Intel Core i9-9900KS: $70 More For Another 300MHz (Update)

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.

(Image credit: Intel)

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.

(Image credit: Mwave)

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.

(Image credit: Twitter/momomo_us)

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.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • logainofhades
    More proof that Intel still doesn't get it. Their chips are not worth the premium, that they are asking for.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    logainofhades said:
    More proof that Intel still doesn't get it. Their chips are not worth the premium, that they are asking for.
    Hey if at least 25% faster clocks is worthless to you that's ok,it will be to quite a few people, but don't make it out as if it really is worthless,at least 25% is a huge difference and worth every penny especially since that at least 25% is exclusive to intel and can't be achieved with anything else.
    Anything premium demands a premium in price.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    TerryLaze said:
    Hey if at least 25% faster clocks is worthless to you that's ok,it will be to quite a few people, but don't make it out as if it really is worthless,at least 25% is a huge difference and worth every penny especially since that at least 25% is exclusive to intel and can't be achieved with anything else.
    Anything premium demands a premium in price.

    There is not a single 9900k that won't do 5.0 all core now, with a simple multiplier change. This chip is the FX 9xxx series all over again, and should not exist. It is not worth it's asking price, period.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    logainofhades said:
    There is not a single 9900k that won't do 5.0 all core now, with a simple multiplier change. This chip is the FX 9xxx series all over again, and should not exist. It is not worth it's asking price, period.
    According to silicon lottery only 30% reaches 5Ghz and that at 1.3V.
    https://siliconlottery.com/pages/statistics
    And their asking price for a guaranteed 5Ghz one is $580 ,as far as I know they are a profitable company meaning that there are people that do disagree with you.
    If you need the speed the extra cost is reasonable.
    https://siliconlottery.com/collections/all/products/9900k50g
    Reply
  • TJ Hooker
    TerryLaze said:
    According to silicon lottery only 30% reaches 5Ghz and that at 1.3V.
    https://siliconlottery.com/pages/statisticsAnd their asking price for a guaranteed 5Ghz one is $580 ,as far as I know they are a profitable company meaning that there are people that do disagree with you.
    If you need the speed the extra cost is reasonable.
    https://siliconlottery.com/collections/all/products/9900k50g
    I wouldn't necessarily use SL's prices as an example to justify pricing. As far as I can tell their entire business model is catering to 'enthusiasts' with more money than sense. I guess Intel's pricing makes sense if they're only targeting that niche market.

    Also, SL's limit of only using 1.3V for their 5.0 GHz binned chips seems kind of arbitrary.
    Reply
  • King_V
    TerryLaze said:
    Hey if at least 25% faster clocks is worthless to you that's ok,it will be to quite a few people, but don't make it out as if it really is worthless,at least 25% is a huge difference and worth every penny especially since that at least 25% is exclusive to intel and can't be achieved with anything else.
    Anything premium demands a premium in price.

    Exactly where are you getting this "25% faster clocks" number from?

    9900K and KF have a 3.6GHz base clock. 9900KS has 4.0. That's 11.1% faster clock.
    9900K and KF have a 5.0GHz boost clock for 1-2 cores. 9900KS is the same.
    9900K and KF have a 4.8GHz boost clock for 3-4 cores. 9900KS keeps the 5.0GHz speed. So, only 4.2% faster clock.
    9900K and KF have a 4.7GHz boost clock for 5-8 cores. 9900KS keeps the 5.0GHz speed. So, only 6.4% faster clock.

    In terms of actual real-world performance, you get less total performance increase than you do in clock-rate increase.

    And, for $600, you get that paltry bit, but wait, there's more! It's also got an "official" TDP of 127W. And we've learned about how reliable Intel's official TDP declaration is compared to the real world for at least the 8th and 9th generation chips.... and all for only 20% more money!! Whatta deal!


    This chip is for people with more money than brains.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    King_V said:
    Exactly where are you getting this "25% faster clocks" number from?
    Context.
    I was answering to logainofhades who claimed that intel doesn't get it and that intel's premium isn't worth it,well against AMD's best product the kfc will be at least 25% faster in clocks...guaranteed to run at 5Ghz in most if not all workloads.
    King_V said:
    In terms of actual real-world performance, you get less total performance increase than you do in clock-rate increase.
    First of all we don't know how much more it will be for sure, $600 is just a guess right now, but even if it is 20% more price for 11% better base and 6% better turbo that's 17% better performance for 20% more money.

    King_V said:
    This chip is for people with more money than brains.
    So is any chip above a 2c/4t because you can run anything you want with that and anything more is just a luxury making things "smoother" or faster or whatnot.
    Yes this chip is not for the normal person looking at emails and facebook.
    Reply
  • Lol. Not worth it in any regard.
    Reply
  • mdd1963
    I might not think it is worth it for that sort of premium over a 9900K or KF, but, I'll bet they will sell every single one they make quite quickly.

    It has no competitors.
    Reply
  • jpe1701
    mdd1963 said:
    I might not think it is worth it for that sort of premium over a 9900K or KF, but, I'll bet they will sell every single one they make quite quickly.

    It has no competitors.
    It has no competitors in gaming and single core stuff but with gaming you're going to need a high end gpu to notice the difference.
    Reply