Intel Core i9-9900KS for laptops runs slower than the Core i9-9900K

Intel launched the flagship Core i9-9900KS just a few weeks ago for desktops. Naturally, the first thing we did was put it in a laptop to see how it would perform on a mobile form factor. The result? Not bad, but it could definitely be better.

Eurocom is one of the first resellers to offer the Core i9-9900KS on its lineup of high-performance Clevo laptops. During our testing of the 15.6-inch Eurocom Sky X4C with the i9-9900KS, we found that the processor would boost up to 4.7 GHz for the first 30 seconds and at a core temperature of 95 C when at 100 percent utilization. Afterwards, this drops to 4.4 GHz and 88 C. Needless to say, there is not much overclocking headroom beyond the base 4.0 GHz clock rate of the processor.

Running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop shows a 7 to 8 percent drop in performance over time since the initial high Turbo Boost clock rate of 4.7 GHz is generally unsustainable unless if you are comfortable with a 95 C processor. As a result, other gaming laptops with the "slower" Core i9-9900K are able to outperform the i9-9900KS in our Sky X4C including the MSI GT76 Titan, Dell Alienware Area-51m, and Eurocom's own Sky X7C. Keep in mind that these three examples are all very large 17.3-inch systems with more powerful cooling solutions compared to our 15.6-inch Sky X4C.

If you're in the market for a high-performance laptop with an unlocked Core i9 CPU, then you may want to skip the Core i9-9900KS and just go with the Core i9-9900K instead.

Buy Core i9-9900K Desktop Processor now on Amazon