Intel has just released a plethora of new CPUs, plenty to keep you occupied if you’re in the market for a new Intel CPU. But it’s easy to get a little lost considering Intel’s naming conventions don’t exactly make things very clear. Which CPU is best? Here’s the Intel Core i9 12900KS vs 13900k vs 13900.

Now Read: Intel 13900KS where to buy.

In this article, we’re going to analyze the three CPUs we’re comparing today, and we are going to determine which is best for you based on specifications and projected performance. We don’t have true metrics on the 13900KS yet, but we’ve been doing this long enough to tell you what’s best and why.

So with that being said, let’s jump right in.

Intel Core i9 13900KS vs 13900K vs 13900: Specifications

Here, we will analyze the specifications of each CPU, to get a feel for how they stack up comparatively. This will help us determine which is better suited to certain use cases.

Here are the specifications for the three Intel CPUs.

Intel Core i9-13900KS

Cores: P-cores 8 / E-cores 16
Threads: 32
Base clock frequency: P-cores 3.2 GHz / E-cores 2.2 GHz
Boost clock frequency: P-cores 6 GHz / E-cores 4.3 GHz
L3 cache: 36MB
Default TDP: 125 W / 253 W boost.
iGPU: Intel UHD graphics 770

Core i9-13900K

Cores: P-cores 8 / E-cores 16
Threads: 32
Base clock frequency: P-cores 3 GHz / E-cores 2.2 GHz
Boost clock frequency: P-cores 5.8 GHz / E-cores 4.3 GHz
L3 cache: 36MB
Default TDP: 125 W / 253 W boost.
iGPU: Intel UHD graphics 770

Core i9-13900

Cores: P-cores 8 / E-cores 16
Threads: 32
Base clock frequency: P-cores 2 GHz / E-cores 1.5 GHz
Boost clock frequency: P-cores 5.6 GHz / E-cores 4.2 GHz
L3 cache: 36MB
Default TDP: 65 W / 219 W boost.
iGPU: Intel UHD graphics 770

Intel Core i9 13900KS vs 13900K vs 13900: Specification comparison

For the sake of ease, we’re only going to discuss the things that have changed in regard to specifications, we’re sure you know what a CPU is and how it works. CPUs can be a little complex, so we’ll try to make it as easy as possible to understand.

First up we’ll discuss CPU core speed.

CPU core speed

CPU core speed can be split into two categories, base speed, and boost speed. Here are the differences between them.

CPU core base speed

The CPU base speed is the speed at which a CPU operates at the basic level of utilization. So on, or as close to 0% utilization as possible. It’s okay for CPU core speeds to fall behind slightly at the lower end of the scale. This is because you’ll never see a core running at 0% when being utilized in any meaningful capacity.

However, the lower the CPU core speed, the further it has to go to boost up to boost speed, creating latency. It’s also apparent that CPU cores do not behave the same at different speeds without instability. So you can’t have a low base speed and a high boost speed without running into issues. So the lower the base speed, the lower your boost speed has to be.

The 13900KS has the highest base speed of both types of CPU core. this is great for performance and headroom, allowing for larger boost speeds. whereas the 13900 is lower, being much more power efficient but not centered around performance.

CPU core boost speed

Core boost speed is the polar opposite of base speed. This is the speed at which the CPUs cores can boost too when utilization gets close to or hits 100%.

This can only happen if certain conditions are met though, such as adequate power and temperatures. It’s the Intel Thermal Velocity boot that’s responsible for this. If Intel’s conditions are not met, you won’t hit the 6GHz boost speed Intel promised.

Core speed is felt much more at the top end of the scale, as CPUs rely on fast cores to get the processing done quickly. Unfortunately, it’s not like base speed where you can afford to lose a couple of hundred MHz off your speed.

The 13900KS again has a higher boost speed, and the 13900 sits at the bottom, conserving energy with its low TDP and power requirements.

Intel Core i9 13900KS vs 13900K vs 13900: TDP

TDP stands for Thermal Design Power and it’s the maximum amount of thermal energy a component can output, under normal operating conditions.

TDP is noted by Intel as both Default and Boost TDP meaning both the TDP when the CPU is running at the base and boost frequency are marked, so there are no surprises.

A lower TDP means you can potentially save money, save money on running the CPU with energy bills, save money on buying the CPU because it’s less powerful, and save money on cooling the CPU, as it needs a less beefy cooling solution. That’s the main objective here. For that reason, the 13900 clearly wins in TDP and efficiency.

Intel Core i9 13900KS vs 13900K vs 13900: Price

The new Intel CPUs are priced fairly reasonably, all except the KS which comes at a premium, and the 13900K has been out for around 6 months now so you can sometimes find it at a slight discount.

The prices of the Intel CPUs in this article today are:

Intel Core i9-13900KS: $725
Core i9-13900K: $589
Core i9-13900: $549

As you can see, with the 13900 being the least powerful, it is the least expensive. however, it is the most power efficient. This brings value to the 13900 that the other two do not have.

Final Word

The Core i9-13900K is the clear winner here in terms of power. The other CPUs cannot contend with the sheer speed that the 13900KS possesses., however, all this speed comes at a cost, and that cost is a high TDP.

This makes the 13900KS power-hungry, hard to cool, and expensive to run, all places the 13900 shines.

If you have a small form factor build, or you want to save a buck on energy prices, or a cooling solution, then the 13900 is the way to go. The low power consumption of the 13900 is what you need when you don’t have a lot of room inside a small form factor built for a hefty cooling solution.

There’s value to be had in all CPUs here, If you want power, go for the KS, efficiency? Go for the non-K. If you just want a middle-ground, the K is for you. It’s almost like Intel designed it this way.

Intel Core i9 13900KS vs 13900K vs 13900

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