Intel Core i9-11900K Processor

The Intel Core i9-11900K Processor — 8 cores and 16 threads, 3.5 GHz base rising to 5.3 GHz with Turbo Boost, 16 MB Intel Smart Cache, 125 W processor base power, LGA1200. Supplied from stock with a 1-year warranty.

The Rocket Lake flagship, 5.3 GHz

The i9-11900K is the flagship Rocket Lake i9: eight cores with Hyper-Threading at 3.50 GHz with a 5.30 GHz Turbo, an unlocked multiplier, 16 MB of cache and a 125 W envelope, launched Q1 2021. Its Cypress Cove cores delivered roughly 19% more work per clock than Comet Lake, and it brought PCIe 4.0 to the mainstream desktop.

Intel added Adaptive Boost Technology on this part, letting the board raise all-core turbo dynamically within thermal limits, and the UHD 750 iGPU handles display with Quick Sync. It traded core count for per-clock performance — a deliberate bet that favoured lightly threaded work.

Technical specifications

Instruction set extensions: Intel SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX and AVX2. Security and virtualisation: AES-NI, Intel VT-x with EPT and VT-d, Intel Boot Guard.

Which systems take this processor

Anything on the LGA1200 socket with an Intel 500 or 400 series chipset: H510, B560, Z590, plus Z490, H470 and Q470 after a BIOS update; W480 also works. 11th Generation parts run natively on 500 series boards. H410 and B460 boards do not support 11th Generation parts at all.

Business desktops and SFF machines — Dell OptiPlex 3090 / 5090 / 7090, HP EliteDesk 800 G7 / ProDesk 600 G7, Lenovo ThinkCentre M70s / M90s.

Entry workstations — HP Z1 G8, Dell Precision 3650, Lenovo ThinkStation P350, where eight Rocket Lake cores with Hyper-Threading and PCIe 4.0 cover office, CAD and light rendering duty.

Micro-server and NAS builds — W480-class boards accept Core i9 parts with ECC UDIMMs; Rocket Lake added PCIe 4.0, which matters for NVMe-heavy builds.

One caveat when buying a board separately: 400 series boards need a BIOS update before an 11th Generation part will POST, and H410 / B460 boards do not support 11th Generation at all — check the board, not just the socket. Tell us the model and we will confirm before you order.

How it compares across the i9 line

The 11900KF drops the iGPU for discrete-card builds, and the twelve-hybrid-core 12900K is the Alder Lake successor that restored the core-count advantage.

How each processor is tested before it ships

1. Visual inspection of the integrated heat spreader, substrate and contact pads; the sSpec laser marking (SRKND on our i9-11900K stock) is verified against the Intel specification sheet.
2. Burn-in on a matched diagnostic board with a pair of memory modules of the correct type for this platform.
3. All populated memory channels and the primary PCIe lanes are validated, then the processor is identified in the BIOS and in the operating system.
4. A sustained multi-threaded load test at full core count, with the clock and thermal readings recorded.
5. Thermal paste cleaned off, final inspection, then packaging in an anti-static tray with foam — which is how it arrives to you.

Warranty and lead time

Every processor is covered by a 1-year warranty against defects in workmanship and function. If a part fails within the period we replace it or refund it, and we cover return shipping on a verified fault. Stock is held in our own warehouse and normally dispatches within three to seven working days; tracking is issued at dispatch.

Purchasing and volume enquiries

The minimum order quantity for this processor is 2 units. Price is quotation-based rather than listed, because CPU pricing moves with each incoming batch — send us the quantity you need and we will come back with a firm quote and the current lead time. Larger quantities ship from the same production batch so the sSpec and the stepping stay consistent across your order.