we’ve ever tested, but the new Special Edition Intel Core i9-12900KS pushes the Alder Lake family up to a blistering 5.5 GHz, a record high for PCs, making it the fastest desktop PC chip in all categories. The Intel Core i9-12900KS comes to market on April 5, but we snagged a chip to put it to the test ahead of the final launch.

But that isn’t the final word yet: AMD has its Ryzen 7 5800X3D waiting in the wings. The 5800X3D comes with the first 3D-stacked SRAM for desktop PCs, granting the chip a whopping 96MB of L3 cache that AMD says will take back the crown of the best CPU for gaming when it arrives on April 20.

Make no mistake, Intel‘s goal with the Intel Core i9-12900KS is to cement itself atop the performance charts to cut off the 5800X3D before it even arrives on the market. Intel aims to accomplish this feat by leveraging the 12900K’s existing 16-core 24-thread design, but with a higher binning that supports speeds up to 5.5 GHz on two cores and up to 5.2 GHz for all-core boosts, both enabled by adding in Intel‘s most advanced boosting tech.

That comes at the cost of extra power, though: The Core i9-12900KS comes with a 150W processor base power (PBP), a record for a mainstream desktop processor . As we’ll show below, it’s an understatement to say the 12900KS runs hot, so it requires the beefiest of cooling solutions. However, as we’ll detail, some of that tendency to run hot is by design to enable a new level of performance for desktop PCs.

The speedy Intel Core i9-12900KS is sure to satisfy deep-pocketed performance addicts, and it comes with the same overall feature set as the 12900K, like support for DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 on the desktop. AMD can’t match that type of connectivity until its 5nm Ryzen 7000 ‘Raphael’ Zen 4 CPUs arrive later this year. The Intel Core i9-12900KS also comes with Alder Lake’s new hybrid x86 design that combines eight big and fast Performance cores (P-cores) with two four-core clusters of small and powerful Efficiency cores (E-cores) that chew through background processes.

Intel’s Core i9-12900K catapulted the company back to the top of the performance and value charts after the beating it took at the hands of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 family, but AMD is finally firing back with seven new chips of its own that will come to market this month. Intel‘s Core i9-12900KS is Intel‘s brazen ‘power and price be damned’ attempt at keeping the performance crown at all costs, just like we saw with Intel Core i9 only other ‘Special Edition’ chip, the Core i9-9900KS.

Intel 12th Gen Processor Compare: