Intel 14th Gen Core chips are a refresh of the Raptor Lake arch, and they’re offer some nice gains in performance.
Intel Core i9-14900K – $589, Intel i7-14700K- $409, Intel Core i5-14600K – $319Intel’s 14th Gen Core “Raptor Lake Refresh” processors fit in the same socket as 13th Gen CPUs, but crank up the clocks, in some cases cores, and power. High PerformanceSingle Thread LeadershipMore Cores, Higher ClocksSocket CompatibilityCompetitive PricingHigh PowerTemps Ramp QuicklyX
After months of leaks and rumors, Intel officially took the wraps off of its 14th Gen Core desktop processors yesterday. If you’re a regular around here, you probably know that Intel’s 14th Gen Core desktop processors are a refresh of the existing Raptor Lake architecture that debuted with last year’s 13th Gen parts. With these new processors, however, Intel has tweaked and tuned the manufacturing process to boost clock speeds and has also increased the core count on Core i7 variants, to crank-up multi-threaded performance.
There are a total of six new processors in the Intel 14th Gen Core desktop processor line-up, and we’ve got three of them on hand for testing – the flagship Core i9-14900K, the enthusiast-class Core i7-14700K, and more mainstream Core i5-14600K. The remaining three processors are all “KF” versions, which are fundamentally similar to the trio we’ll be showing you here, sans integrated graphics. Before we spill all of the beans in the intro though, let’s move on to some specs and platform updates, then we’ll check out the actual chips, and – of course – take them for a spin in some benchmarks…Intel 14th Gen Core — What’s Changed?Intel 14th Gen Core “Raptor Lake Refresh” processors share the same hybrid architecture with Intel’s 13th Gen parts. These new processors feature P-cores (Performance) and E-cores (Efficiency) and fit into the exact same socket as 12th and 13th Gen Core processors.
They’re compatible with motherboards featuring 600 and 700 series chipsets, with either DDR4 or DDR5 memory too, provided the motherboard manufacturer has released an updated BIOS with the necessary microcode. In terms of platform features and IO, there’s nothing really new to report – PCIe 4 and 5, WiFi 7 support, USB 3.2 gen 2×2, etc. is all there, just like the 13th Gen.New Performance Optimization Modes For GamersIntel, however, has made some platform updates to optimize 14th Gen Core processors. Intel Application Optimization, or APO, for example, will initially be supported on the Core i9-14900K, and is a new policy within the Intel Dynamic Tuning framework that will dynamically tweak applications resources to maximize performance.
