Intel Core i9-9900KS 5GHz (8C16T) CPU Review

We will be outlining the Core i9-9900KS CPU's performance while using Gigabyte Z390 Aorus XTREME motherboard. A 16GB (2x8GB) kit of 3200MHz CL14 DDR4 memory serves our test system.

Today's comparison processors come in the form of:

• Coffee Lake Core i7-9700K (8C8T) and Core i9-9900K (8C16T).
• Matisse ‘Zen 2' Ryzen 9 3900X (12C24T) and Ryzen 7 3700X (8C16T).

Each processor is tested at its default out-of-the-box settings. We also include reasonable overclocking performance data where relevant. For the Intel Coffee Lake CPUs, forced turbo is enabled by default when XMP is enabled and, in most scenarios, cannot be disabled. As such, we test using the forced turbo frequencies with the Core i9-9900KS, Core i9-9900K, and Core i7-9700K. All-core load frequencies for the tested chips are as follows:

• Core i9-9900KS = 5.0GHz.
• Core i9-9900K = 4.7GHz.
• Core i7-9700K = 4.6GHz.
• Ryzen 9 3900X = Around 4050MHz.
• Ryzen 7 3700X = Around 4050MHz.

CPU Test System Common Components:

• Graphics Card: Gigabyte Aorus RTX 2080 Ti XTREME (custom fan curve to minimise thermal throttling).
• Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) G.Skill TridentZ 3200MHz 14-14-14-34 DDR4 @ 1.35V.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100X with 2435 RPM SP120L fans.
• Games SSD: Aorus 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD & Crucial MX300 750GB SATA SSD.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Prime Titanium 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit 1903 Update.

Coffee Lake LGA 1151 System (i7-9700K, i9-9900K, i9-9900KS):

• Core i7-9700K CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K ‘Coffee Lake' 8 cores, 8 threads (5.0GHz @ 1.3V overclocked).
• Core i9-9900K CPU: Intel Core i9-9900K ‘Coffee Lake' 8 cores, 16 threads (4.9GHz @ 1.3V overclocked).
• Core i9-9900KS CPU: Intel Core i9-9900KS ‘Coffee Lake' 8 cores, 16 threads (5.2GHz @ 1.375V overclocked).
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus XTREME (LGA 1151 rev. 2, Z390, F7 BIOS).
• System Drive: Plextor M9Pe 512GB.

Ryzen 3000 AM4 System (Ryzen 7 3700X, Ryzen 9 3900X):

• Ryzen 7 3700X CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X ‘Matisse' 8 cores, 16 threads (4.25GHz @ 1.35-1.375V overclocked).
• Ryzen 9 3900X CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X ‘Matisse' 12 cores, 24 threads (4.25GHz @ 1.35-1.4V overclocked).
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master (AM4, X570, F7b BIOS, AMD AGESA Combo-AM4 1.0.0.3 ABBA).
• System Drive: WD Black SN750 500GB.

Software:

• GeForce 440.97 VGA drivers.

Tests:

Productivity-related:

• Cinebench R15 – All-core & single-core CPU benchmark (CPU)
• Cinebench R20 – All-core & single-core CPU benchmark (CPU)
• Blender 2.79b – All-core rendering of the BMW benchmark (CPU)
• HandBrake x264 – Convert 1440p60 H264 video to 1080p60 H264 using the YouTube HQ 1080p60 preset (CPU)
• HandBrake x265 – Convert 4K30 100Mbps H264 video to 1080p30 40Mbps H265 using the H.265 MKV 1080p30 preset (CPU)
• 7-Zip – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory)
• SiSoft Sandra – Memory bandwidth and Cache & Memory Latency Test (Memory)
• AIDA64 – Memory bandwidth, memory latency, memory & cache latency (Memory)

Gaming-related:

• 3DMark Time Spy – Time Spy (DX12) test (Gaming)
• Ashes Escalation – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Crazy quality preset, CPU-Focused Test, DX12 (Gaming)
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, no AA, DX12 version (Gaming)
• Far Cry 5 – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 (Gaming)
• Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 (Gaming)
• Grand Theft Auto V – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Maximum quality settings, Maximum Advanced Graphics, DX11 (Gaming)
• Hitman 2 – Built-in benchmark tool – Mumbai scene, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, DX12 (Gaming)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Highest quality preset, no AA, DX12 version (Gaming)
• The Division 2 – Built-in benchmark tool, 1920 x 1080, Ultra quality preset, no AA, DX12 version (Gaming)

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