Update: We have exclusive pre-release testing of the Core i9-9900KS here.
Update 9/30/2019 12:33pm PT:
B&H Photo Video has listed the Core i9-9900KS for $559.99. The US retailer sells the regular Core i9-9900K for $489.99, which means potential buyers will have to pay a $70 premium for the cherry-picked chip that can do 5 GHz on all cores, while the Core i9-9900K can only do 4.7 GHz on all cores.
Original article 9/27/2019 10:30am PT:
Mwave, a well-known Australian online computer and accessories retailer, has listed Intel's Core i9-9900KS processor, which is scheduled to ship next month. Intel hasn't revealed the processor's price tag, but Mwave's listing gives us a general idea of what we can expect.
By now, you should be more than familiar with the specifications for the Core i9-9900KS. If not, the Core i9-9900KS is a special-edition octa-core, 16-thread based on the original Core i9-9900K. It rocks a 4 GHz base clock and 5 GHz boost clock across all eight cores. For comparison, the Core i9-9900K has a 4.7 GHz all-core boost clock. Intel has lifted the processor's TDP (thermal design power) up to 127W for the chip to hit the advertised numbers. Other than the clock upgrades, the Core i9-9900KS is your typical Coffee Lake Refresh (CFL-R) chip that's produced with Intel's 14nm++ process node.
Before we dig into the pricing, it's important to remember that computer hardware prices outside of the U.S. are typically higher. We also cannot rule out the possibility that listed prices could be simple placeholders. The real pricing will be revealed in October when the processor officially hits the shelves.
The Core i9-9900KS seemingly sports the BX80684I99900KS part number. The Australian store put up the Core i9-9900KS for 899 AUD (Australian Dollars), which approximately converts to $670. Hardware detective momomo_us has managed to find the Core i9-9900KS at a U.S. retailer with a $603.66 price tag.
Both listings seem to agree that the Core i9-9900KS will likely have a retail price in the range of $600, which is $105 more a standard Core i9-9900K that's currently selling for $495 on Newegg. At the end of the day, the Core i9-9900KS is merely a highly-binned variant of the Core i9-9900K. The $100 premium sounds reasonable for those who don't want to play the silicon lottery to get a 5 GHz octa-core chip that they can boast to their friends.