Intel Core i9-14900KS photo leaked, suggesting 6.2GHz-toting flagship CPU is near to launch

Intel's Core i9-14900KS, the 'special edition' (limited run) of the Raptor Lake Refresh flagship rumored to be in the pipeline, has just shown up in a leaked photo.

I_Leak_VN, a leaker (you'd never guess) on X (formerly Twitter), shared an image of the packaging for the Core i9-14900KS.

It looks authentic, but as ever, we must regard any leak with a suitable degree of caution.

Still, the rumor mill is spinning rapidly where the Core i9-14900KS is concerned, and so at this stage, it'd be a surprise if Intel wasn't about to spring this turbocharged version of the existing 14900K on us.

Well, we say turbocharged, but like previous 'KS' models, it'll likely only be a few percentage points faster than the vanilla 'K' flagship. Nothing to get too excited about, but if you want the absolute fastest Intel silicon, this will be it - hitting an eye-opening 6.2GHz boost. (But also carrying an equally eyebrow-raising power usage, with leaks suggesting this processor will top 400W when it's pushed hard).

Recent rumors around the Core i9-14900KS have all mentioned the 6.2GHz boost speed, which seems pretty concrete at this point, and also that the revamped Raptor Lake Refresh CPU should launch next month.

One Canadian retailer has it pegged at mid-March, in fact, but elsewhere on the rumor mill, we've heard that Intel could still delay the launch of the Core i9-14900KS. (Or at least that's a possibility floated by YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead).

However, the appearance of a photo of the packaging is another hint that we might see this flagship revamp sooner rather than later, in all its 6.2GHz glory.

Read more: AMD Zen 5 CPUs may not debut until late in 2024 - could Intel's Arrow Lake even arrive first?