Intel Core i9-13900KS Review: First To 6GHz, Fastest CPU Yet

We also spent some time trying to overclock our Core i9-13900KS with limited results, partially due to our cooler and motherboard combination. Upon configuring a new processor in the MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi, users are prompted to select the type of cooler being employed. If using a basic 'stock' cooler, the Core i9-13900KS will be configured with its rated 253W max power level. But when using a larger 'tower type' air cooler the motherboard will set a 288W peak power level. And with and all-in-one liquid cooling solution, the CPU is essentially unleashed with a "4,096W" max power level as reported by the BIOS. That kind of power will obviously never be used by the CPU, and is MSI's fasicious way of saying the processor can use as much power it can until hitting a thermal wall. Unlocking the Core i9-13900KS in this way meant it was essentially running flat out all the time, which effectively eliminates any potential for thermal headroom with the H100i we have in our test rig. But there are still some ways to squeeze out a bit of extra performance...

"Overclocking" The Intel Core i9-13900KS

Using the latest version of Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility, we first tried to use the built-in "one click" Speed Optimizer to see if it could wrangle some additional performance out of our setup, but scores in a handful of benchmarks were unchanged. Without any manual overclocking, and with the power level maxed via the motherboard's BIOS, the Core i9-13900KS' temperatures would quickly ramp up into the mid-90°C range and would thermally throttle under long sustained workloads, where the chip would heat up to 98°C - 100°C. With this king of motherboard and AIO cooler setup, the Core i9-13900KS behaves like AMD's Ryzen 7000 series chips, which are designed to use every bit of thermal headroom available at a given time. If configured with a 253W max power level, the voltage and frequency curve isn't as aggressive, so power and thermals are more manageable, but performance may be reduced with some workloads.

Intel Core i9-13900KS Undervolted

We experimented with our setup to fine-tune performance and found that we could squeeze a bit more out of the system using a combination of tools available within XTU (or the system BIOS). Users have full control over an array of multipliers and voltages for the P-cores, E-cores, cache, memory, and all of the uncore elements in Intel's latest platform. For our particular setup, we found that under-volting using a -.175 offset, enabling Thermal Velocity Boost, and increasing the E-core multiplier by +1 was stable. The setup was less prone to thermally throttling as well, unless it reminaed under a sustained multi-threaded workload for an extended period.

While we had the system tweaked, we re-ran Cinebench (see above) and were able to surpass the 41K mark. In this configuration, peak frequencies with single or multi-threaded workloads that utilize every core / thread are unchanged, but there's more power / thermal headroom available and threaded workloads that don't hammer on every core simultaneously receive a boost.

Intel 13th Gen Core i9-13900KS - The Verdict

Summarizing the Intel Core i9-13900KS’ performance is simple – this is the fastest, mainstream desktop processor we have tested to date. For heavily multi-threaded workloads, there are some HEDT processors out there with many more cores and additional memory channels, that’ll crush any of the mainstream parts tested here. But those platforms pale in comparison to the Core i9-13900KS while running single-threaded workloads, in most productivity tasks, or while gaming. For the vast majority of desktop computer users, the Core i9-13900KS is the fastest processor currently available. It didn’t sweep the competition in every benchmark, but did take the top spot in most tests.

Despite its class-leading performance and limited edition nature, Intel isn’t putting an exorbitant premium on the Core i9-13900KS. The company has set the MSRP for the Core i9-13900KS at $699 – a full $100 lower than the original MSRP on AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X. Actual street prices, however, are currently a different story. The 7950X can be found for around $590, while the Core i9-13900KS is selling for about $729 - $769 currently. That makes the Core i9-13900KS one of the pricier mainstream desktop processors out there, but it’s not an unjustifiable premium, considering the chip’s excellent performance. If you’re considering the Core i9-13900KS, be sure to also factor in a top-notch cooler, though.

It might pump out some serious heat and use more power than other processors, but we still dig the Core i9-13900KS. Its extreme performance and versatility for a wide range of workloads and applications should make it appealing to hardcore enthusiasts that crave the best of the best. Of course, you can save quite a bit of cash and sacrifice minimal performance by opting for lower-speed bin (the 13900KF is currently $573 and 13700KF is under $400), but if you want the current pinnacle of Windows desktop PC performance, the Intel Core i9-13900KS is it.