The race to see who has the fastest processor around never ends and Intel and AMD can’t fall asleep on the road. If AMD’s proposition is the Ryzen 7000X3D, Intel’s is much simpler and more straightforward, an upgraded version of its most powerful desktop processor to date.
Intel Core i9-13900KS, the first CPU to reach 6 GHz
The existence of the i9-13900KS is partly accidental, it is the product of the fact that in the wafers of the i9-13900K there are always some processors which, in stress tests, turn out to have a better consumption curve , or rather, prove to have the ability to withstand above average speeds. If you are discerning you will see for example that the i7-13700K and the i9-13900K are the same chip, they have the same number of P-Cores and E-Cores, but at different speeds.
Indeed, in quality tests, they are given a different name depending on whether they can support higher or lower speeds. This allows them to resell them at a higher or lower price. This is a common tactic in the PC processor world and has been around for decades.
What happens when there are a number of chips that come out with better than average results? Well, you can sell a higher model at a higher price because it offers better features and in this case it is thanks to the possibility of reaching 6 GHz, yes, in Boost. That is, it doesn’t run 100% of the time at that speed, but when it has to sprint to get there sooner when it comes to executing instructions, it’s the fastest of all.
The MHz Myth
However, when we talk about the processor reaching 6 GHz, we are referring to the number of pulses each part of the CPU executes every second; in this case, we are talking about 6,000 million during this period. However, what is important in a processor is the number of instructions it can produce per second, and this does not depend on the speed, but on the architecture. Not all processors are equally fast at the same speed.
Think of it this way, imagine we have two processors, one of them is a car that has been optimized for sporting events and therefore its weight has been lightened, a lighter body is used and with this it manages to reach speeds well above those that allow you to compete. On the other side, we have the same car, with the same engine and the same power, but it is not optimized and therefore will not perform as well.
In fact, the comparison between MHz or GHz should only serve us to know that a processor under one architecture is faster than another, nothing more. Ultimately, it’s not a 1:1 comparison metric. Even between processors of the same brand. In any case, in single-threaded tasks it has become the fastest processor around, waiting for the Ryzen 7000 with V-Cache to be released next month.
Sure, it’s Intel’s fastest, but at what cost?
As we told you before, we are dealing with a processor which is an i9-13900K which has passed stress tests in terms of speed and has shown that it can reach 6 GHz in Boost without putting in jeopardize his integrity. So to begin with this already means that the processor is scarce in quantity and this already implies a higher price and everything indicates that it will be 25% more expensive than the i9-13900K. Which means buying the i9-13900KS might not be the best value.
The other problem is the consumption, Intel in its Boost mode has an outstanding problem in its desktop processors, where it can reach an average of 250 W and believe us the consumption curve is not better than the i9 which is below him. We can therefore say that we are facing a hot processor for which a good radiator will be necessary. And it is that, based on the i9-13900KS already has a TDP of 150 W25 more than the standard model.