What you need to know
- A customer claims that they have already been sent an Intel Core i9-12900KS CPU.
- The processor will launch later this month.
- The box for the alleged Core i9-12900KS lists an all-core boost of 5.2GHz and a single-core boost of 5.5GHz, which lines up with information Intel has shared about the CPU.
Despite having not officially launched, the Intel Core i9-12900KS has reportedly shipped to a customer. French site overclocking.com shared images of the processor first shown off at CES 2022 (via PC Gamer). The photos feature the retail packaging for the chip as well as the CPU itself.
Intel confirmed the existence of the Core i9-12900KS back in January and shared some details about the chip. It has eight P cores (performance cores) running at 5.2GHz and eight E cores (efficiency cores) running at 4.0GHz. Those are small improvements over the Intel Core i9-12900K, which is one of the best CPUs on the market.
As is the case with all leaks, it's possible that the information shared is incorrect or incomplete. Retailers have accidentally sent out components before launch dates in the past, so it's certainly possible that a customer got their hands on a Core i9-12900KS. Whether the claim is accurate or not, we probably won't have to wait long to see an official launch of the new CPU from Intel.
When Intel confirmed the Core i9-12900KS in January, it stated that the chip would start shipping by the end of this quarter. That would mean a launch by the end of March 2022, assuming there aren't any changes of plans by the chipmaker.
