Experts comment on the advantages and disadvantages of Intel's latest CPU
The Core i9-14900KS is a powerhouse, but it runs hot.
Intel has launched the "Special Edition" KS chip, the Core i9-14900KS, aiming to surpass the peak and raising the competition to a crazy new level. This is the super clocked version of the 14900K, with the same number of cores, but with a boost clock that exceeds the extreme of the standard 14900K. It can reach an unprecedented 6.2GHz on several cores, making it the fastest CPU ever released to the public.
But in modern CPUs, cores and clocks are never the whole story. The 14900KS certainly looks super fast, but there's a significant cost to this raw power. This chip not only demands a lot from your wallet but even more from your power supply and cooling.
Pros: It's almost the fastest CPU
We like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It's the best gaming CPU—even the 14900K and KS can be competitive at times—thanks to its incredible performance, relatively modest price tag, and staggering efficiency. But it's undeniable that the 14900KS is a faster all-around CPU. It's very close in gaming, often winning by less than 1% at 4K resolution and trailing by about 5% on average at 1080p. As TomsHardware said: "After all, most users buying a $689 chip will be gaming at a higher resolution than 1080p, and the difference between the original and KS models at 1440p is still only 2.5%."
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But where the 14900KS truly shines is in productivity. Like the previous 14900K, its abundance of cores (24 cores supporting 32 threads) means it can do more things simultaneously than AMD's processors. The AMD 7950X offers reasonable competition with its 16 high-performance Zen 4 cores, but it lacks the gaming prowess of the X3D model, thus falling behind Intel's alternative.The high clock speed of 14900KS truly shines in applications that benefit from single-core performance. In HotHardware's testing, it found that when running single-threaded or lightly-threaded workloads, the HEDT platform actually lags behind the Core i9-14900KS. Although Threadripper and its ilk will circle around these types of CPUs in video transcoding or encryption, the 14900KS excels in applications like Premiere and Photoshop.
It also broke some records, perhaps most notably the highest clock speed ever achieved. According to Videocardz, Swedish overclocker Elmor managed to push their 14900KS to 9117.75MHz—about 70MHz higher than the previous record achieved with the 14900KF in October last year. ASUS also set records with its 14900KS sample in PiFast, SuperPi 1M, and PyPrime 32B.
**Cons: It drains all the power**
If you thought the 14900K was a power guzzler, wait until you see the 14900KS. Although its base thermal design power (TDP) is only 25 watts higher than the 14900K, with a maximum turbo power rating still at 253W, it can consume more power than any other processor in the right circumstances.
"The 14900KS is configured with a 320W power limit setting, and it can easily reach this setting when loaded with applications that scale across all cores," said TechPowerUp's W1zzard, "On average, we measured an application power draw of 208W, the highest power draw we have ever recorded, 30W higher than the 14900K. With the 320W power limit removed, the average application power draw reached 232W, with Blender setting a record of 508W."
A staggering 500W for just the CPU alone, although this is not what you would experience in gaming—where its average power draw is typically around 160W—but for most users, this is not really feasible. It consumes more than any other processor and is more than three times that of our favorite gaming CPU, the 7800X3D.
This leads to temperature issues. TechPowerup tested it with a high-end Noctua NH-U14S air cooler, and during multi-threaded tests, the 14900KS reached 118 degrees Celsius, nearing 100 degrees in gaming. Overclock3D could only stop it from thermal throttling by removing it—essentially taking out the internal heatsink and seriously risking damaging the CPU in the process.
Even with undervolting and a 360mm AIO, load temperatures still reach 86 degrees.And there's more
The 14900KS may be the last outstanding CPU of its generation and will retain the title of the fastest LGA 1700 processor for the remainder of its time, but it's not done yet. As reported by VideoCardz, MSI has released custom firmware for PCs running the 14900KS to push it even higher. The P-Core Beyond 6GHz feature is already available on most MSI Z690 and Z790 motherboards, suitable for 14900K users who want extra performance, but the latest updated version is tailored for the 14900KS.
It allows the new CPU clock to be boosted to an impressive 6.4GHz. It won't cost you any more dollars, but it may lead to further increases in power consumption and cooling requirements. Make sure your fans are up and running before enabling this feature.
The true halo product CPU
The 14900KS seems to lead in productivity and, through sheer brute force, can (sometimes) keep up with the more agile and flexible 7800X3D, which costs about half as much and consumes only one-third the power.
However, the 14900KS appears to be only slightly faster than the 14900K, and that chip is now about $140 cheaper. You can take advantage of the binning on that chip, and if you don't mind rolling the dice, you can overclock it yourself.
But if you want the fastest LGA 1700 processor ever, or just the fastest Intel CPU while we wait for Arrow Lake later this year, then the 14900KS is an option. But if you want amazing productivity at a low price, the 14700K offers much better value for money and slightly lower power consumption. If you just want to game, the 7800X3D is a much better choice to date, while the 7950X or 7950X3D offers a good middle ground of productivity and performance with higher efficiency.
Currently, there are many great CPUs to choose from. The 14900KS may wear the crown, but according to current reviews, it's not for the faint of heart.
*Disclaimer: This article is the original creation of the author. The content of the article is his personal opinion, and our reposting is solely for sharing and discussion, and does not represent our approval or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact the backend.
