Intel Core i9-15900K Appears on Geekbench, Likely a Misidentified Engineering Sample

A newly surfaced benchmark on Geekbench has revealed what appears to be the Intel Core i9-15900K, but all signs point to this being a misidentified engineering sample rather than a true next-generation processor. With an identical core and thread configuration to the Core i9-14900K, along with matching cache specifications, the likelihood of this being an actual successor is low.

The benchmark listing suggests that the Core i9-15900K features 24 cores and 32 threads, mirroring the specifications of the Core i9-14900K. The L2 cache remains at 8MB, while the L3 cache remains at 36MB. Additionally, the processor is designed for the LGA 1700 socket, which is the same platform as the 13th and 14th-generation Intel Core processors. This alignment with existing Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh processors further suggests that the listing is likely a mislabeled sample from the 14900K’s development phase.

A key indicator that this is not an actual 15th-generation Arrow Lake processor is the CPU identifier. The Geekbench database lists this sample as part of the GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 183 Stepping 1, which matches Raptor Lake and Raptor Lake Refresh chips. In contrast, actual Arrow Lake processors are expected to carry the GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 198 Stepping 2 identifier. Given this discrepancy, it is reasonable to assume that this benchmark does not reflect the specifications or performance of an upcoming Core i9-15900K.

Performance scores in Geekbench further reinforce this conclusion. The reported single-core and multi-core scores stand at 2,279 and 11,690, respectively—significantly lower than the 14900K’s typical scores, which are around 3,000 for single-core and 20,000 for multi-core in Geekbench 6. The low-performance figures could be attributed to power and frequency constraints on the test platform or a different firmware configuration in the sample. Additionally, the reported clock speeds show a base frequency of just 800 MHz and a boost clock of 4.8 GHz, much lower than the 14900K’s peak of 5.8 GHz on performance cores.

The benchmarked processor was tested on a JGINYUE B760I Snow Dream motherboard, a Mini-ITX board designed for LGA 1700 CPUs. JGINYUE, a lesser-known motherboard manufacturer primarily based in China, produces budget-oriented boards for Intel and AMD platforms. While this motherboard does support high-end Intel CPUs, it is not typically used for flagship processor validation, adding to the likelihood that this test was conducted on pre-release or mislabeled hardware.

This listing does not indicate an imminent launch of a new Intel processor series. The company has already announced that its next generation of desktop CPUs, Arrow Lake, will be branded under the Core Ultra series and will not follow a conventional numbering scheme like the 15000 series. Therefore, the appearance of a Core i9-15900K in benchmarking databases should not be mistaken for a legitimate upcoming product.

For now, those anticipating a true successor to the Core i9-14900K will need to wait for official announcements from Intel regarding Arrow Lake and its eventual Core Ultra lineup. Until then, this listing appears to be an artifact of engineering sample testing rather than a preview of what is to come.

Source: BenchLeaks, Wccftech