Intel's 6.2GHz uber CPU expected to launch at CES 2024 as new image emerges

Intel Core i9 14900K CPU on a box and inside a motherboard socket. — (Image credit: Future)

An image of the much rumoured Intel Core i9 14900KS CPU has emerged, fuelling expectations that Intel will indeed unleash this new 6.2GHz chip at CES on Monday.

An image of the processor reportedly first appeared on Chinese messaging platform QQ before being reposted on X (via Sweclockers). The chip's serial number has been obscured, so there's no way to verify its authenticity.

In most regards, the 14900KS is said to be a dead ringer for the existing top Raptor Lake Refresh chip, the Core i9 14900K. It'll have the same core counts, the same cache memory, etc.

But instead of boosting up to 6GHz, the 14900KS will extend that to 6.2GHz, thereby being the first factory-spec CPU to go beyond 6GHz. If you're wondering how much the extra speed will cost you, well, the answer is likely somewhere in the region of $110.

All of this remains rumour for now. But it is extremely likely that Intel will unveil a 'KS' variant of its 14th Gen Raptor Lake refresh CPUs soon if samples are indeed out in the wild. And given the 14900K already runs at 6GHz, such a chip would pretty much have to beat 6GHz to make any sense.

Of course, even at 6.2GHz it's debatable just how much sense such a chip would make. You'll be paying a significant premium for what amounts to a 3% boost in peak clock speed, and only then in low thread count scenarios.

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Most modern games now run multiple intensive threads, so it's questionable whether the 14900KS will deliver much, if any real-world benefit. Indeed, even if you get the full 3% in terms of increased frame rates, that's hardly going to be value for money given the likely 20% price hike.

Similarly, this slight clock speed bump for Intel's top chip is unlikely to make much difference in the fight with AMD's upcoming Ryzen 8000 CPUs, expected later this year and powered by the new Zen 5 CPU core.

The Intel Core i9 14900KS looks set to be more of the same then. A classic halo chip from Intel that's more about clock speed for the sake of it and marketing bragging rights than real world benefits for us gamers.

Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.