Intel teased some Core i9-12900KS processor details during CES 2022, but we are still waiting for this processor's official launch and availability. In the meantime, Twitter's HXL has spotted a China-based secondhand seller trying to offload an "almost brand-new" Core i9-12900KS. In addition, the listing has screenshots of this highly anticipated CPU in action. If the used-CPU advert and screenshots are genuine, the Intel Core i9-12900KS with 16C/24T can score 29,519 in Cinebench R23 without breaking a sweat.
In the first screenshot from the Chinese listing, Cinebench R23 runs in the upper left of the screen. The Core i9-12900KS' score is pretty much as expected. It is comfortably above (+900cb) the likes of significant premium consumer rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with its 16C/32T and is within touching distance (-500cb) of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X with 32C/64T.
Elsewhere in this first screenshot, the Core i9-12900KS' purported 3.2 GHz base clock is within view. The figure is identical to that of the Core i9-12900K. Moving on to the boost clocks, the used sample on sale hits 5.4 GHz, 200 MHz faster than the i9-12900K, or provides an approximate 4% uplift by this metric. The processor doesn't quite make it to a 5.5 GHz boost clock, and this could be due to the processor being an engineering sample, the motherboard BIOS not correctly supporting the high boost, or both of these factors.
The second screenshot released by the seller primarily concerns the memory performance that the system has achieved with this new yet-to-be-made official CPU. We see that the quad-channel memory kit installed hits DDR5-7398, and the memory latency checks in at 51.5ns. Interestingly, while the Cinebench testing was on an Asus motherboard, the memory testing screens showed an MSI motherboard in use. The seller has access to a lot of high-end PC hardware.
At 29,999 Chinese Yuan, this purported Intel Core i9-12900KS is the equivalent of approximately $4,700. Of course, the seller is hoping to capitalize on this CPU not yet being official, but any buyer would have to be quite a risk-taker.
As a reminder, Intel's tease of the Core i9-12900KS, which we reported upon at the start of the month, indicated that it was still sorting and binning chips to achieve an out-of-the-box 5.5 GHz boost. With the increased clocks/power consumption, we still reckon it will need some sort of advanced cooling to perform as enthusiasts would expect comfortably. At CES 2022, Intel said these factory-overclocked processors would ship by the end of Q1 2022.
