The Intel Core i9-9900KS Will Probably Cost $600

[harlan4096]

Mwave, a well-known Australian online computer and accessories retailer, has listed Intel's Core i9-9900KS processor, which is scheduled to ship next month. Intel hasn't revealed the processor's price tag, but Mwave's listing gives us a general idea of what we can expect.

By now, you should be more than familiar with the specifications for the Core i9-9900KS. If not, the Core i9-9900KS is a special-edition octa-core, 16-thread based on the original Core i9-9900K. It rocks a 4 GHz base clock and 5 GHz boost clock across all eight cores. Intel has lifted the processor's TDP (thermal design power) up to 127W for the chip to hit the advertised numbers. Other than the clock upgrades, the Core i9-9900KS is your typical Coffee Lake Refresh (CFL-R) chip that's produced with Intel's 14nm++ process node.

Before we dig into the pricing, it's important to remember that computer hardware prices outside of the U.S. are typically higher. We also cannot rule out the possibility that listed prices could be simple placeholders. The real pricing will be revealed in October when the processor officially hits the shelves.

The Core i9-9900KS seemingly sports the BX80684I99900KS part number. The Australian store put up the Core i9-9900KS for 899 AUD (Australian Dollars), which approximately converts to $670. Hardware detective momomo_us has managed to find the Core i9-9900KS at a U.S. retailer with a $603.66 price tag.

Both listings seem to agree that the Core i9-9900KS will likely have a retail price in the range of $600, which is $105 more a standard Core i9-9900K that's currently selling for $495 on Newegg. At the end of the day, the Core i9-9900KS is merely a highly-binned variant of the Core i9-9900K. The $100 premium sounds reasonable for those who don't want to play the silicon lottery to get a 5 GHz octa-core chip that they can boast to their friends.
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