The Intel Core i9-9900K at 95W: Fixing The Power for SFF
by Ian Cutress on November 29, 2018 8:00 AM ESTTest Bed and Setup
As per our processor testing policy, we take a premium category motherboard suitable for the socket, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the manufacturer's maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
| Test Setup | |||||
| Intel 9th Gen | i9-9900K i7-9700K i5-9600K |
ASRock Z370 Gaming i7** |
P1.70 | TRUE Copper |
Crucial Ballistix 4x8GB DDR4-2666 |
| Intel 8th Gen | i7-8086K i7-8700K i5-8600K |
ASRock Z370 Gaming i7 |
P1.70 | TRUE Copper |
Crucial Ballistix 4x8GB DDR4-2666 |
| Intel 7th Gen | i7-7700K i5-7600K |
GIGABYTE X170 ECC Extreme |
F21e | Silverstone* AR10-115XS |
G.Skill RipjawsV 2x16GB DDR4-2400 |
| Intel 6th Gen | i7-6700K i5-6600K |
GIGABYTE X170 ECC Extreme |
F21e | Silverstone* AR10-115XS |
G.Skill RipjawsV 2x16GB DDR4-2133 |
| Intel HEDT | i9-7900X i7-7820X i7-7800X |
ASRock X299 OC Formula |
P1.40 | TRUE Copper |
Crucial Ballistix 4x8GB DDR4-2666 |
| AMD 2000 | R7 2700X R5 2600X R5 2500X |
ASRock X370 Gaming K4 |
P4.80 | Wraith Max* | G.Skill SniperX 2x8 GB DDR4-2933 |
| GPU | Sapphire RX 460 2GB (CPU Tests) MSI GTX 1080 Gaming 8G (Gaming Tests) |
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| PSU | Corsair AX860i Corsair AX1200i |
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| SSD | Crucial MX200 1TB | ||||
| OS | Windows 10 x64 RS3 1709 Spectre and Meltdown Patched |
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| *VRM Supplimented with SST-FHP141-VF 173 CFM fans | |||||
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this test bed specifically, but is used in other testing.
| Hardware Providers | |||
| Sapphire RX 460 Nitro | MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC | Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs |
Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs |
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| G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX |
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 |
Silverstone Coolers |
Silverstone Fans |
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urbanman2004 - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
Yeah, the 9900K is the latest and greatest when it comes to mainstream CPU's, but at its current pricing you're better off purchasing a more value oriented CPU such as the 8700K to get more bang for your buck. Intel has been losing their sh!t as of late ever since AMD's Ryzen has them on their heels.AlyxSharkBite - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
The 9900K is awesome if you build a rig that can keep it cool when overclocked. But otherwise yeah an 8700K is a better choice or for bang for buck the 2700X is good4800z - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
It's not that hard to cool it. Just need a big noctua or an AIO.TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
It still runs high 90C under OC on such coolers. The only way to keep it running at a 5 GHz OC with with a 360mm rad, and even then just barely.The 9900k is the hardest intel to cool since the pentium DEE
4800z - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
If you want value stop playing games and get a part time job so you can have more money in your pocket. The 9900k is only a few hundred dollars more. THat's not much spread over years.sa666666 - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
Found the Intel shill/apologist. Not everyone has unlimited funds to spend like that, and even if they could afford the CPU, what about the power to run it? This CPU is very power-hungry and expensive, and insulting users that don't have a lot of money (or have a better sense of how to properly budget it) won't change that fact.schujj07 - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
Very true. Has to justify the reason for spending an arm and a leg on his/her new space heater. 4800z while the CPU is $200 more expensive, you also need the $70+ cooler, you have to have the expensive z390 motherboard that adds another $70 onto the build, your room is going to be warmer so that will increase your cooling costs, and drawing 77% more power means you are going to increase your electric bill. All these costs add up and unless you are able to purchase this on a credit card with 0% interest or have saved up for a long time, the extra $400 is going to make a huge difference. Also someone could go with the 2700X or 8700K and use the extra $400 for a nice upgrade on their build, where said person would have gotten a RTX2080 not s/he can afford a RTX2080Ti.TEAMSWITCHER - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
He's not wrong. The 9900K is closer the Thread Ripper in many benchmarks than Ryzen is to the 9900K, and at the same time closer to Ryzen in cost. While billed as a gaming processor, the 9900K is great for content creators. Unless you have a specific need for HEDT platform capabilities (RAM or PCIe lanes) the 9900k would get the job done for less money.Targon - Thursday, November 29, 2018 - link
And if you just wait until March of 2019, Ryzen 3rd generation will probably meet or beat the performance of the 9900k for $330. So your $200+ higher price will only be for 4-5 months of having superior performance before the new AMD will be considered faster.HollyDOL - Saturday, December 1, 2018 - link
I know a person holding to a similar philosophy. He still runs Athlon XP, always waiting for the next generation beating the current one.