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ASUS reached 9.008 GHz on an Intel Core i9-13900K on December 21, 2022, setting a frequency world record with an ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard and liquid-helium cooling. The chip operated at temperatures of approximately -250°C during the specialist overclocking session. This was a short, cryogenic record attempt—not a practical clock speed for a normal gaming or workstation PC.
What ASUS achieved
ASUS Republic of Gamers announced that its overclocking team pushed the 13th-generation Intel Core i9-13900K beyond 9 GHz, reaching 9.008 GHz with the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex. HWBOT’s submission-level listing records an elmor result at 9008.82 MHz on December 21, 2022. The tiny difference in presentation reflects the precision of the underlying frequency measurement: ASUS rounded the result to 9.008 GHz, while HWBOT listed the measured value in megahertz.
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Intel’s newsroom summary also recorded two companion benchmark results from the platform: PIFAST completed in 6.85 seconds and SUPERPI 1M in 3.822 seconds. These are brief benchmark runs associated with the record setup, not evidence that the processor could maintain 9 GHz during ordinary software workloads.
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| Component or condition | Role in the attempt |
|---|---|
| Intel Core i9-13900K | Unlocked 13th-generation desktop processor being overclocked |
| ROG Maximus Z790 Apex | Enthusiast Z790 motherboard selected for extreme overclocking and tuning |
| Liquid helium | Cryogenic cooling used to reach temperatures of approximately -250°C |
| ROG Thor 1600W Titanium | High-capacity power supply named by ASUS as supporting hardware |
| ThermalRight TFX | Thermal compound identified by ASUS for the setup |
The Apex board is not simply a decorative upgrade over a mainstream Z790 model. Boards in this class are designed to give an overclocker unusually direct control over voltage, power delivery, memory and diagnostic settings, while providing a platform able to tolerate the electrical and thermal demands of short record attempts. ASUS identified the motherboard, power supply and compound as part of the supporting equipment; it did not publish a consumer recipe that would reproduce 9 GHz in a conventional case.
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Why liquid helium was necessary
At ordinary temperatures, the processor’s electrical leakage and heat output rise sharply as voltage and frequency are pushed upward. Liquid helium allowed the team to remove heat at temperatures far below those achievable with an air cooler, an all-in-one liquid cooler or a conventional custom loop. ASUS described the processor as remaining consistent at approximately -250°C, an environment suitable for validating an exceptional peak frequency rather than operating a household computer.
This is cryogenic experimentation. It requires specialized containment and handling, careful control of condensation and frost, and hardware prepared for rapid changes in temperature. The cooling method is the central reason the result cannot be treated as a normal overclocking target.
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What “9 GHz” means in this context
A frequency record, not a performance guarantee
Clock frequency states how many cycles the processor is being driven through each second. Reaching 9.008 GHz proves that this particular chip, on this platform and under the stated cryogenic conditions, could validate that frequency. It does not establish that every Core i9-13900K can reach it, that the chip could run every core at that speed, or that applications would complete proportionally more work.
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Record attempts generally emphasize a frequency validation or a workload that finishes quickly. Gaming, rendering and software development can load a processor continuously, producing far more heat and exposing stability problems that may not appear during a brief validation. The ASUS and Intel announcements do not claim 9 GHz as a sustained consumer operating point.
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Can a normal Core i9-13900K run at 9 GHz?
No practical evidence in the cited announcements supports that conclusion. A retail 13900K in a normal PC is expected to use air, an AIO cooler or a custom water loop, all of which operate vastly warmer than liquid helium. Even an enthusiast motherboard cannot substitute for the cryogenic conditions used in this record attempt.
- Cooling: the record used liquid helium at approximately -250°C; ordinary systems use air or liquid coolers at dramatically higher temperatures.
- Workload: the record centered on brief frequency and benchmark validation; everyday applications impose sustained thermal load.
- Silicon variation: one hand-selected or particularly capable processor does not represent every retail sample.
- Reliability: extreme voltage, temperature cycling and electrical stress can damage a processor or motherboard and can void warranties.
Conventional overclocking can improve performance within the limits of a specific chip, cooler, board and power budget, but a safe target must be established through stability testing and temperature monitoring—not by copying the 9 GHz headline.
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How the record compares with a normal enthusiast build
| Factor | ASUS record platform | Typical enthusiast PC |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling | Liquid helium, with temperatures around -250°C reported by ASUS | Air cooler, AIO or custom liquid loop |
| Motherboard | ROG Maximus Z790 Apex, built for extreme tuning | Mainstream or enthusiast Z790 board selected for features and compatibility |
| Operating objective | Peak frequency and short benchmark validation | Stable performance across games and sustained applications |
| Power support | ROG Thor 1600W Titanium named by ASUS | Power supply sized for the complete system and its graphics card |
| Practicality | Specialist, cryogenic demonstration | Repeatable daily operation in a case |
What the result does—and does not—prove
- It demonstrates that the 13900K platform crossed the 9 GHz barrier under extraordinary cooling.
- It shows the value of a motherboard designed for granular extreme-overclocking control.
- It provides benchmark records of 6.85 seconds in PIFAST and 3.822 seconds in SUPERPI 1M for the reported platform.
- It does not provide a recommended voltage, a guaranteed retail-chip result, a sustained all-core speed or a conventional cooling specification for 9 GHz.
The lasting significance is therefore methodological: ASUS combined an unlocked processor, an overclocker-focused Z790 board, substantial electrical support and liquid helium to capture a record-setting moment. For PC builders, the sensible lesson is to treat 9.008 GHz as an extreme demonstration of silicon and cooling limits, not as a specification to reproduce at home.
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Quick Recap
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- Stream, create, and compete at the highest levels with industry leading features and the latest hybrid architecture
- 24 cores (8 P-cores + 16 E-cores) and 32 threads
- Up to 5.8 GHz unlocked. 36M Cache
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- Compatible with Intel 600 series (might need BIOS update) and 700 series chipset-based motherboards
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