AnandTech actually has a new article on Intel TDP limits out today: https://www.anandtech.com/show/13544/why-intel-processors-draw-more-power-than-expected-tdp-

AnandTech actually has a new article on Intel TDP limits out today: https://www.anandtech.com/show/13544/why-intel-processors-draw-more-power-than-expected-tdp-turbo https://www.anandtech.com/show/13544/why-intel-processors-dr... I would find it hilarious if this conversation somehow prompted it. Anyways, AnandTech's position seems to be: We test at stock, out-of-the-box motherboard settings, except for memory profiles. We do this for three reasons - 1. This is the experience almost all users will have. 2. This is what the benchmarks published by Intel reflect. 3. This is what damn near every other review site has done forever, and to do otherwise would make results less useful. So that's why their power draw number was 170W and not 95W for the i9-9900k - motherboard vendors take Intel's recommended settings and laugh. But so does Intel for benchmarks.