Intel Core i9-14900KS apparently set for mid-March release, but good luck trying to buy the CPU

Intel's Core i9-14900KS processor is indeed coming, and coming very soon - in mid-March, a YouTuber tells us - but don't get your hopes up for buying one (if you had any inclination in that direction).

This comes from Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) who despite having previously mulled whether Intel might delay the Core i9-14900KS, now has confirmation from sources that the CPU is coming in the middle of March (meaning next week most likely).

Previous rumors have contended that the pepped-up spin on the Raptor Lake Refresh flagship is due on March 13, so that's the date to mark on your calendar (pinch of salt added, of course).

Or at least that's the date to remember if you want to get involved in the scramble for a Core i9-14900KS, as these special edition processors from Intel are apparently going to be very thin on the ground.

MLID calls it a very low volume launch and basically a paper affair. The leaker says to expect the usual hoo-hah with overclocking teams getting the chip and breaking world records with exotic cooling seeing clock speeds reach fresh heights - but as to the actual presence on shelves, don't expect much.

Delidding coverage?

If the leaker is right, you'll struggle to get hold of a 14900KS. And another theory from MLID is the warranty for the CPU could even cover delidding - partly because the mentioned low volume of stock might make this feasible. Not that many folks will go this route anyway, so theoretically there'd only be a limited amount of warranty claims to cover, if production volume is lean.

That said, MLID has been struggling to confirm this delidding rumor, and acknowledges that we shouldn't assume this will happen. There's still a chance, though, by all accounts.

Recently we've seen a ton of leaks around the Core i9-14900KS, the latest of which shows it'll need 1.5V to reach that rumored boost clock of 6.2GHz (on three cores, apparently). With overclocking, and liquid nitrogen or similar cooling, we can expect some staggering uplifts on that, of course.

As you may recall, the current record overclock for the existing 14900K CPU is over 9.1GHz, which is incredibly beefy as it is. The Raptor Lake Refresh flagship has also been seen breaking other records, such as completing a SuperPi benchmark run in less than 3 minutes.

Needless to say, the 14900KS will be outdoing this chip, but with some jaw-dropping power requirements (410W or so, if another leak turns out to be on the money).