Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition CPU: launches in 2023 at 6.0GHz+

Intel kicked off its Innovation event today, unveiling everything we need to know about the 13th Gen Core "Rocket Lake" CPUs and the company's first-ever 6.0GHz CPU teased.

The company teased a new 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" CPU with 6.0GHz out of the box, in limited volumes early next year. We should expect Intel to call it the Core i9-13900KS processor in Special Edition form, with KS-series processors being pre-binned we should expect the best power efficiency and of course: stability at ridiculous high CPU clocks.

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Intel didn't detail whether the 6.0GHz clocks will be across all of the cores or just a particular number of them, but if it's anything like the Core i9-12900KS "Alder Lake" CPU which had a 5.5GHz all-core, the Core i9-13900KS with 6.0GHz all-core would be very, very nice to see.

At the time, Intel was charting a $150 premium for the Core i9-12900KS over the Core i9-12900K with $739 versus $589. Intel has just launched the new Core i9-13900K "Raptor Lake" CPU at $589, so if we expect the same $150 or so premium then the Core i9-13900KS could (this isn't clear yet) offer 6.0GHz all-core CPU clocks for $739 in early 2023.

AMD's new Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" processors hit retail today actually, as Intel just launched its new 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" CPUs, but a new 6.0GHz CPU from Intel would surely blow AMD's new flagship Ryzen 9 7950X processor out of the water, right? Well, AMD has something up its sleeve, too.

We can expect Intel to announce its new Core i9-13900KS processor with 6.0GHz clocks out of the box at CES 2023, just in time for AMD which is reportedly going to launch its new second-gen 3D V-Cache technology and new flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor that will compete directly against Intel's new Core i9-13900KS and its nifty 6.0GHz+ clocks.

AMD's new Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor is expected to offer a good chunk of performance on top of the Ryzen 9 7950X processor, with the new second-gen 3D V-Cache to offer more performance to the Ryzen 7 7850X3D processor, too. AMD should be going toe-to-toe with near-6GHz clocks and second-gen 3D V-Cache technology against Intel's new 6GHz Raptor Lake beast.