Specialists from Igor’sLAB conducted a large-scale test of 199 Intel Core i9-13900KS processors and were able to get an objective idea of the quality of selection (binning) of Intel processor chips during production and further marking. This revealed why Intel charges $699 for the processor. While the Core i9-13900K cost $599, the Core i9-13900KF costs $574.
Every chip is subject to binning, a special selection process that tests the performance and quality of the processor as well as its ability to heat at a certain frequency and with a certain voltage. Binning can result in some cores or cache memories being disabled. In this case, the chip will be used in a cheaper model, such as the Core i7-13700 but the Core i5-13600. If the test results are satisfactory, such a chip will be given an additional K index. This signifies its ability overclock, for instance, Core Core i9-13900K.
Specially selected Intel Core i9-13900KS processors have clock speeds of up to 6.0 GHz. They all share a common characteristic. They can reach frequencies of 6.0GHz at voltages not higher than 1.49V. Otherwise, they will be called a Core 9-13900K. It is important that the KS versions are limited to the Core i9-13900K and not the Core i9-13900KF. These chips have integrated graphics. The chip for Core i9-13900KF may be just as good, but Intel won’t use that chip to power processors with the KS index.
The Silicon Prediction figures (SP) shown in the graph above were derived from the ASUS algorithm, which is used in motherboards that have the LGA-1700 socket. SP is the value of the processor’s ability to reach the desired frequency at a lower voltage. SP actually refers to the overclocking power of a chip. This makes it much easier to compare processors within the same model range. The average SP score of the 199 Intel i9-13900KS CPUs tested was 108.1. However, the SP scores for productive cores and efficient cores were different with an average of 117.5 and 90.4 respectively.
The chart below shows the distribution of points among the Core i9-13900KF Core i9-13900K, Core i9-13900K, and Core i9-13900KS models. This allows us to conclude that Intel clearly did a very good job sorting the Core i9-13900K processors for the Core i9-13900KS, which will be released in the future with clock speeds up of 6 GHz. It would be more useful to compare the voltage/frequency curves of each processor for better results. However, this may take several days if not weeks.
Also, a Core i9-13900KF will have a greater chance of getting a chip that has a higher SP than a Core i9-13900K. This is because crystals from the KF edition are not used to create a special KS version.