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The Intel Core i9-14900KF reached a validated 9,043.92 MHz—rounded to 9.044 GHz—in an extreme overclocking run on 19 October 2023. It took liquid helium cooling, 1.860 V, and a single active P-core. That was a brief record-setting validation, not a practical everyday clock speed. HWBOT’s current CPU Frequency Hall of Fame now lists a faster 9,206.34 MHz result for the same processor model, so 9.044 GHz is a historical record, not today’s top 14900KF result.
How the 14900KF reached 9.044 GHz
ASUS-backed overclocker Jon “Elmor” Sandstrom worked with Pieter “ScatterBencher” Plaisier, Shamino, and Bing on the 2023 run. The team validated 9,043.92 MHz on an Intel Core i9-14900KF. The reported configuration used a 100.49 MHz bus frequency and a 90× CPU multiplier. Club386 reported that CPU-Z showed eight cores because the processor’s E-cores were disabled; only one P-core was used for the record frequency. Club386’s account of the run gives the setup details.
The chip’s reported Vcore was 1.860 V, compared with roughly 1.3 V at default settings, though defaults can vary with motherboard settings. This voltage and the unusual thermal conditions were part of an extreme record attempt, not a safe target for routine use.
Cooling and hardware used
The team cooled the CPU with liquid helium, bringing it to approximately -245 °C. Club386 contrasts helium’s roughly -269 °C boiling point with liquid nitrogen’s roughly -195.8 °C, and notes helium’s greater cost and lower heat absorption before it gasifies. These cryogenic conditions are far removed from a conventional desktop cooling setup.
#1 Best Overall
- Game without compromise. Play harder and work smarter with Intel Core 14th Gen processors
- 24 cores (8 P-cores plus 16 E-cores) and 32 threads. Discrete graphics required
- Leading max clock speed of up to 6.0 GHz gives you smoother game play, higher frame rates, and rapid responsiveness
- Compatible with Intel 600-series (with potential BIOS update) or 700-series chipset-based motherboards
- DDR4 and DDR5 platform support cuts your load times and gives you the space to run the most demanding games
The documented platform used an ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore motherboard and 16 GB of DDR5-4800 memory. Intel Technology’s contemporaneous video description identifies Elmor and ScatterBencher and shows preparation on the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex Encore before liquid helium was poured: Intel Technology’s video.
Why 9.044 GHz is not an everyday overclock
The record shows what a carefully prepared chip can validate briefly with extreme cooling and a single active core. It does not show that a retail 14900KF can run at 9.044 GHz in an ordinary PC, sustain that speed, or do so across all cores. The result depended on the specific processor, voltage, thermal conditions, firmware, and one-core configuration; another retail system cannot be assumed to reproduce it.
Rank #2
- Intel Core i9 Desktop Processor (14th generation) 14900KF, without processor graphics
- The overclockable Intel Core i9 desktop processors (14th generation) with Intel Thermal Velocity Boost, Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, support for PCIe 5.0 and 4.0 as well as for DDR5 and DDR4 are optimised for demanding gamers and professional content creators and ensure high performance
- Separate graphics card required.
- Compatible with motherboards based on Intel chipsets of the 700 and 600 series.
- Processor base power consumption: 125 W.
The reported run is a frequency validation, not a consumer performance test. The cited coverage provides no gaming, productivity, power-draw, or sustained-stability benchmark for it, so the headline clock alone does not establish a performance gain for everyday workloads.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIs 9.044 GHz still the CPU-frequency world record?
No. HWBOT’s current CPU Frequency Hall of Fame lists a 9,206.34 MHz submission on a Core i9-14900KF above Elmor’s 9,043.92 MHz result. The 9.044 GHz run remains a notable 2023 milestone, but it is no longer the fastest result shown in that ranking. HWBOT also says its world-record ranking can include unreleased hardware and engineering samples, so a ranking entry should not automatically be read as a result from a retail processor.
Rank #3
- Game without compromise. Play harder and work smarter with Intel Core 14th Gen processors
- 24 cores (8 P-cores plus 16 E-cores) and 32 threads. Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 770 included
- Leading max clock speed of up to 6.0 GHz gives you smoother game play, higher frame rates, and rapid responsiveness
- Compatible with Intel 600-series (with potential BIOS update) or 700-series chipset-based motherboards
- DDR4 and DDR5 platform support cuts your load times and gives you the space to run the most demanding games
For context when comparing frequency records, check the measured frequency, CPU model, active-core count, cooling method and temperature, voltage, validation benchmark, and whether the submission used retail or engineering-sample hardware. HWBOT’s live ranking is available at CPU Frequency Hall of Fame.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Get ultra-efficient with Intel Core Ultra desktop processors that improve both performance and efficiency so your PC can run cooler, quieter, and quicker.
- Core and Threads 24 cores (8 P-cores plus 16 E-cores) and 24 threads. Integrated Intel Graphics included
- Performance Hybrid Architecture Integrates two core microarchitectures, prioritizing and distributing workloads to optimize performance
- Performance Unlocked Up to 5.7 GHz unlocked. 40MB Cache
- Compatibility Compatible with Intel 800 series chipset-based motherboards
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