Intel has announced their new Core i9-13900KS processor, the fastest ever CPU launched in the PC market.

The new CPU, which is an enhanced version of its 13th-Generation Core i9-13900K processor, is the first to reach speeds of 6.0GHz without overclocking which is great news for gamers.

The company’s Thermal Velocity Boost feature allows for additional speed when the chip is cool enough. It has a power base of 150W, as opposed to the 125W on the i9-13900K.

Intel has released the PL1 and PL2 power ratings, which is 320 W. Users can expect the Core i9-13900KS to be a power-hungry chip that likely gets quite hot under full load due to the turbo TDP being too large.

Beyond those differences, the top-end 13th-Gen (aka Raptor Lake) chips are very similar. There are 24 cores (eight performance-cores and 16 efficiency-cores), 32 threads, 36MB of Intel Smart Cache and 20 PCIe lanes.

“The Core i9-13900KS continues our 13th Gen Intel Core desktop processor family excellence, showcasing the new performance heights made possible by our performance hybrid architecture. Extreme gamers and enthusiasts can now push their everyday performance further than ever before with the first desktop processor in the PC industry to provide 6.0 GHz speeds at stock,” says Marcus Kennedy, Intel Client Computing Group manager, Gaming and Channel, in the announcement on January 12.

The chip is expected to cost around $1000. Its launch date in Australia would be updated as soon as the information is available.