The Intel Core i9-9900KS Review: The 5 GHz Consumer Special
by Dr. Ian Cutress on October 31, 2019 10:45 AM ESTTest Bed and Setup
As per our processor testing policy, we take a premium category motherboard suitable for the socket, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the manufacturer's maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
| Test Setup | |
| Intel 9th Gen | Intel Core i9-9900KS |
| Motherboard | MSI Z390 Gaming Edge AC (A.60 BIOS) |
| CPU Cooler | TRUE Copper |
| DRAM | Corsair Vengeance 2x8 GB DDR4-2666 |
| GPU | Sapphire RX 460 2GB (CPU Tests) MSI GTX 1080 Gaming 8G (Gaming Tests) |
| PSU | Corsair AX860i |
| SSD | Crucial MX200 1TB |
Many thanks to...
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this test bed specifically, but is used in other testing.
| Hardware Providers | |||
| Sapphire RX 460 Nitro | MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC | Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs |
Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs |
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| G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX |
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 |
Silverstone Coolers |
Silverstone Fans |
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Jorgp2 - Thursday, October 31, 2019 - link
Did you actually read the article?Korguz - Thursday, October 31, 2019 - link
um.. it is a 172w cpu.... did you read it jorgp2 ?? intel tdp... is crap.. this is listed as being a 127 w cpu.. at BASE frequency. at 5ghz... it will probably use 172 w.. or morevMax65 - Friday, November 1, 2019 - link
Err...no...der8aur jus tested the 9900KS and it runs games all core 5GHz at between 98w and 126w....Video showing this starts at 3:50..It just depends on what you are doing and whether you are using heavy compute applications but for most games and normal day to day usage no it will hapily run under well under 172w... and that will never be an issue and that's really where this CPU is targeted...albeit those with deeper pockets...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWSn0cHauJ4
Korguz - Friday, November 1, 2019 - link
what was his test setup ??? does it state that ?? i dont see how this chip can use less power. then its own siblings.GreenReaper - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
It's possible that it is if the chip is more power efficient (i.e. needs a lower voltage for a given load), which it has to be just to reach 5Ghz on all cores without sending power through the roofDigitalFreak - Friday, November 1, 2019 - link
Yep, I did. Their testing showed that all cores running at 5Ghz had the CPU using 172W. If you're not going to keep all cores running at 5Ghz, except during idle, what's the point of buying this over a 9900K?vMax65 - Friday, November 1, 2019 - link
I am not sure how you missed it but he clearly says when running CSGO, SOTTR and even Timespy GT1 and GT2 the CPU is always at all core 5GHz all the time with max power draw between 75w and a 126w.....He clearly states that at 4 minutes and onwards...The only time this CPU will draw max power of 170w is when you are doing heavy duty compute loads or testing with AVX...For normal use like gaming...this is what most people will buy it for it will never be at 170w plus..
Korguz - Friday, November 1, 2019 - link
again.. you dont state what the test setup was. how it was configured.. so, either he did something wrong, or anandtech did, and sorry to say, i trust AT more...vMax65 - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
Asus z390 maximus xi extreme, RTX 2080Ti and not sure what RAM...but as he cleary states this was during the bechmark runs and in the comments he covers forgetting to mention the 2080Ti but clarifies this point. Bottom line for 'normal' gaming usage this CPU will run all core 5GHz all the time at on or under 127w...vMax65 - Saturday, November 2, 2019 - link
And Anandtech tested power with Cinebench...not with games....