Intel Core i9-12900KS Review – Fast, Juicy, Hot and Dumb

1. Introducing the Core i9-12900KS2. What is a KS? Time to get Testing3. CPU Testing: Cinebench R15 and R234. Testing: Handbrake, 3DMark and Far Cry 65. Games: Watch Dogs: Legion and Marvel's GotG6. Testing: CPU Temperature and Power7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

CPU Temperature

We ran through these results in some detail in our video but the main takeaway is that the KS will struggle on AIO cooling and pretty much requires a full custom loop system.

CPU Power Consumption

This chart is a horror show for Intel. The Core i9-12900K on Auto looks OK at 213W in Blender and then we step up to the overclocked KS with manual voltage settings at 250W which is getting nasty. The real problem is the MSI MEG Z690 Unify which feeds the CPU with 305W on Auto settings.

If you take one thing away from this review, please let it be that you should work with your KS settings and avoid Auto settings wherever possible.

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