MAINGEAR updates its iconic desktop lineup with Intel’s limited-edition i9-12900KS CPU

Today, MAINGEAR announced that its VYBE, R1, and RUSH desktop lines would be getting a power boost with Intel’s latest special edition i9-12900KS processor. This CPU packs impressive speeds, with 16 cores (eight performance and eight efficient) and 24 threads, since the performance setup is hyper-threaded. What else does this premium processor bring to MAINGEAR’s table? Let’s take a closer look below.

Bring impressive speeds to your desktop with Intel’s i9-12900KS CPU

While the overall setup of MAINGEAR’s three PC lines is relatively unchanged outside of the processor, that’s really where any computer build starts. The latest i9-12900KS CPU is a solid contender when it comes to high-end workstations and gaming setups. It features up to 5.5GHz boost clocks with 16 total cores and 24 total threads of power. On top of that, should you opt for a watercooled PC from MAINGEAR, the 12900KS is fully unlocked and overclockable should you want to squeeze even more performance out of the chip.

Intel Thread Director is also in tow, which will take a look at what workloads the computer is under and prioritize tasks to the best cores for the job, allowing heavy workloads to hit the performance section while lightweight things are relegated to the efficient area of this processor. It also features support for DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5 connectivity for improved performance all around, much like the rest of the Intel 12th Generation lineup. On top of that, this processor brings Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6/6E to the table for even greater performance.

Adding the Intel i9-12900KS processor to your MAINGEAR rig is a $712 upgrade when opting for custom building, as there isn’t a pre-configured system with the processor right now. This means that you’ll be paying a $295 premium over the comparable i9-12900K to get the additional performance that the 12900KS packs, and it’s even $91 over the quite powerful Ryzen 9 5950X, so that’s worth keeping in mind.

9to5Toys’ Take

All-in-all, the Intel i9-12900KS is the most powerful consumer processor that the brand has on the market right now, offering a solid boost over the regular 12900K, which only reaches stock speeds of 5.2GHz instead of 5.5GHz. Really though, only the most intense workloads will take advantage of this extra power, so unless you’re also upgrading to ample DDR5 memory and a higher-end graphics card, you likely won’t squeeze out all that the 12900KS has to offer.

However, if you’re someone who likes to buy a computer once every several years with the most powerful components on the market? Pairing the i9-12900KS with the RTX 3080 Ti or the RX 6900 XT would be a fantastic system that is sure to last you for years to come.

Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!