Intel Core i9-11900K CPU Review

The FPS Review may receive a commission if you purchase something after clicking a link in this article.

Test Setup

Intel Core i9-11900K CPU Review System Setup Table

System Setup

For the Intel and AMD platforms, we have updated the BIOS to the latest versions on each.  This is BIOS 3401 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero motherboard which is dated 3/20/2021.  It uses AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.1 Patch A code.  We also have the latest AMD Chipset drivers at the time of testing installed which is 2.13.27.501.

On the Intel platform, we have the latest BIOS provided by Intel for press which is 0610 for this motherboard.  This BIOS is superior to the 0605 that is on the website.  As of writing this evaluation, an even newer BIOS was just released which is 0703 but it is a BETA BIOS.  The 0610 BIOS we are using includes the new feature it brings which is Adaptive Boost Technology.  Publicly, you will want to grab this latest BIOS on the website for compatibility with 11th Gen Processors.  We are also using the latest Intel INF drivers for the platform which is version 10.1.18634.8254.

For the memory configuration, we are using the exact same modules on both platforms.  These are G.SKILL Trident Z Neo F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC modules, two 16GB for a total of 32GB.  On the AMD platform, we set DOCP profile but manually selected 3200MHz frequency.  On the Intel platform, we have set the XMP I profile but manually selected 3200MHz frequency.  In this way, both platforms are running the same memory frequency and timings of 16-19-19-39. 

We were waiting on some new memory from CRUCIAL, however, it did not arrive in time. In the future, we will have some high-frequency RAM from CRUCIAL to test in these configurations.  For now, at 3200MHz we are at the “spec” for the new Intel CPU and AMD. 

The AMD platform is able to run at 1T as set by DOCP, the Intel platform runs at 2T as set by XMP.  We did manually try 1T command rate, but it was unstable, only 2T worked stable.  The Intel platform is running in GEAR 1 memory mode which means the memory and bus are at a 1:1 ratio, exactly the same as the AMD platform.  Therefore, the memory is equal in bus ratio, frequency, and timings between the platforms.    

Otherwise, the motherboards were at default settings.  We did not manipulate or change any power settings such as PL1, PL2, or TAU, we left them all at the motherboard’s default.

For the OS we are using the absolute latest version of Windows with all updates applied.  We have set the power option to Best Performance.

The video card common to both platforms is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition with the latest driver.  Otherwise, all other drivers are also using the latest versions for all components.

In our testing we both ENABLED and DISABLED Intel Adaptive Boost Technology as shown on the graphs to benchmark both scenarios.

Brent Justicehttps://www.thefpsreview.com
Former managing editor of GPUs at HardOCP for 18 years, Brent Justice has been reviewing computer components since the late 90s, educated in the art and method of the computer hardware review, he brings experience, knowledge, and hands-on testing with a gamer-oriented and hardware enthusiast perspective. You can follow him on Twitter - @Brent_Justice You can sub to his YouTube channel - Justice Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/JusticeGamingChannel You can check out his computer builds on KIT - @BrentJustice https://kit.co/BrentJustice

Recent News