Intel is expected to announce its next-generation Rocket Lake processors in a few weeks (at least until the end of March), marking the biggest desktop architecture upgrade in years. However, with Rocket Lake just around the corner, adding something new to the 10th generation lineup doesn't make much sense.

Whether Intel will go ahead and release the 10900KS chip remains to be seen. At least at one point, Intel was planning to release an unannounced SKU. This is because Intel mentioned the 10900KS in a Software Advantage Program document (via WCCFTech) related to the Crysis Remastered game bundle promotion. 10900KS is eligible for the free game offer As one of the many chips, it is lined up among the existing CPUs.

Street Fighter V and Serious Sam 4 were also offered in that particular bundle late last year.

The last "KS" chip Intel released was the previous generation Core i9 9900KS, which can be considered a binned version of the Core i9 9900K, and the last "KS" chip Intel released was the Core i9 9900KS, a newer, more powerful version of the Core i9 9900K. Both are 8-core/16-thread processors, each with 16 MB of L3 cache and a maximum turbo frequency of 5 GHz. However, the 9900KS has a faster base clock (4 GHz versus 3.6 GHz) and faster all-core turbo clock (5 GHz versus 4.8 GHz), made possible by a higher TDP (127 W versus 95 W).

It is only natural that the 10900KS would follow the same general blueprint and would be the top-of-the-line silicon capable of achieving higher clocks: the 10-core/20-thread 10900K has a base clock of 3.7 GHz and a single-core turbo clock of 5.1 GHz, already a fast The 10900K is already a fast chip with a base clock of 3.7 GHz and a single-core turbo clock of 5.1 GHz, and with Intel's Thermal Velocity Boost technology it can be boosted to 5.3 GHz single-core turbo clock and 4.9 GHz for all 10 cores. GHz on all 10 cores.

The TDP of the 10900K is already 125W, so there is not much room to invest more power. Perhaps the best scenario is that Intel does not need to raise the TPD any further and can offer a batch of 10900KS CPUs with slightly faster turbo clocks, maintaining a base clock of 4 GHz through selective binning.

It is not without possibility. In fact, retailer Silicon Lottery makes a living by selling CPUs that are guaranteed to run at higher settings than stock (albeit at specific settings in the BIOS) for an additional fee. This includes the 10900K, which is guaranteed to run at a stable 5.1 GHz on all 10 cores. In addition, according to the dealers, the top 21% of the 10900K chips tested were able to reach 5.1 GHz or higher.

The caveat is still Rocket Lake. It seems very late to launch a special edition Comet Lake chip, and even if the 10900KS debuts tomorrow or later today, it makes more sense to wait. Intel claims a double-digit IPC increase with Rocket Lake, and in addition to supporting technologies such as PCI Express 4.0, it will undoubtedly make a bigger difference in gaming. end of the market, it could be cheaper as well.