Intel’s new Core i9-12900KS 16-core CPU is currently the best choice for PC gamers. But for how much longer?
With the Core i9-12900KS, Intel is currently preparing for the launch of a new CPU that should be of particular interest to gamers. Test samples of the 16-core processor have already been delivered in the US. As a result, there are now
first test reports
to Intel’s fast Alder Lake CPU. And indeed, the Core i9-12900KS can hold its own against all other competitors. In exchange, however, US$739 is paid for the selected processor.
Good cooling is extremely important
With its eight performance cores and eight efficiency cores, the Core i9-12900KS has 24 threads. Additionally, there is a 5.2 GHz clock boost on all cores, and one core can also clock up to 5.5 GHz. However, as a result, the processor is very demanding in terms of cooling. Temperatures of around 100 degrees Celsius are not uncommon. Due to the high temperature development, only 4.7 GHz could be reached on the P cores, the E cores only reached 3.2 GHz. If you want to exploit the full potential of the Core i9-12900KS, you need to invest in good cooling. Alternatively, power caps can be turned on, resulting in even lower clock speeds.
Better than Ryzen 9 5950X
Compared to the Core i9-12900K, the KS model offers 4.0% more performance when gaming when all cores are included, and even 6.8% more performance with a single core. Also, the new Intel CPU offers higher performance even compared to the Ryzen 9 5950X. This is 7.9 percent and 25.9 percent above AMD’s flagship.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D is on the starting blocks
However, with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, AMD wants to launch a new CPU with much more cache on April 20. This processor is also aimed at gamers and could quickly outperform the Core i9-12900KS again.
Geekbench: Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs. Ryzen 7 5800X