9900K vs 9900KS
9900K vs 9900KS
The 9900KS is on its way. For those who own the 9900K, is it worth the upgrade? Although the performance numbers are identical except for the 5.0Ghz All Core Turbo Boost Clock, the 9900K can achieve the same results by adjusting a setting in the BIOS. This is similar to how I turned Enhanced Multi-Core Performance on in my Gigabyte Z390 Aurus Master, where all eight cores reached 5.0Ghz as reported by HWiNFO64.
Later Intel will launch a 9900KT model, which will reach 5.1GHz right out of the box. Many will wonder if upgrading from 9900KS to 9900KT is beneficial.
Same processor running at 5GHz right from the start—no additional modifications.
With the 9900K it's not a good deal. Whether your 9900K reaches 5Ghz with all cores depends a lot on chance. You might end up with a less favorable silicon outcome. In those situations, the KS might be better than the regular K. But even then, if you're unlucky and your 9900K only goes up to around 4.6Ghz with all cores, the gap won't be significant compared to the 9900KS. Unless you're willing to sell your 9900K and buy a KS for a reasonable price, it's not worth it.
I wonder if they're using the name KT for low-power CPUs, as that could sound confusing given Intel's naming style. The 'T' usually stands for unlocked multiplier, and sometimes higher TDP is associated with it. It's a helpful comparison.
Only beneficial if you're aiming for at least 5.0 OC and switching from a weaker CPU (not the 9900k). There are still some 9900k models stuck at 4.8 or 4.9 because of bad luck. That doesn't justify the upgrade cost unless you already own one. It remains a very strong, fast CPU at its original price, though it's a disappointment if you can't apply any overclocking.
In the past at Haswell, the suffix indicated 84w, S meant 65w, T meant 35w. The way they named it has already caused issues.
Notably, enabling Enhanced Multi-Core Performance with Auto activates all cores at 4.7Ghz. Switching it to On increases them to 5.0Ghz as reported by HWiFO64. Activating it also pushes idle temperatures near the 40°C range.
This method isn't possible with certain processors, such as the 8700 or 9400F, even if you're using a different motherboard.