Is Intel‘s Blazing Fast i9-13900KS Really Overkill for Gaming?

As an avid overclocking enthusiast and benchmark junkie, I need to get my hands on the hottest new hardware the moment it drops. So when Intel unleashed its new flagship i9-13900KS boasting insane speeds up to 6.0 GHz, I knew I had to push this silicon to its limits!

But after putting this beastly CPU through its paces, I can definitively say the i9 is complete overkill for most gamers. Keep reading to see the gaming benchmarks and my advice on whether this powerhouse processor is right for you.

Quick Take – Gaming Performance Difference

I put the i9-13900KS head-to-head against its little brother, the much cheaper i7-13700K using an RTX 4090 GPU. Here were the average frame rates across resolutions in demanding games:

{{< data-table "table1" >}}
| Game | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|-|-|-|-|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 302 fps | 190 fps | 98 fps |
| i7-13700K | 294 fps | 182 fps | 93 fps |
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla | 167 fps | 114 fps | 58 fps |
| i7-13700K | 162 fps | 110 fps | 56 fps |
{{< /data-table >}}

As you can see, the i9 was only 1-3% faster for gaming despite costing over $150 more! Diminishing returns hit hard. But keep reading to understand the select few gamers who I think can justify the mighty i9!

When Does the i9-13900KS Make Sense for Gaming?

I‘ll admit it, seeing benchmarks crest over 300 fps gives me a rush even though high refresh 4K monitors aren‘t even available yet. If you relate to any of points below, then sure, go for the overpriced i9 bragging rights!

• You‘re an ultra-enthusiast benchmark addict who needs to see the highest fps counters like me!
• You demand the smoothest high refresh 1440p or 4K gaming today and for years to come.
• You‘re a competitive esports gamer who plays at 1080p and wants every last frame.
• You stream using the CPU while gaming and need flawless performance.
• You want to future-proof and extend the usefulness of your build as games use more cores.

But make no mistake – for everyday gaming, even at very high resolutions and quality settings, springing for the i9 is crazy overkill!

Putting the Pedal Down – Overclocking the i9-13900KS

Now for us thrill-seeking overclockers, having that much unused headroom left by the i9-13900KS means one thing – it‘s time to push this silicon until the magic blue smoke pours out!

With a beefy 360mm AIO cooler, I managed to achieve an all-core overclock of 5.8 GHz on my 13900KS sample! This let me hit an average of 327 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p! Outrageous speed that makes zero difference to the human eye, but I can‘t help but grin at benchmarks like that.

{{< data-table "table2" >}}
| Game | Stock i9 | OC i9 | Improvement |
|-|-|-|-|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 302 fps | 327 fps | 8% |
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla | 167 fps | 178 fps | 6% |
{{< /data-table >}}

So while overclocking extracted another solid chunk of performance, it still wasn‘t enough to drastically change the gaming experience.

The i9 already demolishes any game you throw at it. But pushing that OC satisfies my need to wring out every last ounce of speed even if it‘s just for bragging rights!

Future-Proofing – Will Games Use More Cores?

While today‘s games barely stress 6 cores, there are signs we could see games using more cores in the not-too-distant future.

The UE5 engine powering visually stunning upcoming games has been optimized to scale across many cores. As next-gen games push visual fidelity further, they may harness multicore power for advanced AI, physics, simulation and procedural generation techniques.

But estimating exactly how many cores games will need is tricky. Even cutting-edge engines like UE5 are designed to run great on consoles with 8 Zen 2 cores.

In my opinion, the Core i7 and its 16 cores should still provide more than enough future-proof performance for many years unless you adopt games very early in their lifecycle before optimizations kick in.

Taming the i9 Beast – Cooling and Power Requirements

Don‘t underestimate the elaborate cooling and power delivery required to properly feed a beast like the 13900KS either!

To unleash its performance, Intel recommends at least a 240mm AIO with high static pressure fans or a dual-fan tower cooler. You‘ll also need a motherboard with a beefy VRM that won‘t get overloaded by the 253 watts Intel rates for the maximum turbo power draw.

I definitely noticed my 13900KS pushing my 850W power supply hard during all-core stress testing and overclocking. Plan for 1000W if you intend to overclock or pair it with a flagship GPU.

Parting Thoughts – Who Wins Between i9 vs i7 vs i5?

I still firmly believe the Core i7 hits the gaming sweet spot. You sacrifice barely any real-world gaming performance for often over $150 in savings compared to the i9!

And looking at benchmarks, even the i5 isn‘t too far behind, making it the best bang-for-buck option.

But I admit staring at benchmark numbers creeping past 300 fps gives me a certain feverish joy…now if you‘ll excuse me, I need to boot up my liquid nitrogen cooler to push this i9 chip past 7 GHz just for the fun of it!

Let me know what you think of Intel‘s beastly i9 processors for gaming! I‘m always keen to debate opinions with fellow hardware enthusiasts.