Why Intel Doesn’t Talk about the KF Processors
So, why doesn’t Intel talk about this CPU? It’s kind of hard to push a CPU in the market which is known to have a defect. Intel needs to sell them, because of its 14nm supply issues. However, it doesn’t push them in the DIY market, probably because it would be both embarrassing to do so and because it can’t keep up with demands as it is.
It can be had slightly cheaper than the regular 9900K and as a result, it’s a win/win for anyone who doesn’t need the iGPU. As a bonus, it can theoretically overclock better than the standard Core i9 9900K which is probably the crux of why Intel doesn’t talk about it. Intel’s funny about overclocking because, in a sense, they don’t want you doing it. On the other hand, they’ll tout their prowess in this area if it means looking better than their competition. This is why they’ve pulled PR stunts like showing a HEDT CPU at 5.0GHz in a public demonstration despite needing phase change cooling to achieve it etc.
For the average Joe, they don’t really want to highlight overclocking too much. While I’ve rarely seen it happen, it is possible to kill CPUs via overclocking and those CPUs are likely to see an RMA. It’s difficult to prove a CPU died due to overclocking. Forensic analysis of the CPU would be difficult given it doesn’t really come apart and anything Intel could do would probably be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. Thus, its cheaper to just replace it. These CPU’s are also overclocked from the factory if you think about it. That’s what Intel’s Turbo Boost does.
Playing it Safe
Intel always plays it relatively safe with its clock speeds. On rare occasions, it hasn’t, CPU’s have had to be pulled from the market because they weren’t reliable at their default clocks in some configurations and builds. Even when your voltages are reasonable you will still see a great deal of heat and power draw well beyond Intel’s rated TDP as 5.0GHz is approaching the upper limit of what this silicon can do.
For all these reasons, Intel doesn’t really push its overclocking prowess too much. It stands to reason that this is why Intel doesn’t push the 9900KF. It’s the same thing as the 9900K, but it has a missing or broken feature with the only real benefit to it being that it might overclock higher than a 9900K with its iGPU intact and enabled. The KF becomes the redheaded stepchild of the Intel Core ix family as an end result.