After Intel's alleged Core i9-14900KS processor was spotted at a Canadian retailer and in the OCCT benchmark database, it is pretty clear that the CPU is indeed coming to market soon. Apparently, the processor is already in Vietnamese warehouses waiting to be sold sometime in mid-March, according to @I_Leak_VN, who was kind enough to even picture retail packaging of Intel's limited-edition CPU. Of course, this is still unofficial, so take it with a grain of salt.
The Intel Core i9-14900KS (BXB071514900KS) CPU is a specially selected Raptor Lake Refresh die featuring eight high-performance Raptor Cove cores, 16 energy-efficient Gracemont cores, and 68 MB of cache. The primary distinction between the special edition Core i9-14900KS and the range-topping Core i9-14900K lies in its frequencies: the 14900KS part reach up to 6.20 GHz for single-core and dual-core turbo as well as up to 5.90 GHz for turbo across three to eight cores. By contrast, the 14900K part tops at 6.0 GHz.
While the Intel Core i9-14900KS is clearly cherry-picked silicon and is meant to be rare by definition, it comes in a rather modest blue box marked as Intel 14th Gen Core i9 Unlocked with a tiny 'Special Edition' stamp below the main marking. As for the price, it will cost $765 in Vietnam, which is significantly more expensive than the price of the regular Core i9-14900K.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Configuration | Base P-Clock | Maximum Boost P-Clock | PBP |
| Core i9-14900KS | 8P + 16E | 3.20 GHz (?) | 6.2 GHz (?) | 150W |
| Core i9-14900K | 8P + 16E | 3.20 GHz | 6.0 GHz (?) | 125W |
In addition to some extra performance, that 'Special Edition' stamp means that the Core i9-14900KS processor will be more power hungry than the regular Core i9-14900K. Based on its leaked specification, the new CPU has processor base power of 150W, up from 125W in case of the Core i9-14900K. Meanwhile, based on data from the OCCT benchmark, the cherry-picked CPU can draw around 410W at its extreme clock speeds, which naturally leads to substantial heat dissipation.
Anyhow, now that we have seen so many mentions of the Intel Core i9-14900KS processor, it is pretty obvious that the product is indeed incoming. Whether or not its higher price will justify its higher price is up to its buyers to decide. Yet, if you want to have something rare and special — and the Core i9-14900KS will likely be the highest-performing LGA1700 processor ever — the new CPU is certainly a thing to consider.
