03-24-2019, 05:24 AM
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/int...,6038.html
Quote:Analyzing all of this info leads to a few theories. Could the 9900KF's have a refined, higher-quality silicon? Intel did similarly with its Engineering Sample 9900Ks versus retail chips. Retail 9900K CPUs are clocking much better on average than their ES counterparts. I have purchased three retail 9900K CPUs, and unless I'm the luckiest man in the world (I actually am but for other reasons), they were all 6.8 GHz+ chips on LN2. I've tried plenty of ES CPUs that maxed at 6.6 - 6.7 GHz. (see above)
Theory two: The 9900KF iGPU has no power pins from socket, which might have some effect beyond the benefit of just disabling the iGPU on a 9900K. Crazier things have happened!
Could we see a refresh of the 9900K series with an updated stepping, higher quality silicon, and better oc’ing like the 9900KF? Perhaps…...
Folks, these are theories. I don’t work for Intel. I’m not a shareholder and I don’t have a dog in this fight beyond clawing for every ounce of performance and clocks I can get. If you already own a nice 9900K, should you go out and buy a 9900KF? Probably not unless you are into overclocking and are displeased with your K-model. If you are in the market to upgrade and are into overclocking, then I would definitely suggest trying the 9900KF if you can find one for sale.