The Core i9-14900KS is a powerhouse, but it runs hot.
Intel has launched the "Special Edition" KS chip, the Core i9-14900KS, aiming to surpass the peak and raising the competition to a crazy new level. This is the super clocked version of the 14900K, with the same number of cores, but with a boost clock that exceeds the extreme of the standard 14900K. It can reach an unprecedented 6.2GHz on several cores, making it the fastest CPU ever released to the public.
But in modern CPUs, cores and clocks are never the whole story. The 14900KS certainly looks super fast, but there's a significant cost to this raw power. This chip not only demands a lot from your wallet but even more from your power supply and cooling.
Pros: It's almost the fastest CPU
We like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It's the best gaming CPU—even the 14900K and KS can be competitive at times—thanks to its incredible performance, relatively modest price tag, and staggering efficiency. But it's undeniable that the 14900KS is a faster all-around CPU. It's very close in gaming, often winning by less than 1% at 4K resolution and trailing by about 5% on average at 1080p. As TomsHardware said: "After all, most users buying a $689 chip will be gaming at a higher resolution than 1080p, and the difference between the original and KS models at 1440p is still only 2.5%."
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But where the 14900KS truly shines is in productivity. Like the previous 14900K, its abundance of cores (24 cores supporting 32 threads) means it can do more things simultaneously than AMD's processors. The AMD 7950X offers reasonable competition with its 16 high-performance Zen 4 cores, but it lacks the gaming prowess of the X3D model, thus falling behind Intel's alternative.The high clock speed of 14900KS truly shines in applications that benefit from single-core performance. In HotHardware's testing, it found that when running single-threaded or lightly-threaded workloads, the HEDT platform actually lags behind the Core i9-14900KS. Although Threadripper and its ilk will circle around these types of CPUs in video transcoding or encryption, the 14900KS excels in applications like Premiere and Photoshop.
It also broke some records, perhaps most notably the highest clock speed ever achieved. According to Videocardz, Swedish overclocker Elmor managed to push their 14900KS to 9117.75MHz—about 70MHz higher than the previous record achieved with the 14900KF in October last year. ASUS also set records with its 14900KS sample in PiFast, SuperPi 1M, and PyPrime 32B.
**Cons: It drains all the power**
If you thought the 14900K was a power guzzler, wait until you see the 14900KS. Although its base thermal design power (TDP) is only 25 watts higher than the 14900K, with a maximum turbo power rating still at 253W, it can consume more power than any other processor in the right circumstances.
"The 14900KS is configured with a 320W power limit setting, and it can easily reach this setting when loaded with applications that scale across all cores," said TechPowerUp's W1zzard, "On average, we measured an application power draw of 208W, the highest power draw we have ever recorded, 30W higher than the 14900K. With the 320W power limit removed, the average application power draw reached 232W, with Blender setting a record of 508W."
A staggering 500W for just the CPU alone, although this is not what you would experience in gaming—where its average power draw is typically around 160W—but for most users, this is not really feasible. It consumes more than any other processor and is more than three times that of our favorite gaming CPU, the 7800X3D.
This leads to temperature issues. TechPowerup tested it with a high-end Noctua NH-U14S air cooler, and during multi-threaded tests, the 14900KS reached 118 degrees Celsius, nearing 100 degrees in gaming. Overclock3D could only stop it from thermal throttling by removing it—essentially taking out the internal heatsink and seriously risking damaging the CPU in the process.
Even with undervolting and a 360mm AIO, load temperatures still reach 86 degrees.And there's more
The 14900KS may be the last outstanding CPU of its generation and will retain the title of the fastest LGA 1700 processor for the remainder of its time, but it's not done yet. As reported by VideoCardz, MSI has released custom firmware for PCs running the 14900KS to push it even higher. The P-Core Beyond 6GHz feature is already available on most MSI Z690 and Z790 motherboards, suitable for 14900K users who want extra performance, but the latest updated version is tailored for the 14900KS.
It allows the new CPU clock to be boosted to an impressive 6.4GHz. It won't cost you any more dollars, but it may lead to further increases in power consumption and cooling requirements. Make sure your fans are up and running before enabling this feature.
The true halo product CPU
The 14900KS seems to lead in productivity and, through sheer brute force, can (sometimes) keep up with the more agile and flexible 7800X3D, which costs about half as much and consumes only one-third the power.
However, the 14900KS appears to be only slightly faster than the 14900K, and that chip is now about $140 cheaper. You can take advantage of the binning on that chip, and if you don't mind rolling the dice, you can overclock it yourself.
But if you want the fastest LGA 1700 processor ever, or just the fastest Intel CPU while we wait for Arrow Lake later this year, then the 14900KS is an option. But if you want amazing productivity at a low price, the 14700K offers much better value for money and slightly lower power consumption. If you just want to game, the 7800X3D is a much better choice to date, while the 7950X or 7950X3D offers a good middle ground of productivity and performance with higher efficiency.
Currently, there are many great CPUs to choose from. The 14900KS may wear the crown, but according to current reviews, it's not for the faint of heart.
*Disclaimer: This article is the original creation of the author. The content of the article is his personal opinion, and our reposting is solely for sharing and discussion, and does not represent our approval or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact the backend.