Today, Intel has finally officially announced its 14th generation processors. Debuting are Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K, Core i5-14600K, as well as their KF variants, which differ only by the absence of integrated graphics cards.
Last year we received the 13th generation Raptor Lake processors, which are now succeeded by the 14th generation, called Raptor Lake Refresh. Here are the key details summarized briefly:
- Same architecture as Raptor Lake (Raptor Cove P-cores + Gracemont E-cores)
- Same manufacturing process as Raptor Lake (Intel 7 10nm++)
- Higher speeds, beyond 6.0 GHz
- Support for faster DDR5 memory
- Significantly higher consumption (close to 300W)
- Compatibility with current motherboards with LGA 1700/1800 socket
So, it is clear that at the beginning of the new family of 14th generation Raptor Lake Refresh processors, we receive the same architecture and quite similar configurations (except for one SKU, which we can say will be the "star" this time). The processors are based on the 10nm ESF manufacturing process, also known as "Intel 7" and again combine Raptor Cove P-cores + Gracemont E-cores, which we know well from Raptor Lake. The new processors that we will initially receive are 3 models, divided respectively into "K" and "KF" variants - Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K & Core i5-14600K. You can see the detailed specifications below.
Intel Core i9-14900K 24 Core Raptor Lake:
We start with the flagship, Intel Core i9-14900K. It features 24 cores and 32 threads, in an 8+16 configuration. The processor has 36MB Smart Cache and a base TDP of 125W (253W PL2). The base frequency is 3.2 GHz with up to 6.0 GHz, through Thermal Velocity Boost technology. This is a jump of +200 MHz compared to Core i9-13900K and equal to Core i9-13900KS.
* Core i9-14900K 8+16 (24/32) - 3.2 / 6.0 GHz - 66 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 253W (PL2)
* Core i9-13900K 8+16 (24/32) - 3.0 / 5.8 GHz - 66 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 253W (PL2)
* Core i9-12900K 8+8 (16/24) - 3.2 / 5.2 GHz - 30 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 241W (PL2)
Intel Core i7-14700K 20 Core Raptor Lake:
For the i7-14700K, Intel will use its 8+12 configuration, which offers a total of 20 cores and 28 threads. This will be a great upgrade for current owners of the i7-13700K, who have an 8+8 configuration, allowing them to significantly improve their multi-threaded performance, thanks to the additional E-cores. The processor has 33 MB Smart Cache (up from 30 MB in the i7-13700K) and frequencies of 3.4 GHz base and 5.6 GHz with TVB3. Here too, similar to the i9-14900K, the jump is again +200 MHz, which is expected to lead to improvements around 5-10%.
* Core i7-14700K 8+12 (20/28) - 3.4 / 5.6 GHz - 61 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 253W (PL2)
* Core i7-13700K 8+8 (16/24) - 3.4 / 5.3 GHz - 54 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 253W (PL2)
* Core i7-12700K 8+4 (12/20) - 3.6 / 5.0 GHz, 25 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 190W (PL2)
Intel Core i5-14600K 14 Core Raptor Lake:
Finally, we have the Intel Core i5-14600K, which unfortunately is not in an 8+8 configuration, as some rumors claimed, but is again 6+8, just like the Intel Core i5-13600K. The cache and TDP remain unchanged, but the frequencies here also receive an increase of +200 MHz to 5.3 GHz - about a 5% improvement compared to the previous model.
* Core i5-14600K 6+8 (14/20) - 3.5 / 5.3 GHz - 44 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 181W (PL2)
* Core i5-13600K 6+8 (14/20) - 3.5 / 5.1 GHz - 44 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) /181W (PL2)
* Core i5-12600K 6+4 (10/16) - 3.6 / 4.9 GHz - 20 MB Cache, 125W (PL1) / 150W (PL2)
In addition to presenting the chips themselves, Intel takes the opportunity to shed more light and confirm support for its 600 and 700 series platforms. The latest motherboards from the 700 series chipsets will receive an update with WIFI 7 and USB 3.2 20 Gbps IO capabilities.
- Increased OC frequencies for "P" and "E" cores
- Higher DDR5 XMP speeds - over 8000 MT/s
- New and optimized thermal throttle mode for each core individually, to improve OC performance
- New third-party OC tool based on Intel's XTU SDK: FoundationTK.com
Additionally, the company is introducing more AI assistance in its XTU software, which will be presented in a new preview version and will include:
- AI model trained by Intel
- Characterization of individual systems and recommendations for personalized overclocking settings
- Simplified interface that requires no experience
- Available for i9-14900K/KF processors
Intel claims that a new instruction has been added to the Dynamic Tuning technology, known as Intel Application Optimization, which will determine and direct application resources in real-time. These optimizations can lead to a 16% improvement in performance for certain games.
- Supported on selected Intel Core 14th Gen S-series processors
- Software optimizations focused on gaming applications and games
Official performance of Intel's 14th generation processors against the competition
When it comes to performance, Intel claims improvements of up to +23% and a 2.5% average advantage over AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D based on a list of popular games, at 1080p High graphics settings. Comparisons are also made against Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 7 7800X3D, where the chip shows similar or better performance in both average frames per second and 99% low. Unfortunately, we do not have submitted data for efficiency, where we know that Ryzen is quite competitive.
"The blues" show comparisons with performance in content creation across various applications, indicating that the Core i9-14900K leads against the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while the Core i7-14700K comes quite close in many cases. The Core i7-14700K also delivers 63% more performance against the Core i7-12700K, making it a very sensible upgrade for owners of the Alder Lake chip. Even owners of the Core i7-13700K will see a nice jump with the Core i7-14700K.
Expect the launch of Intel's 14th generation processors at PCBUILD starting October 18, 2023 - Intel processors
