The first 6GHz processor is coming early next year

During the Intel Innovation 2022 keynote, CEO of Intel and apparent push-up enthusiast Pat Gelsinger launched its 13th gen processors, more commonly known as Raptor Lake. The best of these processors, the Core i9 13900K, can hit clock speeds of up to 5.8GHz. And 6GHz is right around the corner.  

Intel has been talking big game about the performance of these Raptor Lake CPUs, with the Core i9 13900K leading the charge and potentially on its way to breaking some overclocking records.

Intel is promising a model of the Core i9 that'll hit over 6GHz “out of the box” starting early next year, which Gelsinger calls an “industry first” and a “huge milestone for client computing.” That's sure to be the Core i9 13900KS.

Intel released its first 1Ghz CPU more than 20 years ago when Gelsinger was just the VP of Intel's desktop group.  

At launch, Intel has six 13th gen processors: three with onboard graphics (Intel's UHD Graphics 770) and three without. All are primed to take on AMD's Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 chips, which went on sale earlier this week.

Expect to see the Intel 13th gen CPU family debut on October 20 with its K-series chips, starting at $294 for the Core i5, $384 for the Core i7, and $564 for the Core i9. Some good news is that pricing on these chips is mostly matching the 12th gen offerings, though it will be up to retailers to abide by these recommended prices come launch day.

Intel hasn't given specific pricing or a release date for the 6GHz Core i9 CPU, outside of the “early next year” window, but it will be available in “limited volumes.” We will be the first to let you know more once we do.