Intel breaks 6GHz barrier with new Core i9-13900KS
The 6 GHz mark remained elusive for a decade until the Core-i9 13900KS launched. For much of computing history, increasing clock speed has been pretty easy, but the mid-2000s brought an end to that. It's been progressively harder and harder ever since to increase the clock speed on CPUs and other processors; the world's first 5GHz CPU launched in 2013 and at the end of 2022, the fastest CPU had a boost frequency of 5.8GHz. But finally, Intel has broken the 6GHz barrier with the launch of its Core i9-13900KS, which is available at retail today. A resurgence in frequency gains Compared to the regular 13900K, the 13900KS has an extra 200MHz max turbo, which isn't really a huge lead and with a price tag of $700 (a $100 premium over the 13900K), it's not exactly an earth-shattering product. However, the 13900KS represents significant technological progress and the revival of generation-to-generation clock speed gains, which have been hard to come by for several years. In fa...