Mistake or Prototype? Intel Core i9-15900K Spotted in Geekbench

Geekbench has unexpectedly revealed test results for a processor labeled Intel Core i9-15900K, which, at least on paper, could be considered the successor to the current flagship, the i9-14900K. However, experts have expressed doubts—the chip's specs and performance are nearly identical to the previous generation, calling its authenticity into question.

According to Geekbench 6.4 data, the "new" processor features the same 24 cores and 32 threads as the i9-14900K, along with an identical cache configuration (8MB L2 and 36MB L3). Furthermore, the chip uses the LGA 1700 socket, characteristic of the Raptor Lake lineup rather than the anticipated 15th-gen Arrow Lake processors. The most critical red flag is its model identifier: GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 183 Stepping 1, which corresponds to current Intel chips rather than upcoming ones.

Benchmark results have only fueled suspicions. The i9-15900K scored 2,279 points in single-core and 11,690 in multi-core tests—25-40% lower than the i9-14900K. The likely culprit? Strikingly low clock speeds: a base frequency of just 800 MHz and a maximum boost of 4.8 GHz, compared to 5.8 GHz in the previous model. Experts suggest this could be either an early engineering sample with restrictions or a software recognition error.

Adding to the mystery, the chip was tested on a JGINYUE B760I Snow Dream motherboard—an ITX board from a relatively obscure Chinese manufacturer. This has sparked speculation that the Geekbench listing might be linked to experimental BIOS testing or an unofficial hardware modification. However, Intel has faced misidentifications in benchmark databases before—back in 2022, an Alder Lake processor was briefly mislabeled as a "Rocket Lake Refresh." It won’t be long before we find out whether the Intel Core i9-15900K is real or just another database anomaly.