Intel Core i9-12900KS: Intel's most powerful Alder Lake-S processor launches at a lower than expected price

Intel has finally announced the Core i9-12900KS, a processor that it teased in January at CES 2022. As expected, the Core i9-12900KS is an unlocked processor with 16 cores split evenly between efficiency and performance clusters, matching the rest of the Core i9-12900 series. Additionally, the Core i9-12900KS can boost to 5.5 GHz, 300 MHz higher than the Core i9-12900K. In a press release, Intel writes:

Moreover, the Core i9-12900KS has a 150 W base power (PBP), up from the 125 W that the Core i9-12900K and Core i9-12900KF offer. However, the Core i9-12900KS matches its siblings for Maximum Turbo Power (MTP), which remains at 241 W. Likewise, the Core i9-12900KS maintains the family's 14 MB of L2 cache and 30 MB of L3 cache. Also, the processor has a UHD Graphics 770 integrated GPU and supports up to DDR5-4800 RAM.

The Core i9-12900KS will be available from April 5 at a US$739 MSRP. For reference, Newegg suggested that Intel would launch the Core i9-12900KS for US$799.99, not US$739. Supposedly, the processor will be available worldwide boxed or within pre-built systems. Intel states that the Core i9-12900KS will be compatible with existing Z690 motherboards, although it has not confirmed how many processors it has created.

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