Intel Core i9-13900K/KS will be replaced with new packaging
Last month, reports emerged suggesting that the Core i9-12900KS would undergo a packaging transformation. The original packaging, replete with its yellow plastic wafer, would no longer accompany the product, and its dimensions would be scaled down, drawing closer to the standard design of the conventional variant. However, the “Special Edition” inscription would be retained.
The Core i9-12900KS is not the sole contender for a packaging modification; Intel’s plans also envelop other flagship desktop processors. As per TomsHardware, Intel has notified its customers of the impending change in retail packaging for the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS processors.
Intel aspires to reduce storage and transportation occupancy, thereby augmenting the unit quantity per tray, which in turn lowers transportation costs. Although the tray’s load capacity varies across regions, Intel estimates that the unit quantity, under typical circumstances, is likely to escalate from 324 to 1620—a considerable enhancement. As gleaned from Intel’s Product Change Notification (PCN), the packaging for the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS has been downgraded from “Level 2” to “Level 4”, supplanted by a standard folding cardboard box, thus rendering the new packaging slimmer in the illustrations.
The Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS employ the Raptor Lake chip, composed of eight P-Cores and sixteen E-Cores. In comparison to their predecessors—the Core i9-12900K and Core i9-12900KS—these processors boast an additional eight E-Cores, thus enhancing their specifications. Their P-Cores have also transitioned from the Golden Cove architecture to the Raptor Cove architecture, and the L2 cache capacity has expanded from 1.25MB to 2MB. Furthermore, they utilize a novel dynamic prefetching technique, employing machine learning for real-time data telemetry, which facilitates more precise prefetching. Post-optimization, the Core i9-13900K and Core i9-13900KS exhibit superior performance, alongside a modest frequency uptick.
