Intel’s 5GHz i9-9900KS is due to release next month

Intel has announced that their Special Edition i9-9900KS processor will release next month, offering gamers an all-core clock speed of 5.0GHz on regular CPU cooling solutions. 

Yes, this processor is an i9-9900K CPU with an all-core 5GHz boost clock. Intel revealed as much as Computex, but what’s really on offer here is the binning and speed gating that’s required to deliver an all-core 5GHz processor. This means that this i9 series processor likely has some untapped overclocking potential. 

Intel confirmed at Computex that their i9-9900KS processor would run with a base clock speed of 4.0GHz and a single-core boost clock speed of 5GHz. Yes, Intel hasn’t improved their single-core boost clock speeds with this new iteration of the i9-9900K. 

So what does Intel’s 4GHz base clock mean? Nothing. With Intel’s basic BIOS the processor will go down to these clock speeds. In reality, however, no 3rd party motherboard manufacturer uses Intel’s basic BIOS. Instead, most manufacturers implement a custom power solution which sets the processor’s all-core boost as its minimum clock speed. This means that the i9-9900KS should run at 5GHz at all times on high-end motherboards. 

When compared to Intel’s standard i9-9900K, Intel has boosted the i9-9900KS’ base clock speed by 0.4GHz and its all-core boost clock speeds by 300MHz. The CPU’s single-core boost clock speeds remain the same.