Intel's Alder Lake i9-12900KS Available at Newegg: All Specs Revealed

Intel
(Image credit: Intel)

Newegg, one of the major U.S. retailers, has started selling Intel's new top-of-the-range Alder Lake desktop processor, the Core i9-12900KS. The new CPU costs $799.99 (as noticed by @momomo_us), which is $185 higher than the price of Intel's Core i9-12900K. The key difference between this and the regular model are higher clocks and a new boost mode. 

The new Intel Core i9-12900KS belongs to the Alder Lake family and has eight high-performance Golden Cove cores clocked at 3.40 GHz base frequency, eight energy-efficient Gracemont cores clocked at 2.50 GHz base frequency, Intel's UHD Graphics 770 integrated GPU, 14MB L2 cache, and 30MB L3 cache. The chip comes with unlocked multiplier and can be easily overclocked on Intel Z690 motherboards.

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Row 0 - Cell 0 PriceCores | ThreadsP-Core Base/All Core Boost/Max lBoostE-Core Base/BoostTDP / PBP / MTPDDR4-3200L3 Cache
Core i9-12900KS$799 (?)8P + 8E | 16 Cores / 24 Threads3.4 / 5.2 / 5.5 GHz2.5 / 4.0150W / 241WDDR4-3200 / DDR5-480030MB
Core i9-12900K / KF$589 (K) - $564 (KF)8P + 8E | 16 Cores / 24 Threads3.2 / 5.1 / 5.2 GHz2.4 / 3.9 GHz125W / 241WDDR4-3200 / DDR5-480030MB
Core i7-12700K / KF$409 (K) - $384 (KF)8P + 4E | 12 Cores / 20 Threads3.6 / 4.9 / 5.0 GHz2.7 / 3.8 GHz125W / 190WDDR4-3200 / DDR5-480025MB

While general specifications of the Core i9-12900KS model have been known for weeks based on unofficial leaks, the listing at Newegg has all the information and even some bits that were missing (e.g., maximum boost clock for the energy-efficient cores). Furthermore, the listing also reveals that the Core i9-12900KS has a maximum thermal power (MTP) of 241W, not 260W as previously reported. Meanwhile, its base power is 150W, up from 125W used for the regular i9-12900K SKU.

It should be noted that while Intel's PBP (power level 1) and MTP (power level 2) are well known, the real power consumption of enthusiast-grade CPUs with premium motherboards may be significantly higher. In a bid to boost performance, platform makers set very high TDP limits for rather long periods, so as long as the CPU doesn't hit its TDP limit, it can work at increased frequencies and claim as much power as required. As a result, actual power consumption of such chips substantially exceeds their MTP rating. To that end, while it is important that formally the 12900KS has an MTP of 241W and not 260W, its real world power consumption will be higher. 

In a bid to hit 5.20 GHz on all performance cores and 5.50 GHz on one performance core, Intel uses its exclusive Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost (ETVB) technology, which is the company's sixth adaptive boost level for client chips. More information about this technology will be available in our review of the Core i9-12900KS, but for now we can speculate that the ETVB feature is a superset of the company's regular Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) technology (which raises core frequencies when all cores are active and the CPU's temperature is below 70 Celsius). To support Intel's Core i9-12900KS processor and ETVB, motherboards will have to use the latest UEFI BIOS version. 

At $799.99 in Newegg, Intel's Core i9-12900KS is $185 and $220 more expensive than Intel's Core i7-12900K and 12900KF sold by Newegg, respectively. Whether or not it makes sense to pay for the special edition processor is something that everyone decides for themselves, but it is not particularly surprising that Intel charges more for a CPU that promises to be the world's fastest desktop processor.

 

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • King_V
    36% more money for . . at best . . 6% more clock speed, which means less than 6% more performance in real-world usage?

    Hard pass.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    Proof Intel hasn't really changed, from it's pre Ryzen shenanigans.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    This is the price premium newegg puts on top of the price intel asks for.
    We will have to wait for official intel pricing to start demonizing them.
    Not that official prices mean much anymore with all the scalping going on but still.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    TerryLaze said:
    This is the price premium newegg puts on top of the price intel asks for.
    We will have to wait for official intel pricing to start demonizing them.
    Not that official prices mean much anymore with all the scalping going on but still.

    I would demonize them regardless. The regular 12900k is absurdly priced, compared to the 12700k. $225 for 4 more E cores is simply not worth it, and now with the KS model, that price gap goes even further.
    Reply
  • King_V
    TerryLaze said:
    This is the price premium newegg puts on top of the price intel asks for.
    We will have to wait for official intel pricing to start demonizing them.
    Not that official prices mean much anymore with all the scalping going on but still.

    Uh, no, not really. Whatever Newegg's sins, this isn't on them.

    From 10 days ago: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i9-12900ks-already-in-customer-hands
    Pricing was not listed, but reports have indicated the 12900KS could sell well north of $750, making it an even worse buy than its i9-12900K twin if you are looking for a good value.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    King_V said:
    Uh, no, not really. Whatever Newegg's sins, this isn't on them.

    From 10 days ago: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i9-12900ks-already-in-customer-hands
    The reports:
    "The boxed (BX8071512900KSP5) and tray version (CM8071504569915) sell for $791.74 and $780.79, respectively, at Bottom Line Telecommunications. "

    It's just another retailer putting a bonus on a product they aren't allowed to sell yet.
    Reply
  • Why_Me
    There's going to be peeps with more money than brains that go out and purchase this cpu for a gaming build.
    Reply
  • Liquidrider
    TerryLaze said:
    This is the price premium newegg puts on top of the price intel asks for.
    We will have to wait for official intel pricing to start demonizing them.
    Not that official prices mean much anymore with all the scalping going on but still.

    Where in the world did you come up with that logic? Newegg doesn't stack on a premium. They receive a % of whatever is sold. It's purely up to the seller not newegg.
    As for scalping, that's happening on GPUs, not CPUs.

    Let us forget the price for a second. These performance gains are so abysmal, the only thing making it a new CPU is the model number. I won't even be shocked if some 12900K are faster than the 12900KS.
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    King_V said:
    36% more money for . . at best . . 6% more clock speed, which means less than 6% more performance in real-world usage?

    Hard pass.
    And if it was released at $589 you were waiting with money in hand, right?
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    logainofhades said:
    I would demonize them regardless. The regular 12900k is absurdly priced, compared to the 12700k. $225 for 4 more E cores is simply not worth it, and now with the KS model, that price gap goes even further.
    Indeed another textbook example of PCMR negativity. 12900k was not absurdly priced compared to the competition at the time. The 12700k was just priced that much better. But rather than give credit for pricing the midrange CPU's so well vs the competition, let's demonize Intel for charging the typical premium for the halo level which was inline with the pricing of the competition.
    Reply