All posts by Jacob

Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 Review: Is It Really Worth It?

Memory Reviews

My Build: ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero with Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64

I recently got a set of Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 32GB RAM sticks from Amazon for $979.97. I got these RAM sticks for my ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero motherboard. The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is a higher end gaming motherboard that accepts my DDR5 RAM sticks. The Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 is a set of two DDR5 RAM sticks running at 4800MHz with a CL of 40.

The RAM: Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64

Although there may be faster sticks of RAM two Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 RAM sticks are perfectly capable of running my system. For $979.97 you would expect something really powerful but comparing to similar DDR4 RAM there isn’t that much of a difference in performance. DDR4 can be slower but for my needs DDR4 would have worked fine for cheaper. If it were not for the fact that my motherboard only supports DDR5 I would have gotten DDR4. DDR4 is older but it still functions completely fine.

Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 – Specs

  • Generation: DDR5
  • Speed: 4800MHz
  • ECC: On-Die ECC
  • Channels: Dual (For my setup)
  • CAS Latency: 40
  • Voltage: 1.1V

My Thoughts

Who should buy the Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64? Only people with extra money that want the best possible performance. The Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64  is a good set of two RAM sticks although its really expensive. DDR4 is good for almost anything the average person would need and is a lot cheaper.

Is it worth the price? No. The only reason you should buy DDR5 RAM like this is if you don’t care about price. DDR4 is again a lot cheaper and is typically more than enough.

Overall the Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64 would be a good choice except for the fact that it is close to $1000. This alone is why I cannot recommend the Kingston FURY Beast KF556C36BBE2AK2-64. I recommend finding a cheaper DDR5 kit or going with DDR4.

Note: This review is part of a classroom project.

References:

Intel® Core™ i9-11900K Review

CPU reviews

My Build: Intel® Core™ i9-11900K on an ASUS PRIME Z490-P

I recently picked up an ASUS PRIME Z490-P motherboard  for $101.22 new from Newegg. This motherboard is older and more budget-friendly, but it still packs a punch. The Z490-P features the Intel® Z490 chipset, two M.2 slots, six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and overall solid build quality for its price point. Although this motherboard was originally designed for 10th Gen Intel CPUs, a BIOS update allows it to support 11th Gen Intel processors, including the i9-11900K used in my build.

The Heart of the System – Intel® Core™ i9-11900K

Although the Intel® Core™ i9-11900K isn’t the most powerful CPU on the market, it still delivers strong performance. It’s an impressive processor that continues to hold up today, especially for gaming and general daily use. In my experience, the i9-11900K handles modern games and multitasking without issue.

The main downside is the amount of heat this CPU generates, along with its relatively high price of $460.73 on Newegg at the time of purchase. Because of this, it’s hard to call the i9-11900K the best value CPU available right now. That said, I personally enjoy using it and plan to continue running it in my system.

Intel® Core™ i9-11900K – Specs (11th Gen Intel)

Socket: LGA 1200
Cores: 8
Threads: 16
Max Turbo Boost: Up to 5.30 GHz
Cache: 16 MB Intel® Smart Cache
Memory Support: DDR4-3200
PCIe Support: PCIe 4.0 (supported on compatible motherboards with 11th Gen CPUs)
Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 750

Reviews & Benchmarks

For in-depth community and expert opinions, check out these review hubs:

Newegg Reviews – User-submitted real-world experiences
https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i9-11th-gen-core-i9-11900k-rocket-lake-lga-1200-desktop-cpu-processor/p/N82E16819118231?srsltid=AfmBOoqRkMN9UBfuEYymfEIZNFoumHDqSsDcjBbmNbmoeF9ury5mniPg

Specs & Comparison Info – Official Intel specifications and details
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/212325/intel-core-i911900k-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-30-ghz/specifications.html

My Thoughts

I think the Intel® Core™ i9-11900K processor is a functional and well-built CPU. In my setup, it does struggle with thermal throttling at times, although this is likely due to the cooling solution rather than a flaw with the CPU itself. While the i9-11900K is not inherently a bad processor, it has become much more expensive relative to its performance because of its age. Additionally, LGA 1200 motherboards are now considered outdated.

There are newer CPUs available that offer better performance and value for less money. Because of its age and current pricing, I would not personally recommend this CPU to most buyers today.

Note: This review is part of a classroom project.

References:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/212325/intel-core-i911900k-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-30-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i9-11th-gen-core-i9-11900k-rocket-lake-lga-1200-desktop-cpu-processor/p/N82E16819118231?srsltid=AfmBOoqRkMN9UBfuEYymfEIZNFoumHDqSsDcjBbmNbmoeF9ury5mniPg

https://www.newegg.com/asus-prime-z490-p-atx-intel-motherboard-intel-z490-lga-1200/p/N82E16813119272

https://uk.store.asus.com/90mb12v0-m0eay0-feed.html

Intel® Core™ i9-11900K Review

CPU reviews

My Build: Intel® Core™ i9-11900K on an ASUS PRIME Z490-P

I recently got an ASUS PRIME Z490-P motherboard for $101.22 new from Newegg. This motherboard is older and cheaper although it still packs a punch. The Z490-P has an Intel® Z490 chipset, 2 M.2 slots, 4 SATA 6Gb/s ports, and is generally a good quality motherboard for its price. Although this motherboard is designed for 10th Gen Intel CPUs there is a BIOS update to support 11th Gen Intel CPUs.

The Heart of the System – Intel® Core™ i9-11900K

Although the Intel® Core™ i9-11900K isn’t the most powerful CPU out there it still packs a punch. Its an amazing CPU that still holds up today. The i9-11900K is an amazing CPU capable of playing games and functioning as your daily driver. The downside is the high levels of heat this CPU generates and the high price of $460.73  on Newegg. Because of this its hard to call the i-11900K the best CPU. Overall I personally enjoy the i9-11900K and intend to continue using it.

Intel® Core™ i9-11900K – Specs (11th Gen Intel)

  • Socket: LGA 1200
  • Cores: 8
  • Threads: 16
  • Max Turbo Boost: Up to 5.30 GHz
  • Cache: 16 MB Intel® Smart Cache
  • Memory Support: DDR4-3200
  • PCIe Support: PCIe 4.0
  • Graphics: Intel® UHD Graphics 750

Reviews & Benchmarks

For in-depth community and expert opinions, check out these review hubs:

My Thoughts

I think the Intel® Core™ i9-11900K Processor is a functional and good quality CPU. I also think that the CPU struggles with thermal throttling although that is most likely the coolers fault. Although the i9-11900K is not inherently a bad CPU it is much more expensive due to its age. Furthermore LGA 1200 motherboards are also outdated. There are better CPUs out there for cheaper. I would not recommend this CPU due to its age and price.

Note:  This review is part of a classroom project.

References:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/212325/intel-core-i911900k-processor-16m-cache-up-to-5-30-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i9-11th-gen-core-i9-11900k-rocket-lake-lga-1200-desktop-cpu-processor/p/N82E16819118231?srsltid=AfmBOoqRkMN9UBfuEYymfEIZNFoumHDqSsDcjBbmNbmoeF9ury5mniPg

https://www.newegg.com/asus-prime-z490-p-atx-intel-motherboard-intel-z490-lga-1200/p/N82E16813119272

https://uk.store.asus.com/90mb12v0-m0eay0-feed.html

ASUS PRIME Z490-P

Motherboard reviews

The PRIME Z490-P sold by ASUS is a budget motherboard selling for $97.20 on Newegg.com as of 12/9/2025. I believe that the PRIME Z490-P is a great budget motherboard for anyone interested in a cheap yet surprisingly powerful motherboard. The PRIME Z490-P is the perfect motherboard for performance on a budget.

The PRIME Z490-P uses an LGA 1200 motherboard socket supporting 10th and 11th generation Intel Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9 and Intel Pentium Gold CPUs. The motherboard supports 4 slots of DDR4 memory at a clock speed of 4800MHz. The PRIME Z490-P  supports up to 128GB of memory which is more than decent for the average user.

Overall the PRIME Z490-P is a cheap and functional motherboard capable of delivering decent performance. The PRIME Z490-P is capable of running modern applications, games, and whatever else is thrown at it as long as the rest of the computer is up to spec. This motherboard is perfect for the every day user or anyone who wants performance on a budget.

Works Cited

“https://www.newegg.com/asus-prime-z490-p-atx-intel-motherboard-intel-z490-lga-1200/p/N82E16813119272?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=afc-ran-com-_-Cashback+on+Bing+for+Edge+browser&utm_source=afc-Cashback+on+Bing+for+Edge+browser&AFFID=3829940&AFFNAME=Cashback+on+Bing+for+Edge+browser&ACRID=1&ASUBID=9dde908a-4cc4-4421-a00c-66bd9a0419f0&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bing.com%2F&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=3829940&ranSiteID=_jZHTpnCvx8-LPPvE0Zly80iobVRgeX8rA&scrlybrkr=248e8b0c”

Note:  This review is part of a classroom project.